[jwplayer N30ub1Zd-9JtFt04J]
With his popular swing commentary and witty Twitter banter, Max Homa always has something to say. Saturday his fans bemoaned the fact that they couldn’t actually see any of his stellar round, a 65 during which Homa climbed 26 spots on the Genesis Invitational leaderboard. After 54 holes, Homa is tied for eighth, three shots back.
And to those who wished they could have seen at least some highlights of Homa’s round on Saturday’s CBS broadcast, of course he had a response:
After reading a bunch of tweets about how I’m never on tv I’d like to shout out my sponsors @Titleist @TRAVISMATHEW @MGMGrand for supporting me despite my lack of popularity. U guys are the real MVPs
— max homa (@maxhoma23) February 15, 2020
Last week Homa paired with Aaron Rodgers at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, getting into contention over the weekend but finishing T-9 at 24 under. Rodgers also weighed in on Homa being ignored on the telecast:
No stash=no air time. @ShooterMcGavin_ #midrange # https://t.co/9cGX0rXnHT
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 15, 2020
Only two men had better scores than Homa at Riviera on Saturday as Talor Gooch and Hideki Matsuyama shot 64.
Homa grew up in nearby Valencia and was a star player for the Cal Bears, becoming the school’s first NCAA individual champion in 2013. That summer he was named to the Walker Cup team that won the matches at the National Golf Links of America.
Saturday he felt comfortable on the greens, the same as those he grew up playing on, and felt supported by family and friends in the gallery, saying it felt like a “home game.”
GENESIS: Best photos | Leaderboard | Updates
“This place has always held a very special place in my heart,” Homa said of Riviera after his round. “I think this is kind of where I also started to fall in love with golf, not getting to play it, because I watched the tournament. So to come out here to shoot 6 under on this golf course, I know how hard it is and it means a lot to me.”
Last year Homa earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.
It’s worth noting he teed off in the first group Saturday morning, four hours before CBS went live. Sunday he’s off with Dustin Johnson and Gooch at 1:24 p.m. for the final round.
[opinary poll=”where-will-tiger-woods-get-win-no-83_gol” customer=”golfweek”]
[lawrence-related id=778026618,778026595,778026086]