SAN DIEGO >> After so many big names were sent home Friday, the weekend stage was cleared at Torrey Pines for the guys wearing visors and white belts who want to make a name for themselves on the PGA Tour.
And, of course, for Brandt Snedeker, whose name is becoming linked with success at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Snedeker, the defending and two-time Farmers champion, is tied for the lead with Patrick Rodgers and in position to win his third tournament title at Torrey in six years going into Sunday’s final round.
“This place, for whatever reason, always seems to bring out my best,” Snedeker said Saturday after a 2-under 70 moved him to the top of the leaderboard at 9-under 207, a total Rodgers matched with a 5-under 67.
Tony Finau (67) and Cheng Tsung Pan (69) – two of the lesser names trying to establish themselves on tour – are one shot behind the co-leaders at 8 under, and there’s an eight-player logjam at 7 under, including 36-hole leader Justin Rose (73), San Diego native Pat Perez (67) and Stewart Cink (69). That puts 12 players within two shots of the co-leaders.
Former Santa Margarita High star Beau Hossler, making his first PGA start as a professional at age 21, struggled to a 2-over 74 on Saturday to drop to even par, one shot ahead of Saturday’s secondary cut, and is tied for 58th.
Suffice it to say, it was much more surprising that tour stars Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker all missed the 36-hole cut than it is that Snedeker is contending again at Torrey Pines.
“My rookie year I finished third here and ever since then, it’s had a special place in my heart,” Snedeker said. “It’s hard to quantify, but I definitely think there are certain golf courses (where) you show up and your attitude — the way you go about things – and your confidence level kind of wills you to have a good week. ... This is a place that I love and play great on.”
Two of Snedeker’s eight career tour victories came at Torrey Pines. He won the 2012 Farmers in a playoff after Kyle Stanley triple-bogeyed the 72nd hole to open the door for him, and he won last year’s storm-delayed tournament after shooting 69 Sunday in a driving rain and heavy winds that suspended play and then watching the leaders falter on Monday.
The only two players who have won the Farmers more often are Woods (seven of his 79 tour titles) and Phil Mickelson (three of his 42 tour titles), who moved up the leaderboard to 18th Saturday after a third-round 68.
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“Any time you put your name on a list next to those guys, you’re doing OK,” Snedeker said. “It’ll probably enter my head at some point (in the final round), but to do that I’ve got a lot of golf to play. This course is ready to take a bite out of you if you’re not paying attention.”
Rodgers, 24, a former Stanford star who tied Woods’ career record of 11 college victories, overpowered the South Course with his long-distance driving Saturday en route to a bogey-free 67 to put himself in the final group on a Sunday for the first time. He has led the field in driving distance all three rounds, with a cumulative average of 311.2 yards.
“For me, driving the ball has always been a staple of my game; I feel like it’s what got me out here,” said Rodgers, who is seeking his first PGA Tour victory in 59 starts. “I’m hitting my new Callaway ‘Epic’ driver a long way, and it’s a huge advantage for me on this course.”
Rodgers had the longest drives on 6 of the 14 par-4s and par-5s on Saturday, including a 336-yarder on No. 9 and 330-yarder on No. 13. He reached the par-5 13th in two with a 5-iron from 221 yards and the par-5 18th with a 4-iron from 238 yards, though his second shot on the closing hole kicked into a bunker. He failed to get up and down for birdie, so he had to settle for sharing the lead with Snedeker.
Hossler, who had high hopes after a 5-under 67 in his first round of his first PGA Tour start, gave back all five of those strokes by shooting 75 and 74 in his first two rounds on the South. He is learning that it won’t be as easy as it as for him in amateur and college golf.
When he made the turn at 2 under Saturday – after a two-birdie, two-bogey front nine – he was two shots out of the top 10. That was significant, because a top-10 finish this week would get him into the field at next week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
But his round unraveled in the span of two holes, when he bogeyed the par-3 11th after snap-hooking his tee shot and then double-bogeyed the 504-yard, par-4 12th to temporarily fall to 1 over. Though he bounced back with birdies on No. 13 and No. 14, he was not happy afterward.
“I’m just not playing well at all; I’m struggling in all facets of the game,” said Hossler, who is competing on a sponsor’s exemption. “Any time you play at a higher level, you just have to up your game, and I certainly haven’t done that the last couple of days. It’s been frustrating, but having the opportunity to compete is really special, especially close to home. It’s a privilege to be here and I just want to finish it off well and get some momentum moving forward.”
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