A Vintage Justin Rose Performance at Torrey Pines

After outlasting Jannik Sinner in a five-set classic in the Australian Open semifinal on Friday, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic offered a candid assessment of his chances of beating top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the final. “I just hope that I'll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him,” Djokovic said. “That's my desire, and let the God decide the winner.”

Back in mid-December, 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers expressed similar doubt about how his body could withstand the physical toll of competing in his first NFL game five years removed from his initial retirement. It’s a harsh reality every great athlete eventually confronts: the will to compete inevitably clashes with the body’s ability to do so.

The physical demands of championship-level tennis far exceed those of professional golf – both of which pale in comparison to the NFL. Yet the through line among the three, and across all professional sports, is the same: only legends maintain relevance well beyond their physical primes. Justin Rose has not only maintained relevance into his mid-40s; he has sustained excellence. Over the past 12 months alone, Rose nearly won the Masters, secured a PGA Tour playoff win in Memphis, delivered a standout performance for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, and finished 2025 in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking. From a longevity perspective, Rose occupies rare air.

Over the past four days, the 45-year-old Rose produced yet another vintage performance, clearing a stout 147-man field by seven shots. He led wire-to-wire en route to his second Farmers Insurance Open victory, setting the tournament scoring record (23 under) in the process. Rose’s iron play seldom fails to amaze, but I was most impressed with the firepower he displayed off the tee, touching 179 mph of ballspeed, an impressive figure at any age.

With the victory, Rose is projected to move to No. 3 in the OWGR, the second-oldest player to ever rank in the top three, per Nosferatu. For reference, only one other player over the age of 40  – world No. 13 Alex Noren, 43 – currently sits inside the top 60 of the world ranking.

Farmers Insurance Round-Up

In his highly anticipated return to PGA Tour action, Brooks Koepka made the weekend. He struck the ball like a top-level Tour player, putted like a 15-handicap, and smiled like someone who no longer has to play golf in a Smash GC uniform. On Saturday evening, Koepka stopped by the CBS booth after his round, reiterating that he has fallen back in love with the sport. Overall, it was an encouraging display from Koepka, particularly from a ball-striking standpoint. He’ll clearly need to make significant improvements with the putter, however, as he lost more than seven strokes on the greens – the worst total in the field. On air, CBS lead analyst Trevor Immelman predicted Koepka would win on the PGA Tour in 2026. Bookmark that one because his predictions have aged quite well in the past!

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Speaking of debuts, the CBS crew made its first appearance of the season. Outfitted with new graphics packages and minor personnel shake-ups – including Colt Knost’s elevation to the tower and the addition of Johnson Wagner to the team – CBS continues to distinguish itself as the best broadcast team in golf by a comfortable margin. And if anyone was worried that Wagner’s job change might spell the end of his on-course reenactments, fear not: Wagner-centric segments remain firmly in CBS’s content plan for 2026.

Elsewhere in Farmers Insurance Open results, Si Woo Kim continued what has been a brilliant stretch of golf dating back to last August. He carded a T-2 finish, his fifth straight top-11 result worldwide. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break through and win in the near future.

Lastly, rumors of a shrinking and condensing PGA Tour schedule may not result in Torrey Pines’ removal from the schedule. Farmers Insurance’s title sponsorship has now expired, but Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal reported Torrey Pines is likely to remain on the PGA Tour schedule beyond this year, potentially shifting to a later date as part of the postseason. Despite its architectural shortcomings, Torrey Pines belongs on the schedule. It is a stunning, expansive piece of property with sufficient length to test the best players in the world and ample space for TIO infrastructure. Significant change may be on new CEO Brian Rolapp’s agenda, but a municipal facility steeped in some of the richest history of any PGA Tour venue shouldn’t be a casualty of that vision. Whether or not the golf course also deserves inclusion on top-100 lists is an entirely separate question.