Stallings wins at Torrey Pines

Scott Stallings has won his third PGA Tour event
27 January 2014

Scott Stallings birdied the last hole to claim a dramatic one-shot victory at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

The tournament looked set to go to a play-off with KJ Choi, Graham DeLaet, Jason Day, Pat Perez and Stallings all sat on eight under par.

But the American managed to birdie the par-five 18th to take him into the clubhouse at nine under with Marc Leishman out on the course on seven under.

The Australian therefore needed an eagle to force the extra holes but he could not find it and Stallings was left to celebrate his third career PGA Tour win.

"I drove it very poorly," Stallings told Sky Sports 4.

"I hit some good ones coming down the stretch and I hit a really bad one on 17 and managed to make a really good par.

"(On) 18, John, my caddie said 'now see what you got, you worked your butt off for this'."

He added: "It's pretty cool, it hasn't quite set in yet but it's nice to hold up coming down the stretch."

The win this week secures Stallings' place at the Masters at Augusta and the 28-year-old is delighted to have clinched a place in the year's first major.

"That's something on everyone's to-do list as far as the PGA Tour and I'm excited to go back in April."

Stallings began the day three shots behind overnight leader Gary Woodland but reached the turn in 34 after three birdies and a bogey on the front nine.

He dropped another shot on 10 but three birdies between 11 and 14 saw him surge back into contention and, despite a dropped shot on 16, his big finish sealed the win.

Choi fired the round of the day with a 66 after getting off to a poor start with a bogey on the first.

Birdies on three, four, six, seven, 10, 13 and 14 saw him surge up the leaderboard before another dropped shot on 17 which he picked back up on the last.

Leishman managed to birdie the 18th to join the group in second with a closing 71 alongside Perez, who fired a 70, and Day and DeLaet, who both registered 68s.

Charley Hoffman had looked set to mount a title bid of his own after making a flying start to his round, including a hole-in-one at the par-three third.

He followed that up with birdies at the fifth, sixth and ninth, but he dropped a shot at the 10th before a birdie on 18 left him on seven under alongside Ryo Ishikawa and Will MacKenzie.

Scotsman Russell Knox was the highest-placed European after a closing 70 left him six under in the same group as Woodland.

The American was level par for the day through 14 but a double bogey on 17 ended his hopes of victory.

Keegan Bradley was in the group a further shot back while Jordan Spieth and Nicolas Colsaerts both had over-par rounds and finished four under.

European Ryder Cup duo Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood both finished on one over with Poulter shooting a disappointing four over par 76.

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