Pro gets consolation prize after coming up just short of Harris English at Torrey Pines

Sam Stevens emptied the tank on Saturday to try and overtake Harris English to win the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

But in the end, the 28-year-old Stevens came up short when he needed it most.

Stevens arrived at the par-5 18th hole just one shot back of English, who was a few holes behind. With the course showing its teeth, Stevens knew that an eagle three could potentially win him the tournament, with a birdie giving him a good shot at a playoff or outright win should English stumble.

Sitting 207 yards away from the flag, Stevens elected to pull 7 iron instead of the usual 6 iron. With the wind at his back, Stevens picked the higher-lofted club, believing it was his only chance to stop it close for a look at eagle.

Stevens’ shot sailed toward the right side of the green, over the pond that sits in front of the final putting surface at the South Course. But he didn’t get all of it. The ball landed on the steep bank and rolled back into the pond.

“So I thought it would be honestly a perfect 7-iron if I hit it good,” Stevens said after his 4-under-par 68 on Saturday. “Didn’t make a terrible swing, but just kind of made the swing that you can’t make there and leave it out to the right, kind of hit that soft right shot.”

Stevens saved par and finished the tournament one shot back of English, who won for the first time on tour since 2021.

While Stevens didn’t leave La Jolla, Calif., with his first-career win, the runner-up finish vaulted him to the top of the Aon Swing 5 rankings, which gives him a ticket into next week’s Signature Event at Pebble Beach.

“Obviously there’s a big opportunity there,” Stevens said about getting into the limited-field event. “They have a lot of points, and we won’t get into the amount of points that the Signature Events have, but take advantage of the opportunity, hopefully, and keep playing well. You know, each event kind of is individual, so hopefully if I get into the event next week I can reset and get hot early and stay hot.”

J.J. Spaun, Andrew Novak, Justin Lower, and Lee Hodges round out the list of players who will get into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via the Aon Swing 5. Hodges made a 12-foot birdie putt on his final hole Saturday to overtake Charley Hoffman for the final spot.

Those five players will also have a leg up in trying to get into the Genesis Invitational, which will be held at Torrey Pines from Feb. 13-16. The PGA Tour moved the Genesis Invitational from Riveria to Torrey Pines due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The five spots for the Genesis Invitational will be given to the players who have accumulated the most FedEx Cup Points in the Sony Open, American Express, Farmers Insurance Open, and Waste Management Phoenix Open.