Sam Ryder maintains Farmers Insurance Open lead, with Jon Rahm and Tony Finau breathing down his neck

Jon Rahm tees off on the 15th hole during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Rahm surges to within two shots of the lead after three rounds; Finau shoots an 8-under-par 64, one shot off the Torrey Pines South Course record.

Jan. 27, 2023 8:29 PM PT

Sam Ryder, the Farmers Insurance Open leader, was content to manage the course at Torrey Pines with casual confidence Jan. 27 during the third round in La Jolla while a mad scramble ensued behind him.

Ryder’s even-par 72 left him with a two-stroke lead at 12 under in the Farmers, where he is bidding to be just the sixth wire-to-wire winner in the tournament’s 72-year history as he seeks his first PGA Tour win.

Farmers Insurance Open leader Sam Ryder tees off during the third round Jan. 27 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla.

“I’m not having to hit the miracle shot every time, just trying to manage my way around,” Ryder said. “You don’t have to go out there and shoot 66 every day out here, which I like. You just stay patient and make a lot of pars.”

But had he glanced behind him, Ryder may have seen this reminder: “Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.”

Coming up fast are Jon Rahm and Tony Finau, both of whom were a stroke away from missing the cut late in the second round the day before.

Now they’re joining Ryder in the final group for the final round on Saturday, Jan. 28. They have an 11:20 a.m. tee time on Torrey Pines’ South Course.

Rahm is seeking victory in his third consecutive start, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished on the PGA Tour in five years. With a win, he also will return to the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Finau is looking for his first Farmers victory after four top-10 finishes here in the past five years. Finau has become accustomed to holding championship trophies, winning three of his four tour titles within the past year.

A day after winds gusted to 30 mph, the course was calm for the third round. The scores reflected the improved conditions.

Rahm is two shots behind Ryder after a 6-under-par 66. The highlight was an eagle 3 on the South’s par-5 ninth hole; Rahm made a 12-foot putt after a 274-yard second shot that he called a “contender for best shot of the year.”

Finau was a contender for best round of the year after an 8-under 64 that was one shot off the South Course record.

“I didn’t see a leaderboard or really peek at one until I pretty much made the turn and holed out,” said Finau, whose 60-foot chip found the cup for birdie on the par-5 18th hole. “I looked at the top of the leaderboard and, of course, Rahmbo’s name was up there. I saw we were both kind of making a run.

“It will be fun; looks like we might be able to battle it out tomorrow.”

Finau was even-par through two rounds when the day began, 12 strokes behind Ryder. He now is four strokes back.

Tony Finau is four shots off the lead heading into the fourth and final round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Jan. 28.

Four players — two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Sahith Theegala and Sungjae Im — are five shots off the pace at 7 under.

Rahm calls Torrey Pines his favorite course. It’s the site of his first PGA Tour victory (the 2017 Farmers) and only win in a major (the 2021 U.S. Open).

The Spaniard had by far the largest gallery among the golfers. One young girl offered him some kettle corn on the 17th green. He did not oblige.

“Yeah, they show up for me when I come out here,” Rahm said. “It’s very unique. Very few places where I feel like I’m in Spain, and this is one of them. I get a lot of support and it’s very nice to see. Obviously helps when I’m out there to get so many people pulling for me.”

A victory in this tournament would be Rahm’s 10th on the PGA Tour.

“I did the job I needed to do on the last basically 23 holes ... which has given me a chance,” he said.

Then there’s Ryder, a 10-year tour veteran who had never led a tournament through 36 holes before this week and now leads one through 54 holes.

Asked how he controls the excitement that could come with leading — and winning — after 72 holes, Ryder said: “I’m not really trying to overcontrol it. I’m just trying to embrace it and enjoy it because this is ultimately what we want, right? That’s why we play.”

Final-round action Jan. 28 will be televised by the Golf Channel from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and by CBS from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

— La Jolla Light staff contributed to this report. ◆