With clear skies and minimal wind all tournament, it appeared to be an excellent week for the field to take advantage of a more manageable Torrey Pines, compared to last year’s Farmers Insurance Open. And with three San Diego State graduates in the lineup, the hopes were high for electric performances out of the alums.
However, that wouldn’t be the case.
World No. 6 Xander Schauffele, World No. 7 J.J. Spaun and 2025 SDSU graduate Justin Hastings all missed the cut Friday afternoon, leaving the weekend empty of any Aztec representation.
Xander Schauffele
The two-time major champion made his return to San Diego after missing the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open due to a rib injury. Prior to the injury, he had competed in this tournament for nine straight years.
Although Schauffele didn’t have a great year previously, he finished the season off with a win in Japan and is coming into his first 2026 start with a clean slate as World No. 6, according to the Official World Golf Rankings.
The 2015 graduate started his first round off fairly shaky, shooting 3-over through the front nine. However, he managed to get only one bogey on the back, while stringing together back-to-back birdies and finishing with a tap-in birdie on 18 after almost holing out for eagle on his approach shot. He finished his first day at 1 over par (73).
Round two was moving in the right direction for Schauffele after converting two birdies to start his day on the North Course. But two bogeys throughout his last nine holes would haunt him, despite mixing in three more birdies. With one final attempt to make the cut, he just missed his birdie putt right of the hole to miss the cut by a single stroke, finishing at 2-under total (142).
“It’s going to be nice to have the weekend off,” Schauffele said with a smile. “I don’t like missing cuts … but it’s actually kind of nice, to be honest, if I was going to pick a spot. I get to hang out with my family.”
Schauffele’s streak of 72 straight made cuts, and the PGA’s former longest active streak, would be brought to an end.
“I had plenty of golf today to make it and bogeying a drivable par-4 and parring two par-5s in the middle of the fairway, you deserve to miss the cut,” Schauffele said.
J.J. Spaun
The last time the 2012 alumni was at the Farmers, he was outside the top 100 and on the brink of losing his tour card.
Fast forward a year, and Spaun has placed second at The Players, won the U.S. Open and competed in the Ryder Cup. He came into this tournament as World No. 7, one spot below Schauffele.
“It’s something that I felt like deep down I had in me,” Spaun said. “I never really thought it would ever happen, but I’m just proud of the way I’ve worked really hard and had the right team around me.”
Spaun struggled to find a rhythm in the first round, knocking in five bogeys with just two birdies. His approach shot on 18 landed just right of the pond and trickled into the water. He was unable to convert the up-and-down for par, settling for a frustrating bogey on the finishing par-5. He went into the clubhouse at 3 over par (73), in need of a strong second round if he wanted to make the cut.
“I think getting off the tee is a big hurdle, I guess you can say,” Spaun said. “The rough is really intense and thick and the course is long, so hitting fairways is really important.”
Spaun’s second round was fairly consistent throughout, marking five total birdies on the day. However, a double-bogey hole on his final nine would be too big a hole to climb out of, even with a birdie-birdie finish. His total was even par (144) through two rounds.
Justin Hastings
After graduating as an Aztec in 2025, Hastings officially started his professional career playing at a high level on both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas. He played in three majors last year, securing two low-amateur finishes and making the cut in the U.S. Open, proving himself an individual ready for the professional level.
Hastings was given a sponsor exemption for this week, allowing him to make his first appearance in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Despite a bogey on the first hole, he strung together nine pars in a row, then brought his round back to even after a birdie on hole 11. He made bogey two out of the next three holes but was able to get one back on 18 after a clutch birdie to head into the second round at 1 over (73).
“I just know he’s a great player,” Spaun said about the recent graduate. “He’s killing it on the Korn Ferry already and contending. He’s just going to grow and he’s going to just get really good and I’m excited to see his progress.”
Hastings put together a solid second round but with the cut line sitting at 3-under, he needed to shoot a low score to play the weekend. He made three birdies and one bogey throughout the day, but was still two strokes from sneaking into the weekend. He finished at 1-under par (143), bringing his first, and maybe last, Farmers Insurance Open to a close.
The poor showing from the Aztecs means a little more than just a few missed cuts. With the Farmers’ sponsorship ending after this year’s tournament, the future of Torrey Pines on the PGA TOUR is up in the air.
Although the decision doesn’t lie in their hands, many players feel that San Diego should always be a stop on the schedule, including the local himself.
“I would feel like Torrey’s safe … just because this property’s iconic,” Schauffele said. “It’s a beautiful property, it’s a big property, it’s a tough golf course, and it usually has pretty good winners on it. I think Tiger [Woods] single-handedly has made this property incredibly special in terms of a history in golf.”
