It didn’t take long for Matthieu Pavon to prove his PGA Tour credentials after promotion from the DP World Tour.
Pavon put his win at the Farmers Insurance Open down to hard work and belief, becoming the first Frenchman since World War Two to win on the US circuit.
But where does the belief come from? He won the Open de Espana back in October, so that helps. But much of his motivation comes from note-taking, some of which now resides in tattoo form on the back of his hand.
“The saliva that flows now will become the tears of joy tomorrow,” is what the ink reads.
“It’s a sentence from Harvard,” he explained to the PGA Tour. “I wanted to get a tattoo. One day, I was home and then – I just decided to write down a quote.
“It’s a really meaningful sentence for me and this is why I work hard every day to get those tears back when I lift the trophy.
“It’s all about motivations,” he added. “For me, it’s really important to have everything clear in my mind.
“I always wrote down – to be fair, since I won in Spain last year, I write down some notes in my book which bring me back to the present moment.
“You know how it is on the golf course, sometimes your head flies away a little bit and you have to get back to the present moment to refocus yourself.
“Sentences like they are telling me why I play golf, why I’m here. They show me – they give me a little extra confidence.”
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Matthieu Pavon tattoo: Farmers Insurance Open became an all-European battle
Pavon almost grabbed victory and defeat from the jaws of both on Saturday at Torrey Pines.
After rolling in a 23-footer for par on the par-3 16th hole on the South Course, a short missed putt for par on the 17th hole followed.
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Meanwhile, Ryder Cup debutant from 2023 Nicolai Hojgaard was waiting in the wings on 11-under-par.
Sitting on 12-under-par, Pavon found the fairway bunker on 18 and then the juicy rough to the left of the fairway with his second.
Incredibly, the 31-year-old hacked it up and over the lake short of the green and nervelessly holed the eight-foot putt for birdie to putt Hojgaard, his fellow DP World Tour member, out of sight.
“I still can’t believe it. As I said, it feels like there is another round to play tomorrow because we’re only on Saturday,” he said.
“That is special. I can’t thank the PGA Toue enough to give us the opportunity to come from Europe and compete here in America against the best players in the world.
“That’s always been the dream for me. I got finally a shot and I took it. I mean, it’s a dream come true and it’s a little bit hard to believe.”
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