With six-hour rounds the norm on Sunday at Torrey Pines in the 2018 version of the Farmers Insurance Open, fans and fellow professionals were critical of JB Holmes’ deliberation on the final hole.
It was the 72nd hole of the Farmers Insurance Open and Holmes was two shots behind the clubhouse leader Jason Day. The American, who hasn’t won on tour since the 2015 Shell Houston Open, deliberated his second shot on the par-5 18 in hope to make a play-off.
Jason Day was in at 10-under par and tied with Noren, who was in the fairway with 239 yards to the hole alongside JB in the final group. Holmes, who was coming off the back three bogey’s from the 14th hole, needed an eagle three to force a tie, found the rough and still had over 230 yards out.
However, the 2016 Ryder Cup player, took a remarkable four minutes and ten seconds to choose a club and hit his shot, which after the whole debacle was a layup.
Four minutes and ten seconds was also enough for many of Holmes’ fellow players to share their opinions and helped fuel and reaffirm perceptions that the game is stuck in stagnated and slow times.
Anytime today JB…🤷🏼♂️
— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) January 28, 2018
Most tour players aren’t slow but because of a handful of slow ones we all get a bad rep
— Daniel Berger (@DanielBerger59) January 28, 2018
1. JB needs to be fined or better yet given 2 shots
2 Needs eagle to tie. After all that lays up? Really???
3 Horrendous sportsmanship to Noren and Palmer
4 wow 😲— Mark Calcavecchia (@MarkCalc) January 28, 2018
Holmes may have had a play-off on the line and been truly fooled by the wind, but as it was over a players permitted ’40 seconds to play a stroke’ it encroaches the rules and etiquette of golf.
Whilst his decision making was going on, much like Spieth with Kuchar at 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale, Noren was left in the fairway running his own thoughts through his mind. Needing a birdie on the last to win, the Swede sent his 3-wood long of the green following the delay and failed to get up-and-down.
Noren when asked whether it affected him, said:
Not necessarily. It just, you know, probably made me switch clubs.
Carding a two-over back-nine Noren had considered, less loft, and hitting a hybrid:
“But I was in a downhill lie and the grain of the fairway was into me. I thought I was going to thin it a bit and I didn’t really fancy being in the water short. I hit the 3-wood.”
Holmes admitted afterwards he was more confident of making eagle with a wedge from 100 yards out than trying to make the green in two. Talking to Golf Channel he revealed he didn’t regret holding up Noren:
No, I was still trying to win. So that’s part of it.
Also in the final-group, Ryan Palmer demonstrated the alternative method by laying up, hitting a wedge into the green twelve-feet from the flag and making the play-off.
Palmer exited on the first hole with a par, but it would take Day and Noren six further sudden-death holes, with play finishing on Monday morning before Jason Day won for the first time in 18 months.
