Matthieu Pavon Player Profile And What's In The Bag

C’est magnifique! Matthieu Pavon stunned his rivals by becoming the first French golfer to win on the PGA Tour as he claimed the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

It was a terrific week for European golf as Pavon was joined in the final group by Nicolai Hojgaard and Stephan Jaeger, and Hojgaard finished second.

He said: “I am sure my family are watching, I have no words for this except a big thank you to my team and family. It has been a long journey, It took me seven years to win in Europe and now I have a victory in America. I haven’t cried yet but I am sure that I will. I tried to stay in the moment, one shot at a time. I tried to stay in control and do my best. This is the best moment of my career. I have dreamt about achieving this moment all my life. We have Celine Boutier as a major champion in the women’s game, so let’s see what I can do next.”

• Player Profile
• Last 10 Events
• Key Stats
• World Ranking
• What's In The Bag

Pavon, who four months ago was ranked 228th in the world, was brilliant down the stretch and clinched his win thanks to a dramatic birdie at the final hole. The 31-year-old Frenchman, who earned his card thanks to his top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings last year, shot a 69 to capture his second victory in three months, the other coming at the Spanish Open.

Pavon bogeyed his opening hole before rallying with four birdies in the final six holes on the front nine. He hit his tee shot at the par-three 16th into a greenside bunker and then hit a poor bunker shot before holing a dramatic par putt. 

On the 17th, Pavon missed a short par putt to drop his first shot since the opening hole and went to the 18th with a one-shot lead. Hojgaard striped a tee shot down the fairway while Pavon’s ball drifted left into a bunker. The lie was terrible, and he pulled his second into the left rough. Facing another dreadful lie, he smashed the ball and it landed 20 feet from the hole before moving back within 10 feet. 

Hojgaard hit the green in two and narrowly missed his eagle try before a nerveless Pavon stepped up to hole the winning putt. He shot rounds of 69, 65, 72 and 69 to end the week on 13 under par.

Player Profile

Pavon was born in Toulouse on November 2, 1992. 

After turning professional, Pavon played on the Alps Tour in 2014 and 2015. He won the Open International de Rebetz in 2014 and the Servizitalia Open in 2015. He reached the final stage of the DP World Tour Q-school in 2015 and gained a place on the Challenge Tour for 2016.

He finished second three times and was joint third at NBO Golf Classic Grand Final and ended the year in sixth place on the Road To Oman Rankings to earn his DP World Tour card.  

He finished 49th in the Order of Merit in his first season with a best finish of second at the Mauritius Open after a final round 67. He also finished third in the Scottish Open. The tournament was one of the Open Qualifying Series events and his high finish gave him an entry to the 2017 Open Championship, where he missed the cut. 

Pavon struggled in 2018, finishing the season 89th in the Order of Merit. He finished tied for fifth at the Mauritius Open but his only other top-10 finish was in the Irish Open although he qualified for the US Open and finished din 25th place.

In October 2023, Pavon won his first European Tour event in his 187th start at the Acconia Open de Espana where he  recorded a total of 261 (23-under-par) to win wire-to-wire by four shots. He finished the season in 15th place on the Race to Dubai, earning him PGA Tour membership for 2024. He did so by making birdies at the final four holes of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Pavon has only played in five PGA Tour events and is now a winner, securing his place in all the tour’s signature events. His victory at Torrey Pines earned him $1.6m, took him into the top 50 in the world rankings and to second place in the FedEx Cup standings.

Last 10 Events

Farmers Insurance Open - 1st

The American Express - T39th

Sony Open in Hawaii - T7th

Mauritius Open - CUT

DP World Tour Championship - 5th

Nedbank Golf Challenge - T15th

Qatar Masters - T47th

Andalucia Masters - T9th

Open de Espana - 1st

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - T6th

Key Stats

Driving Distance - 305.10 Yards

Driving Accuracy - 61%

Greens in Regulation - 68%

Sand Saves - 54.96%

Putts Per Round - 28.76

Scoring Average - 70.01

End of Year World Ranking

2020 - 348

2021 - 276

2022 - 200

2023 - 93

What's In Matthieu Pavon Golf Bag

Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 Degrees)

3-Wood: Ping G430 LST (15 Degrees)

Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 Degrees)

Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)

Wedges: Ping Si59 (52, 58)

Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C

Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P

Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align

Ball: Titleist Pro V1