Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour.

Up by two strokes with two holes to play, Pavon missed a three-foot par putt at the 17th to see his advantage cut to one.

He was in a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five 18th, where his second shot left him in the dense left rough.

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But he muscled a mighty shot to the green and avoided a playoff with a clutch seven and a half foot putt, carding a three-under par 69 for a 13-under par total of 275.

Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard carded a one-under par 70 to finish second on 276.

The victory on the demanding South Course at Torrey Pines -- a two-time US Open venue -- comes after the 31-year-old Pavon captured his first DP World Tour title -- in his 185th start -- at the Spanish Open in October.

He earned his US PGA Tour card with a top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings.

"I have no words. It's amazing," Pavon said, his voice shaking in a post-round television interview. "It has been a long journey. I waited seven years on the main tour to win back in Europe and finally got a win in America. It's just tremendous."

Pavon shook off an opening bogey with four front-nine birdies, his two-foot birdie at the ninth pulling him into a tie for the lead with Germany's Stephan Jaeger.

Jaeger, also chasing a first PGA Tour win, came into the final round with a one-stroke lead and pushed it to three with birdies at the second and third holes.

But three back-nine bogeys proved too much to overcome and Jaeger finished tied for third on 11-under with Americans Jake Knapp and Nate Lashley.

Pavon played the final nine in even par, but it wasn't all smooth sailing.

The Frenchman looked to be in trouble at the 14th, where his second shot went through the green down the steep bank behind the putting surface.

Luckily, it stopped before rolling out of bounds and his shot up to the putting surface rolled within a foot of the cup.

He was in a greenside bunker off the tee at the par-three 16th but drilled a 23-foot putt to save par and keep his lead at two strokes.

<h2>The guts to finish</h2>

After the bogey at 17, Pavon watched Hojgaard belt it down the fairway at 18 and thought "it's going to be spicy now."

After his second shot left him in dense rough, his caddie advised caution, but Pavon opted to go for the green.

"I was so pumped at that time, I know I had the energy to lift that ball up on the green," he said. "That ball came out like a butterfly and it really fed 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."

Hojgaard finished with five birdies and three bogeys in his two-under par 70, keeping the pressure on Pavon by reaching the 18th green in two and giving himself a two-foot birdie putt.

"We were all grinding our heart out," Hojgaard said. "(Pavon) made good up-and-downs on the back nine and gave me a chance on 17, but then he pulled some magic on 18, which you've got to do if you want to win.

"I gave it my best to put a bit of pressure on him today, but he got one on me. Happy for him."

Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour.

Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour. Up by two strokes with two holes to play, Pavon missed a three-foot par putt at the 17th to see his advantage cut to one. He was in a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five 18th, where his second shot left him in the dense left rough. Also Read: Luka Doncic drops record 73 points in Dallas Mavericks' win over Atlanta Hawks But he muscled a mighty shot to the green and avoided a playoff with a clutch seven and a half foot putt, carding a three-under par 69 for a 13-under par total of 275. Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard carded a one-under par 70 to finish second on 276. The victory on the demanding South Course at Torrey Pines -- a two-time US Open venue -- comes after the 31-year-old Pavon captured his first DP World Tour title -- in his 185th start -- at the Spanish Open in October. He earned his US PGA Tour card with a top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings. "I have no words. It's amazing," Pavon said, his voice shaking in a post-round television interview. "It has been a long journey. I waited seven years on the main tour to win back in Europe and finally got a win in America. It's just tremendous." Pavon shook off an opening bogey with four front-nine birdies, his two-foot birdie at the ninth pulling him into a tie for the lead with Germany's Stephan Jaeger. Jaeger, also chasing a first PGA Tour win, came into the final round with a one-stroke lead and pushed it to three with birdies at the second and third holes. But three back-nine bogeys proved too much to overcome and Jaeger finished tied for third on 11-under with Americans Jake Knapp and Nate Lashley. Pavon played the final nine in even par, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. The Frenchman looked to be in trouble at the 14th, where his second shot went through the green down the steep bank behind the putting surface. Luckily, it stopped before rolling out of bounds and his shot up to the putting surface rolled within a foot of the cup. He was in a greenside bunker off the tee at the par-three 16th but drilled a 23-foot putt to save par and keep his lead at two strokes. The guts to finish After the bogey at 17, Pavon watched Hojgaard belt it down the fairway at 18 and thought "it's going to be spicy now." After his second shot left him in dense rough, his caddie advised caution, but Pavon opted to go for the green. "I was so pumped at that time, I know I had the energy to lift that ball up on the green," he said. "That ball came out like a butterfly and it really fed 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." Hojgaard finished with five birdies and three bogeys in his two-under par 70, keeping the pressure on Pavon by reaching the 18th green in two and giving himself a two-foot birdie putt. "We were all grinding our heart out," Hojgaard said. "(Pavon) made good up-and-downs on the back nine and gave me a chance on 17, but then he pulled some magic on 18, which you've got to do if you want to win. "I gave it my best to put a bit of pressure on him today, but he got one on me. Happy for him."

Golf: Matthieu Pavon becomes first Frenchman to win at US PGA Tour with Framers Insurance Open win

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Jaeger carded an eight-under par 64 on the North Course, one of two in use over the first two days of the tournament, for a 12-under par total of 132.

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He snatched the solo lead with his eagle bomb at the par-five ninth hole -- his last -- moments after Hojgaard completed a bogey-free six-under par 66 on the North Course for an 11-under total of 133.

"I hit a good drive," Jaeger said. "It was a little into the wind today, so we had 260, 270 pin. I kind of tugged it a little bit. I wanted it kind of go middle of the green and I went right at it, ended up landing just short of the pin and scooting kind of (to the) back fringe.

"Had a little downhill right-to-lefter about 35 feet and it ended up curling in. It was awesome to see that. Finishing like that, it was exciting."

Jaeger, 34 and ranked 101st in the world, is chasing his first US PGA Tour title.

He opened with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and strung together three more at 15, 16 and 17.

He followed his lone bogey of the day at the first with birdies at the third and eighth before his bravura finish and was looking forward to being in the hunt over the final two rounds on the challenging South Course, the two-time US Open venue.

"I've won a few times on the Korn Ferry, but to be able to be out here on the weekend with the cameras on and play in front of the guys, last couple groups is awesome," Jaeger said.

Hojgaard had opened with a strong five-under effort on the South Course on Wednesday and followed that up with another solid effort.

He climbed the leaderboard with four straight birdies from the fourth through the seventh and added two more birdies at 13 and 16.

<h2>Matsuyama ace</h2>

Although playing the South Course first may have taken some pressure off, he said the North layout was still plenty challenging.

"There's still thick rough around North Course, you've still got to hit the shots out there," he said. "I don't feel like it's that easy. I've played some really good golf these two days so it kind of felt stress free, but I can see that you can get in trouble on both courses."

Two more Europeans, Belgian Thomas Detry and France's Matthieu Pavon, shared third on 134, Pavon posting an impressive seven-under 65 on the South Course where Detry carded a four-under 68.

"A pretty good round overall, very solid off the tee," said Pavon, who had eight birdies and one bogey. "Didn't catch much rough the last two days, that was key. And then the putter was on fire, which is funny.

"I really missed short ones ... but dropped some big bombs and keep the momentum going."

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had a rollercoaster of a day on the South Course, where he carded his first hole-in-one on tour at the par-three eighth but also had four bogeys in his one-under 71 that left him five adrift.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Jaeger carded an eight-under par 64 on the North Course, one of two in use over the first two days of the tournament, for a 12-under par total of 132. Also Read: LeBron James creates history with record 20th NBA All-Star game nomination He snatched the solo lead with his eagle bomb at the par-five ninth hole -- his last -- moments after Hojgaard completed a bogey-free six-under par 66 on the North Course for an 11-under total of 133. "I hit a good drive," Jaeger said. "It was a little into the wind today, so we had 260, 270 pin. I kind of tugged it a little bit. I wanted it kind of go middle of the green and I went right at it, ended up landing just short of the pin and scooting kind of (to the) back fringe. "Had a little downhill right-to-lefter about 35 feet and it ended up curling in. It was awesome to see that. Finishing like that, it was exciting." Jaeger, 34 and ranked 101st in the world, is chasing his first US PGA Tour title. He opened with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and strung together three more at 15, 16 and 17. He followed his lone bogey of the day at the first with birdies at the third and eighth before his bravura finish and was looking forward to being in the hunt over the final two rounds on the challenging South Course, the two-time US Open venue. "I've won a few times on the Korn Ferry, but to be able to be out here on the weekend with the cameras on and play in front of the guys, last couple groups is awesome," Jaeger said. Hojgaard had opened with a strong five-under effort on the South Course on Wednesday and followed that up with another solid effort. He climbed the leaderboard with four straight birdies from the fourth through the seventh and added two more birdies at 13 and 16. Matsuyama ace Although playing the South Course first may have taken some pressure off, he said the North layout was still plenty challenging. "There's still thick rough around North Course, you've still got to hit the shots out there," he said. "I don't feel like it's that easy. I've played some really good golf these two days so it kind of felt stress free, but I can see that you can get in trouble on both courses." Two more Europeans, Belgian Thomas Detry and France's Matthieu Pavon, shared third on 134, Pavon posting an impressive seven-under 65 on the South Course where Detry carded a four-under 68. "A pretty good round overall, very solid off the tee," said Pavon, who had eight birdies and one bogey. "Didn't catch much rough the last two days, that was key. And then the putter was on fire, which is funny. "I really missed short ones ... but dropped some big bombs and keep the momentum going." Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had a rollercoaster of a day on the South Course, where he carded his first hole-in-one on tour at the par-three eighth but also had four bogeys in his one-under 71 that left him five adrift.

Golf: German Stephan Jaeger takes one-stroke lead with eagle in US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods capped an encouraging return to US PGA Tour action with an even-par 72 on Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The former world number one was tied for 27th when he walked off his final green, the par-five ninth, on a Torrey Pines South Course where Woods&#39;s eight victories include his 14th and most recent major title at the 2008 US Open.

&quot;Today I played a lot better,&quot; said Woods, who had four birdies and four bogeys in a round that gave him a three-under-par total of 285.

&quot;It was tough conditions out there,&quot; he added of the gusting winds. &quot;It was tough scoring.&quot;

Woods was playing his first US tour event since missing the cut at Torrey Pines last year.

He had missed all of 2016 with back trouble, and his comeback bid last year was cut short by recurring pain and spinal fusion surgery in April.

Woods hit just 17 of 56 greens all week, but he displayed a deft touch around the greens and solid putting to bring it in under par.

Most importantly, there was no sign of any back trouble as he looks ahead to his next scheduled start at Riviera in Los Angeles February 15-18.

Solid four days

&quot;Very pleased,&quot; said Woods, who hadn&#39;t made the cut in a PGA Tour event since his tie for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in August of 2015.

&quot;After not playing for a couple of years to come out here on the Tour and really play a solid four days -- I fought hard for these scores.&quot;

Woods said before the tournament that his expectations were &quot;tempered.&quot;

But after rounds of 72-71-70, he said he went out Sunday -- clad in his traditional final-round red and black -- with an ambitious number in mind.

&quot;I wanted to shoot something around 65 -- thought that would be a playoff number,&quot; Woods said.

For the first time all week, Woods put his opening tee shot in the fairway en route to a par at the 10th.

Although he again hit just three of 14 fairways, Woods&#39;s misses weren&#39;t as wild as those of Friday and Saturday.

A birdie chance at 13 went begging when an over-eager fan in the immense gallery following Woods yelled as he stroked his 10-footer.

But Woods, clearly angry, shook it off to roll in a 12-footer for birdie at 14.

That launched a sequence of birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie, with Woods rolling in a five-footer at the 18th.

He reached five-under for the tournament -- and broke into the top 20 on the leaderboard -- with a birdie at the second before two bogeys coming home.

&quot;I&#39;m excited to get this one under my belt,&quot; said Woods, adding that until his next start he&#39;ll be working on &quot;everything.&quot;

As Woods wrapped up his round, Sweden&#39;s Alex Noren was clinging to the lead on 12-under par through 11 holes, with former world number one Jason Day, Ryan Palmer and J.B. Holmes all at 11-under on the back nine.

&nbsp;

He had missed all of 2016 with back trouble, and his comeback bid last year was cut short by recurring pain and spinal fusion surgery in April

Tiger Woods capped an encouraging return to US PGA Tour action with an even-par 72 on Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open. The former world number one was tied for 27th when he walked off his final green, the par-five ninth, on a Torrey Pines South Course where Woods's eight victories include his 14th and most recent major title at the 2008 US Open. "Today I played a lot better," said Woods, who had four birdies and four bogeys in a round that gave him a three-under-par total of 285. "It was tough conditions out there," he added of the gusting winds. "It was tough scoring." Woods was playing his first US tour event since missing the cut at Torrey Pines last year. He had missed all of 2016 with back trouble, and his comeback bid last year was cut short by recurring pain and spinal fusion surgery in April. Woods hit just 17 of 56 greens all week, but he displayed a deft touch around the greens and solid putting to bring it in under par. Most importantly, there was no sign of any back trouble as he looks ahead to his next scheduled start at Riviera in Los Angeles February 15-18. Solid four days "Very pleased," said Woods, who hadn't made the cut in a PGA Tour event since his tie for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in August of 2015. "After not playing for a couple of years to come out here on the Tour and really play a solid four days -- I fought hard for these scores." Woods said before the tournament that his expectations were "tempered." But after rounds of 72-71-70, he said he went out Sunday -- clad in his traditional final-round red and black -- with an ambitious number in mind. "I wanted to shoot something around 65 -- thought that would be a playoff number," Woods said. For the first time all week, Woods put his opening tee shot in the fairway en route to a par at the 10th. Although he again hit just three of 14 fairways, Woods's misses weren't as wild as those of Friday and Saturday. A birdie chance at 13 went begging when an over-eager fan in the immense gallery following Woods yelled as he stroked his 10-footer. But Woods, clearly angry, shook it off to roll in a 12-footer for birdie at 14. That launched a sequence of birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie, with Woods rolling in a five-footer at the 18th. He reached five-under for the tournament -- and broke into the top 20 on the leaderboard -- with a birdie at the second before two bogeys coming home. "I'm excited to get this one under my belt," said Woods, adding that until his next start he'll be working on "everything." As Woods wrapped up his round, Sweden's Alex Noren was clinging to the lead on 12-under par through 11 holes, with former world number one Jason Day, Ryan Palmer and J.B. Holmes all at 11-under on the back nine.

Golf: 'Pleased' Woods seals return with even par 72

Tiger Woods&#39; long-awaited PGA Tour comeback came to a premature end on Friday after the former world number one missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Woods had started the day at Torrey Pines Golf Course needing a low second round score to extend his participation into the weekend after a wayward four-over-par first round 76 on Thursday.

But despite perfect conditions on Torrey Pines&#39; more forgiving North Course, Woods again struggled to generate any momentum, carding a level par 72 which left him four-over after 36 holes.

With the cut line projected at level par, Woods was left revising his plans for the weekend after a disappointing outing in his first PGA Tour event since August 2015.

&quot;It&#39;s frustrating, not being able to have a chance to win the tournament,&quot; Woods told reporters afterwards. &quot;I didn&#39;t make the cut.&quot;

Woods, who now heads to the Gulf for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic next week, took comfort from signs of improvement following his erratic opening round.

&quot;Overall today was a lot better than yesterday. I hit it better, I putted well again,&quot; Woods said.

&quot;I hit a lot of beautiful putts that didn&#39;t go in. But I hit it a lot better today which was nice,&quot; Woods said, adding that he will only get sharper after playing more tournaments.

&quot;Playing tournament golf is a bit different to playing with your buddies in a cart. I need to get more rounds under my belt and more playing time and that&#39;s what I&#39;m trying to do,&quot; he said.

Woods, who played in the unofficial Hero World Challenge invitational last month, is stepping up his comeback with a demanding series of tournaments as he targets April&#39;s Masters at Augusta.

But the 41-year-old could only reflect on a frustrating outing at Torrey Pines, the picturesque coastal course nestling against the Pacific Ocean just outside San Diego where he has won no fewer than eight times.

Teeing off on the 10th, Woods got off to a perfect start with a birdie on the opening hole to drop to three over.

But a bogey on his third hole of the day stunted any hopes of a birdie spree, and he battled his way around the remainder of the front nine with six pars and few real birdie chances.

The writing was on the wall after a bogey on his 12th hole, the par-three third, to drift out to five over. He pulled a shot back with a birdie on the par-five fifth, but it was too little too late.

Woods was not the only high-profile casualty on Friday, with world number one Jason Day and world number three Dustin Johnson also finishing outside the cut line.

(AFP)

The former world number one said he was 'frustrated' he was unable to generate any momentum at the Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods' long-awaited PGA Tour comeback came to a premature end on Friday after the former world number one missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. Woods had started the day at Torrey Pines Golf Course needing a low second round score to extend his participation into the weekend after a wayward four-over-par first round 76 on Thursday. But despite perfect conditions on Torrey Pines' more forgiving North Course, Woods again struggled to generate any momentum, carding a level par 72 which left him four-over after 36 holes. With the cut line projected at level par, Woods was left revising his plans for the weekend after a disappointing outing in his first PGA Tour event since August 2015. "It's frustrating, not being able to have a chance to win the tournament," Woods told reporters afterwards. "I didn't make the cut." Woods, who now heads to the Gulf for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic next week, took comfort from signs of improvement following his erratic opening round. "Overall today was a lot better than yesterday. I hit it better, I putted well again," Woods said. "I hit a lot of beautiful putts that didn't go in. But I hit it a lot better today which was nice," Woods said, adding that he will only get sharper after playing more tournaments. "Playing tournament golf is a bit different to playing with your buddies in a cart. I need to get more rounds under my belt and more playing time and that's what I'm trying to do," he said. Woods, who played in the unofficial Hero World Challenge invitational last month, is stepping up his comeback with a demanding series of tournaments as he targets April's Masters at Augusta. But the 41-year-old could only reflect on a frustrating outing at Torrey Pines, the picturesque coastal course nestling against the Pacific Ocean just outside San Diego where he has won no fewer than eight times. Teeing off on the 10th, Woods got off to a perfect start with a birdie on the opening hole to drop to three over. But a bogey on his third hole of the day stunted any hopes of a birdie spree, and he battled his way around the remainder of the front nine with six pars and few real birdie chances. The writing was on the wall after a bogey on his 12th hole, the par-three third, to drift out to five over. He pulled a shot back with a birdie on the par-five fifth, but it was too little too late. Woods was not the only high-profile casualty on Friday, with world number one Jason Day and world number three Dustin Johnson also finishing outside the cut line. (AFP)

Tiger Woods misses cut in comeback tournament