Matthieu Pavon became the first player to win a PGA Tour event under the French flag since World War II when he made an 8-foot putt on No. 18 at Torrey Pines South on Saturday for a dramatic birdie and a one-shot victory in the Farmers Insurance Open.
He raised his arms in celebration and shouted before hugging caddie Mark Sherwood after the putt rolled in as the municipal gem high above the Pacific Ocean glowed under the late-afternoon sun.
Pavon glowed, too. He said he almost quit golf 10 years ago because of the yips.
“It is big for our country,” the 31-year-old PGA Tour rookie said.
“I hope it will inspire a lot of people, because coming from an amateur player which is 800 in the world to a PGA Tour winner is pretty big.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Pavon, who grew up playing soccer - his dad was a professional player - before switching to golf.
“It feels like there is another round to play tomorrow because we’re only Saturday.”
The Farmers ended Saturday to avoid going up against the NFL’s conference championship games.
Pavon’s final-round 3-under 69 put him at 13 under, one stroke better than Nicolai Hojgaard. Pavon was two shots ahead of Stephan Jaeger, who led after the second and third rounds, and Nicolai Hojgaard and Nate Lashley.
French-American Martin Trainer won his first PGA Tour event at the 2019 Puerto Rico Open, an alternate event, while representing the United States. He later switched his nationality to France.
Pavon took the lead on the 12th hole, built the advantage to two strokes and then missed a 3-foot putt on the par-4 17th for a bogey that cut his lead to one stroke.
His only birdie on the back nine saved him from a playoff.
He appeared to be in trouble on the par-5, 541-yard 18th when his drive landed in a sand trap, about 4 inches from the front lip. His second shot went 103 yards into the left rough, which was high because of heavy rain Monday, with 145 yards to the hole. He responded with a brilliant third shot within 8 feet.
After watching Hojgaard’s 300-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, “I was like, OK, it’s going to be spicy now. I might have to do a birdie or something special,’” Pavon said.
After ending up in the trap and then not getting back to the fairway, he and Sherwood discussed whether he should lay up or go for it.
“I was like, Listen, like the lie doesn’t look too bad, I feel like I can do it.’ He said ‘OK, but it’s your call.’
“It’s my call. And I was so pumped at that time, I know I had the energy to lift that ball up on the green. I kind of aimed to the middle of the green knowing the face would close a little bit because it’s quite deep and thick. That ball came out like a butterfly and it really feed the slope on the green. That was the right time to prove I have the guts to finish that tournament and I did it so I’m so happy about that last hole.”