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Farmers Insurance Open Scene & Heard: Man's course knowledge saves knees, headaches

Kirk Kenney, The San Diego Union-Tribune on

Published in Golf

SAN DIEGO — Light fog rolled off Torrey Pines State Beach on Wednesday morning, but it was too lazy to climb the bluffs where golfers were teeing off in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Temecula's Scott Passafume was stationed along the ropeline at the South Course's No. 1 tee box as the first few groups got going.

"I'm a big Rickie Fowler fan, so I wanted to watch him tee off," said Passafume, who stuck around for two additional groups afterwards so he could see the power group that included Jon Rahm, Tony Finau and Justin Thomas.

Once they were off, so was Passafume, a 77-year-old who makes camp well south of the first tee.

"You have to get here early," Passafume said. "With me now with my metal hips (after two hip replacements), you have to know the course.

"So I go to the 10th green on the South Course with my chair. From there, I can watch the green there, I can watch the tee and green at 11, I can watch the approach on 13, and I can watch them tee off on 14."

 

It's the Torrey equivalent of being at the Four Corners.

"I learned about that spot when I was a marshal back in 2008 for the U.S. Open," Passafume said. "I'm probably not the only one who knows the 10th green is the perfect spot to go."

Passafume tucked his binoculars under one arm and was folding up his chair to head south when a reporter began pestering him with questions.

Like an explanation for the Dodgers cap paired with a Padres jersey?

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