Luke List was not supposed to win the Farmers Insurance Open. The 37-year-old had zero victories in 205 career PGA Tour starts. But, as the saying goes, the 206th time’s the charm. List’s phenomenal wedge in a playoff against Will Zalatoris will go down as one of the greatest shots in Torrey Pines history.
But what makes this story really cool is the reaction that came afterward. List’s wife, trailing their daughter and carrying their son, running to the side of the 18th green to celebrate a win 15 years in the making.
"I'm so pumped they were here to experience that with me. It means the world to me," said List after securing his first Tour win. "I always wanted that first win to happen with them here. My wife, Chloe is her name and she's amazing. To have them all here is a special memory to have forever. My daughter loves to run up into my arms anyway, regardless if I win or not, so to have that special moment, to hug them and be happy and share that with them means the world to me."
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Three-year-old Ryann is the one who’s really happy about this. Apparently, having a trophy in the house is something that’s extremely important to her.
"She's been talking about it for a while. I would leave in the morning whenever I was at a tournament and she'd say 'Go win a trophy.' When she was home watching my wife would say 'Daddy's going to try and win a trophy,'" says List. "My wife would follow on the app and it snowballed into, oh, daddy made a bogey or a birdie. Just kids humor, their minds are so funny. She saw a trophy at RSM Sea Island (a PGA Tour event in Georgia) and thought there was candy in it so it just became a funny joke that we'd say that I'd go win a trophy."
The Farmers Insurance Open winner gets a surfboard and a trophy that's shaped like one of the iconic Torrey Pine trees. Ryann says it is still acceptable.
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"This one doesn't look like any candy will fit in here but she said 'Oh, flowers!' So, she's happy with it."
The Lists live in Augusta and with this win Luke gets to play the Masters in April. I wonder how Ryann feels about green jackets?
