Winless Sam Ryder steadfast towards ticking career goal

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Sam Ryder - TheGolfingHub
With a win, Sam Ryder will become first player since J.J. Spaun (2022 Valero Texas Open) to win on TOUR after victories on PGA TOUR Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour. Photo: SportsMax

Sam Ryder (1st/-12) holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead at the Farmers Insurance Open for the first time in his 147th start on the PGA TOUR; he was T4 twice after 54 holes, eventually finishing T18 at the 2019 Shriners Children’s Open and T8 at the 2021 Honda Classic.

Joins Sahith Theegala as the only players inside the top five on the leaderboard without a win on TOUR.

 

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Related: Sam Ryder the men to catch at Farmers Insurance Open

Ryder has made 145 starts (entering the week) since joining the TOUR at the start of the 2017-18 season, tied for the third-most of any player without a win in that span (Brian Stuard/161, Adam Schenk/157, Patrick Rodgers/145).

He has one top-10 in five prior starts at the Farmers Insurance Open (T10/2021), one top-10 in nine starts during the 2022-23 season (T8/World Wide Technology Championship), is a two-time runner-up on TOUR (T2/2018 John Deere Classic, T2/2021 Corales Puntacana Championship).

With a win, he will join Adam Svensson (The RSM Classic) as the second first-time winner this season.

 

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With a win, will become first player since J.J. Spaun (2022 Valero Texas Open) to win on TOUR after victories on PGA TOUR Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour.

Jon Rahm (2nd/-10) opened with 31 on the front nine en route to a 66; played his first 31 holes of the event in 1-over before playing his next 23 holes in 11-under.

Eagled the 620-yard par-5 ninth for his 10th eagle at the Farmers Insurance Open since 2017, the most of any player.

Five top-10s in six tournament appearances, including a win in his debut in 2017; four wins in California since the start of the 2016-17 season is the most on TOUR: 2017 Farmers Insurance Open, 2018 The American Express, 2021 U.S. Open, 2023 The American Express.

Owns the lowest Scoring Average of any player at the Farmers Insurance Open (minimum 10 rounds) since the Farmers Insurance Open moved to Torrey Pines in 1968 with 69.22 in 27 rounds; entered the week .01 higher than Tiger Woods (69.28 in 68 rounds).

With a win, would return to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since March 26, 2022; could also do so with a runner-up or solo-third depending on where World No. 1 Rory McIlroy finishes at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour (concluding Monday)

After making the cut on the number, Tony Finau (3rd/-8) eagled the first hole (his 10th of the round) from 138 yards and posted a bogey-free 64, the low round of the tournament on the South Course and his career low in 33 rounds at the Farmers Insurance Open; joined Jon Rahm at T116 following a 1-over 73 in Round One.

Finau, who owns four top-10s in eight starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, seeks to join Rahm as the second multiple winner of the season (Cadence Bank Houston Open).

 

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A win for Max Homa (T4/-7) would mark his sixth PGA TOUR victory and fourth in the state of California (2021 Genesis Invitational, 2021 Fortinet Championship, 2022 Fortinet Championship); would join Jon Rahm as the second multiple winner this season in as many weeks.

Collin Morikawa (T4/-7) leads the field in Driving Accuracy with 33 of 42 fairways hit; finished runner up in his most recent start at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

 

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Sungjae Im (T4/-7) eagled the par-5 18th hole from the greenside bunker for a 5-under 67; finished T6 at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open, his first top-10 in four tournament appearances.

Sahith Theegala (T4/-7) opened birdie-eagle and posted 71 in search of his first PGA TOUR title in his 54th start; owns two career runner-up results on TOUR, including one this season at The RSM Classic.