(Ray Acevedo//USA Today)
What turned out to be a tough scoring weekend at Torrey Pines in the Farmers Insurance Open, turned into an opportunity for a tight race to the finish. Entering day 4, there were 26 players within 5 shots of the lead. It was truly any man's race, and none of the PGA Tour “big dogs” were that close to the top. Instead, it was time for a new face, Matthieu Pavon, to have his moment in the sun. Pavon is the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour since 1907. To truly understand what yesterday’s win meant to him, you have to tell the whole story.
Pavon is a veteran of the DP World Tour, a guy who has cut his teeth all over the world trying to earn his PGA Tour card. In a miraculous back nine finish at the DP World Tour Championship about 3 months ago, Pavon shot up the leaderboard and earned a T-5 finish. That finish was enough to earn him a PGA Tour Card through the ‘Race to Dubai’ rankings (a new ranked scoring method on the DP World Tour which grants the top-10 ranked players a PGA Tour Card).
Pavon is a true underdog, the guy who you root for, the type of person who never gives up or gives in, and that showed in his play this weekend. The son of a European Soccer star, he was heralded as the next great thing in soccer. He struggled to live up to expectations and eventually quit the sport at 17 due to heckling. He turned to his mother's profession, Golf. She was, and still is, a Golf pro in Bordeaux, France. At 17, he left France to come to America, like many before him, to chase his dream. He learned under longtime PGA caddy and swing coach, Ken Martin, in West Palm Beach, Florida. At the age of 20, he was the 890th-ranked amateur in the world - a true side note in the world of golf. Pavon turned pro and not shortly after almost quit due to a case of the yips around the green. With his corner of support shrinking, he only believed in himself more.
He climbed the ladder of the European tours, joining the Alps Tour in 2014, and moved to the European Challenge Tour in 2016. That same season, he qualified for the DP World Tour. Pavon won his first DP World Tour event in 2023 at the Spanish Open after 7 years on tour. His T-8 finish in 2023 vaulted him into the PGA Tour, Pavon, after many years, had finally achieved his dream of playing professionally in America. After countless trials and tribulations, a serious case of the yips, his unwavering belief in himself had led him onto the biggest stage in golf.
Pavon went to the back nine yesterday with his yardage book in hand. If you paid close attention on Saturday, you would often see him scanning his book. Surprisingly enough, he was reading messages, not yards. Pavon filled his book with reminders to himself to live in the present moment, believe in his journey, and remember why he plays the sport of Golf. To me, that feels almost biblical.
After a three-put on 17 brought Norway’s Hojgaard one shot from the lead, the intensity at Torrey Pines went through the roof. It only got more interesting when Pavon landed his 18th tee shot in the thick rough off the fairway. He was 142 yards out and his caddy recommended a safe shot and play for par. Pavon liked the lie and went for it all. One final time he needed to believe in himself to reach the top of the golfing world. Despite the massive moment for Pavon, he simply looked down at his yardage book, read his writing, and played golf. His way of golf.
Pavon nailed the green and sunk his 8-foot birdie putt, with his decade-old putter, to win the Farmers Insurance Open. It was a masterclass of resilience. The emotion gave way, and Pavon gave an impassioned and charming postgame interview. He was classy, humble, enthusiastic, and charismatic. For a guy who had not been in the winner's circle very often in his career, it sure felt like he was born for this moment.
It seems extremely fitting that Matthieu Pavon, the Frenchman who was counted out, doubted, questioned, heckled out of soccer, and battled his way into the PGA ranks, was the man who got the monkey off of the country’s back. On his hand, he has a tattoo that reads, “The Saliva that flows now will become the tears of joy tomorrow.” Pavon told the PGA Tour, "And this is why I work hard every day, to get those tears back when I lift up the trophy.” Well, it’s safe to say those tears can be shed now, from California all the way back home to Bordeaux, France, and all across the country. Pavon beat the odds, remained humble in victory, and made history.
Where will Pavon go next, you may ask? “Matthieu Pavon knows he’s going to eat at Nobu tonight, that’s all I know. And playing in Pebble next week.” He may not know, but I do. He is going into French Golf history.
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