Justin Rose leads as Brooks Koepka makes subdued return to PGA Tour
Koepka told reporters after his round that he had ‘fallen back in love with the game’.
Justin Rose shot a brilliant 10-under-par 62 on Torrey Pines’ North Course to lead the Farmers Insurance Open as Brooks Koepka laboured through an opening 73 on what proved a low-key return to the PGA Tour.
Rose carded 10 unanswered birdies as the 45-year-old claimed a one-shot lead over American Justin Lower – whose wife is currently 34 weeks pregnant and expecting twins.
“It’s a funny one, I feel like I managed my game really, really well today,” Ryder Cup star Rose told the PGA Tour website. “I felt like I read the greens phenomenally, putted as you could see really, really well.
“But I wouldn’t say it felt in complete cruise control – there was nothing kind of off, but some days you shoot 10 under par and every shot is as you see it, as you intend it, and I probably only had three or four today that I felt like were exactly as I was drawing up.
“But it was a good round of golf, the North Course is a course that you feel like you should be able to get but it’s actually grown a few teeth over the years.
“You’ve got to play well, you’ve got to drive the ball in play which I did a reasonable job of. I got momentum when I needed it, hit the odd good iron shot, made the odd 20 footer and before you know it you’re five, six, seven under par.”
The better scores all came on the North Course, with Ireland’s Seamus Power firing a seven-under 65 to post the lowest round on the South Course and claim a share of fifth place.
After Koepka agreed a release from his contract with the Saudi breakaway LIV Golf series a year early at the end of the 2025 season, the PGA Tour subsequently then introduced a hastily-written Returning Members Programme to accommodate the five-time major winner back into the fold.
Starting on the South Course, Koepka, who had joined LIV in 2022, made three pars before dropping a shot on the fourth and was not able to land a birdie chance on the ninth as he headed into the turn at one over.
Koepka overshot the green on the par-five 13th which resulted in another bogey and then narrowly missed a birdie opportunity on the par-three 16th before sinking his fourth shot on the final hole to sign for a one-over round.
“I’ve fallen back in love with the game,” Koepka told reporters. “Watching my son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me play well and realise how much this game has given me and how fun it is.
“It was very cool to hear ‘welcome back’… it was pretty much every hole.”
