Ludvig Aberg and Lanto Griffin shared the lead at the Farmers Insurance Open as blustery winds forced a 90-minute delay and prevented dozens of players from completing the second round.
First-round leader and Swedish Ryder Cup star Aberg fought to 6 (75), while Griffin shot 72.
Aberg made three bogeys in five holes in the Front Nine and added a double on the 14th, while American Griffin made three birdies in the Back Nine as he managed a level par 72 despite what he described as a “brutal” shot in the conditions. I managed it.
Danny Walker finished third and Chris Gotterup’s 69 tied him for fourth with Hayden Springer and Sungjae IM, his joint-highest score of the day.
Players battled powerful and inconsistent wind gusts that were measured at over 35 mph on the famed Torrey Pines Coastal course. Some gusts moved a stationary ball and tore Marshall’s hat off his head before stopping play.
“I threw my scores out the window,” said Griffin, who earned his PGA Tour card at Q-School last month.
“(On) a normal day, 72 would be good at this golf course and today it was a hair down grind. If you walk up to the 13th tee you’d start doing 35 mph, 9 tees blowing straight from the left.
“I was hanging on for dear life, saving green onions in most of the holes and sprinkling in a birdie or two.”
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Wind moves Hideki Matsuyama’s ball before Birdie Putt in the second round at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The delay began shortly after 2pm local time and lasted until 3:03pm, forcing players to play quickly in the wind, which had barely decreased, for shots to conclude the round.
Because the North Course is more exposed to the sea, the winds were particularly brutal for players like world number four Hideki Matsuyama. He could see his disgust while his well-considered putt was nowhere near its intended destination. Matsuyama still managed 75 and made the cut at 1 under.
In the opening round, the Easy North Course’s (70.2) score was significantly better than the South Course’s (72.5). Thanks to the wind, the South Course (75.3) actually played easier than the North (75.6) on Thursday.
Ludvig Aberg walks into the 15th hole of the South Course at rugged Torrey Pines.
“It was very difficult,” Eric Cole said.
“We had six holes of really heavy wind because it really started blowing like our second or third hole. Then it almost died down and we switched directions for a few holes.
“It’s very tricky and very unique. I know it can fly a little bit here, but it just seemed a little rough and there were some transition directions, so it was tough.”
No one went round without a tantrum as they battled the winds that blew clouds of dirt and sand into the Pacific Ocean all afternoon.
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It burned 3 acres about 4 miles south of Torrey Pines, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue.
Some players did not wait for the game to resume.
Amateur Luke Clanton, a Florida junior, climbed the leaderboard in the front nine before making three bogeys in the worst wind conditions. He decided to call it a day off the tee, sitting in the rough right on the 17th, and will resume his second round on Friday.
Defending champion Matthieu Pavon recorded an 80 in the second round to finish on the card outside the expected cut line, while a nine-wind delay forced 2023 winner Max Homa to withdraw due to illness.
Watch round 3 of Farmers Insurance on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Friday. Get Sky Sports or stream the PGA Tour, Majors and more.
