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With Improbable Final-Hole Birdie, Matthieu Pavon Wins Farmers and Makes History

Pavon became the first Frenchman to win on the modern PGA Tour. And his birdie on the final hole of the tournament will live in lore.

Jeff Ritter

With Improbable Final-Hole Birdie, Matthieu Pavon Wins Farmers and Makes History
With Improbable Final-Hole Birdie, Matthieu Pavon Wins Farmers and Makes History /

With a clutch birdie on the 18th hole, Matthieu Pavon made history Saturday at Torrey Pines, becoming the first Frenchman to win in the modern history of the PGA Tour.

Thanks to the finish, Pavon's win will take its own place in history.

Pavon sealed the title with an improbable up-and-down from the left rough on the 18th hole. On his approach, Pavon hacked it out of thick rough, flying his ball just over the pond fronting the 18th green — the definition of risk-reward. He was fully rewarded after draining the ensuing 8-foot putt for a three-under 69 and a one-shot win:

Pavon, 31, had driven his tee shot into a bunker before blasting out into the left rough, setting up his memorable third shot. He's a PGA Tour rookie who was making his third start this season.

"I have no words," Pavon said afterward on the TV broadcast. "It's been a long journey. Waited seven years to win back in Europe. It's just tremendous. I'm glad I haven't cried yet."

It was the second win for Pavon in the past three months, as he also won the Spanish Open on the DP World Tour in his 185th start.

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Jeff Ritter
JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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