Rose stretches Torrey Pines lead, Koepka makes cut

Stimpmeter · January 31, 2026, 6:00am

Justin Rose carded a sizzling 65 on Friday to push his lead to four strokes at Torrey Pines, where Brooks Koepka made the cut on his return to the PGA Tour.

England’s Rose followed up a 10-under first round on the North Course with an arguably more impressive seven-under effort on the tougher South Course, where he closed with back-to-back birdies to set a 36-hole tournament scoring record of 17-under 127.

“That was two special rounds of golf, today probably even more so just given it’s hard to often follow up a low one,” said the 45-year-old, the 2013 US Open champion whose 12 PGA Tour titles include the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

“I felt like the decision-making was spot on in terms of how I managed my game,” Rose said after a round that featured six birdies, an eagle and one bogey.

“Obviously every shot was not going to be perfect out there, but when I was in a little bit of trouble the putter would come through for me or I’d be disciplined when I was slightly out of position. I really played for the fat of the green and gave myself good two-putt opportunities from 40 feet.”

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Rose was four strokes clear of Ireland’s Seamus Power, who rebounded from his only bogey at his penultimate hole, the par-four 8th, with an eagle at the par-five 9th to post a six-under 66 for 131.

“A lot of good stuff,” Power said. “As well as I scored yesterday, it was more the putter, and I knew I was a little off with the long game.

“So I was able to get that figured out after the round yesterday. It felt much better long-game-wise and the putter was obviously still there, so I’m feeling really good going into tomorrow.”

Power was two shots ahead of Americans Joel Dahmen and Max McGreevy. Dahmen had three eagles in his 63, while McGreevy signed for a 67 to sit alongside him on 11-under 133.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout shared 33rd position on five-under 139 after carding a 71 that included three birdies and two bogeys. The other South Africans in the field – Christo Lamprecht, Aldrich Potgieter, Garrick Higgo and Erik van Rooyen – all missed the cut.

A new streak begins. https://t.co/tjKZ6OxJMR pic.twitter.com/SCNegbWFZa

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 31, 2026

Five-time Major winner Koepka, one of the highest-profile players to join LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed Tour launched in 2022, was 14 shots off the pace but will play the weekend in his first tournament back on the PGA Tour.

Koepka had not played a non-Major PGA Tour event since the 2022 WGC Match Play and had not teed it up competitively in 14 weeks before opening with a one-over 73 on Thursday, when he was buoyed by a warm reception from fans.

On Friday, he carded an eagle and three birdies in a 68 to make the cut on the number at three-under 141.

“It feels good,” Koepka said. “I just wanted to play four days this week. I think that was important.

“Yesterday I was excited to play, nervous and didn’t quite know what to expect,” added Koepka, whose return to the PGA Tour was facilitated by a new programme for returning players that includes limits on eligibility for some top events as well as financial penalties.

“Today felt more normal,” he said. “I definitely still got antsy, maybe a little nervous, just trying to figure things out and see where my game is at.”

Two-time Major winner Xander Schauffele’s streak of 72 consecutive PGA Tour cuts made – the fifth-longest in Tour history – came to an end, with the American’s three-under 69 leaving him one shot shy of the weekend.

— AFP

Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Article Link: Rose stretches Torrey Pines lead, Koepka makes cut