WiretoWire: Sepp Straka dominates in the desert

Winning is hard on the PGA TOUR, but in the La Quinta desert, Sepp Straka made it look easy. Straka entered the final round at The American Express with a four-shot lead and cruised through Sunday en route to his third victory on TOUR, holding off a pair of former world No. 1 players in Jason Day and Justin Thomas. Even still, Straka admitted he still was tense playing the final nine on PGA WEST’s Pete Dye Stadium Course. “Nerves, just complete nerves,” Straka said. “Stomach in a knot, the whole nine. So, yeah, just really excited about the way I handled the pressure today.” He hid his nerves well, especially on the verge of history, almost becoming the fourth winner on the PGA TOUR to go bogey-free for the tournament (Lee Trevino, 1974 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; J.T. Poston, 2019 Wyndham Championship; Tom Kim, 2022 Shriners Children’s Open). Despite two bogeys in his final three holes, Straka was still able to enjoy the victory and return to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly two years. The win earns the Austrian 500 FedExCup points, and he is now exempt on TOUR through 2026.

TOUR returns to Torrey Pines for Farmers Insurance Open

The PGA TOUR tees off for the second leg of the West Coast Swing in San Diego, California, returning to the iconic Torrey Pines Golf Course for the Farmers Insurance Open. A venue with rich golf history, Torrey Pines’ North and South courses will once again host the world’s best as Matthieu Pavon returns to the site of his breakthrough win from last season. Recent winner of The Sentry Hideki Matsuyama headlines the field that will start Round 1 on Wednesday, with the final round taking place Saturday. Ludvig Åberg makes his first start since The Sentry alongside marquee names like Max Homa, Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, Will Zalatoris, Shane Lowry and Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. Amateur Luke Clanton returns on a sponsor exemption, needing a top-10 finish to earn his TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated.

Video of the week

Mic Check

“I’m proud of myself … I didn’t have a 13 today.” – William Mouw, after bouncing back from a disastrous octuple-bogey 13 in Round 2 with a third round 5-under 67 at The American Express.

By the numbers

6 – The sixth-annual APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines is set for Jan. 25-26. See the full field here.

64 – Luke Guthrie leads after a first-round 64 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club. The second event of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season will crown a champion on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

7 – Ernie Els won the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship for his seventh PGA TOUR Champions victory.

3 – New York Golf Club takes on Atlanta Drive Golf Club in Week 3 of TGL. Watch the match live on ESPN or ESPN+ on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.