LOS ANGELES: Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour.
Up by two with two to play, Pavon missed a three-foot par putt at the 17th to see his advantage cut to one.
He was in a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five 18th, where his shot out left him in the left rough.
But he muscled a mighty shot to the green and avoided a playoff with a clutch putt, carding a three-under par 69 for a 13-under par total of 275.
Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard carded a one-under par 70 to finish second on 276.
The victory on the demanding South Course at Torrey Pines – a two-time US Open venue – comes after the 31-year-old Pavon captured his first DP World Tour title – in his 185th start – at the Spanish Open in October.
He earned his US PGA Tour card with a top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings. --AFP