Winds fell trees at Torrey Pines, and cleanup delays the last round

The Torrey Pines golf courses suffered significant damage in the Sunday night storm that blew through San Diego County.

City golf manager Mark Marney estimated Monday that there were as many as 20 trees felled on the North and South courses, most of them eucalyptuses, though Marney said at least two prized Torrey pines also came down.

PGA Tour meteorologist Stewart Williams said 60-mph winds hit the coast overnight.

The final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, suspended Sunday afternoon because of high winds and rain, was scheduled to resume at 8 a.m., then was pushed back to 9 and then 10. Tournament officials announced Sunday evening that no spectators would be allowed on the course Monday.

The reason for the delays was not wind or rain, which had subsided Monday morning, but the cleanup required for the trees that were down. The most troublesome was a 75-foot eucalyptus that fell into the fairway at the par-four 15th hole. At first light, more than a dozen men began working with chain saws to cut up the tree.

“It’s devastating,” Marney said as he stood and watched the dismantling.

The tree on 15 was a signature on the hole because it obstructed a shot to the green if a golfer drove too far to the left. The hole will almost certainly look and play differently now.

“It’s never going to be the same,” Farmers Open winner Brandt Snedeker said solemnly.

“That tree on 15 was an integral part of the golf course. … They lost some other trees that are an integral part of the golf course.

“You realize golf takes a very back stage to what happened last night and today.”

Players were allowed to take relief from the fallen trees and Freddie Jacobson had to do so at 15.

“That tree has given us plenty of struggles through the years,” Jacobson said. “This time the tree was struggling a bit.”

There was one massive tree down to the left of the 18th fairway, near the fairway bunkers. Large branches from several other trees were sheared off and lying on the ground on that hole. Large trees were down to the side of the ninth and 12th fairways, and a tree that fell next to the 16th tee crushed a small maintenance shed.

Brown fades badly

Third-round co-leader Scott Brown struggled to a 15-over 87 that dropped him into a tie for 49th place.

Brown bogeyed five of his first nine holes in the final round on Sunday. He did not regroup during the night, finishing with six bogeys and two double bogeys on the back nine.

Monday, Monday

This was the second Monday finish for the Farmers Insurance Open. Tiger Woods won a record seventh title here in 2013 when fog wiped out the third round and necessitated an extra day to complete the tournament.

This was the third Monday finish of the PGA Tour this season — joining the Sanderson Farms Championship and OHL Classic at Mayakoba — one more than all last year.

This was the first time in four years the course was closed to spectators at a PGA Tour event. The last time was at the 2012 Quicken Loans National.

Exclusive club

Snedeker, who also won here in 2012, became the eighth multiple winner of the PGA Tour event here. The others: Woods (7), Phil Mickelson (3) and Tommy Bolt, Arnold Palmer, Steve Pate, J.C. Snead and Tom Watson (all 2).

tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdutleonard

kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdutkirKDKenney