SAN DIEGO (AP) – The scorecard for Scott Brown was not unusual for the Farmers Insurance Open. After a rugged start, he took advantage of the par 5s and ran off eight birdies over his last 11 holes to grab a share of the lead at Torrey Pines.
Only he did this on the South Course.
A birdie run like that typically happens on the easier North Course, and then players try to hang on the following day on a South Course that is 600 yards longer, hosted the U.S. Open in 2008 and will have another U.S. Open in five years.
So while he was tied for the lead Thursday at 6-under 66 with Andrew Loupe, it felt much better. Loupe shot 66 on the North, which was 2½ shots easier.
K.J. Choi and Chesson Hadley had the next-best scores on the South at 68. Of the 33 players who broke 70 in the opening round, only 12 of them were on the South. That group included Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Smylie Kaufman.