LA JOLLA, Calif. — Kobe Bryant’s life ended about 15 minutes after Tiger Woods’ final round at the Farmers Insurance Open began Sunday at Torrey Pines.

When they were on the ninth hole, Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, was informed by two on-course reporters about the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter in a fiery crash in the fog in Calabasas, Calif.

LaCava, knowing Woods had a close relationship with the former Lakers star, made the immediate decision not to tell him.

“I thought it would be better off not telling him,’’ LaCava told The Post. “I didn’t think he’d be to the point where he couldn’t play golf, but I figured I’d wait to the end. It was too much of distraction. I waited until we got into the tunnel on 18 [after his round was complete] to tell him, because I didn’t want the cameras on him and see the shock on his face.’’

As Woods played the back nine, fans from outside the ropes were yelling, ‘‘Do it for Mamba,’’ referring to Bryant’s nickname.

“I didn’t understand why they were yelling ‘Do it for Mamba’ on the back nine, [but] people yell things all the time, so I was just plodding along, doing my own thing,’’ Woods said. “Then when Joey told me … it’s unbelievable, the reality that he’s no longer here. One of the most shocking, tragic days that I’ve ever been a part of.

“Life is very fragile as we all know. You can be gone at any given time and we have to appreciate the moments that we have.’’

Woods is a father of two. He travels all over the world on private jets with his family. And he was close to Bryant. So this hit home pretty hard.

“I just can’t imagine what their entire family’s going through right now,’’ Woods said.

In a heartbeat upon hearing the news from LaCava, Woods failing to chase down Farmers winner Marc Leishman on Sunday and win his 83rd PGA Tour event to break Sam Snead’s all-time record was far less than insignificant.

Same for Jon Rahm, who finished runner-up to Leishman (despite entering the day with the lead) when he failed to make eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff and he thought he needed birdie to tie.

“It puts a lot of things in perspective,’’ Rahm said. “My missing a putt and not reading a scoreboard really, really, really doesn’t matter to me right now. There’s a wife and three sisters who don’t have a father or a sister anymore. That’s the real deal.’’

Brandt Snedeker, who finished tied for third, said he was “still in shock’’ upon hearing the news.

“As a father, as a sports fan, as somebody who loved watching him play basketball, I can’t believe it’s true,’’ he said. “It kind of puts everything in perspective on what’s really important out here.’’

Like Woods, Snedeker didn’t know until after his round when he was told the news.

“I’m glad I didn’t know, to be honest, because it would have affected me as a father, somebody who has a little girl,’’ he said.

“I’m still processing it,’’ said Tony Finau, who tied for sixth. “I’m a Laker fan single-handedly because of Kobe Bryant.’’

Finau’s manager, Chris Armstrong, drove down from Los Angeles just so he could be at the 18th green to break the news to Finau.

“That will probably give you an idea of how much an impact Kobe was in my life,’’ Finau said. “I’ve experienced something like this in my life before. My mom passed away in a tragic car accident in 2011. It’s crazy that some of those feelings that I had at that time are back. That’s how much Kobe meant to me at a different magnitude.’’

Woods, who grew up in LA and has been a Lakers fan since he was a child, said he and Bryant became close late in Bryant’s playing career and in retirement.

Woods said he felt “really connected’’ to Bryant “on more the mental side of it — the prep, how much it takes to be prepared.’’

“That’s where he and I really connected, because we’re very similar,’’ Woods said. “[When] he came in the league, I turned pro right around the same time and we had our 20-year run together.’’

That run ended suddenly and tragically on a cloudy Sunday in Southern California, and it had a far-reaching, profound effect on a lot of people in all different walks of life.