Tag: Max Homa

What transpired in the days leading up to Tiger Woods’ horrific car wreck?

The Genesis Invitational was missing one of its biggest stars last weekend. Tiger Woods was there, but only in his role as tournament host, having stepped back from tournament play after having a fifth back surgery. Riviera Country Club, host of the …

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The Genesis Invitational was missing one of its biggest stars last weekend.

Tiger Woods was there, but only in his role as tournament host, having stepped back from tournament play after having a fifth back surgery.

Riviera Country Club, host of the event, is the site of one of the early milestones in Woods’ playing career. In 1992 at age 16, he played in his first PGA Tour event as an amateur there.

This year, he was back, arriving at the course on Saturday where he was seen walking around and mingling near the clubhouse.

Also on Saturday, Woods posed for a photo with Willie Mack III. Mack, who plays on the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour, was the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, an invitation extended by Woods.

On Sunday, Woods, 45, was back at the course again and joined Jim Nantz on the CBS live broadcast for two different segments. It was his only media appearance of the weekend and he was asked about playing in the Masters in April.

“God I hope so. I’ve got to get there first,” Woods said with a chuckle. “A lot of it is based on my surgeons and doctors and therapist and making sure I do it correctly. This is the only back I’ve got, I don’t have much more wiggle room left.”

When fellow Los Angeles native Max Homa won the tournament in a playoff, he posed for photos with the trophy and Woods and then spoke of what it all means.

The Genesis Invitational
Max Homa stands with the trophy and tournament host Tiger Woods at the 2021 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 21, 2021 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

“Just for me, for my caddie Joe, we were raised 25 miles north of here,” Homa said, who also described going to Riviera countless times as a youth to watch the tournament. “I mean, Tiger Woods is handing us a trophy, that’s a pretty crazy thought. We grew up idolizing him, idolizing Riviera Country Club, idolizing the golf tournament. To get it done, it’s almost shocking.”

Woods, according to a Golf Digest story, stayed in California beyond the weekend for two days of shooting videos for Golf Digest/GOLFTV, whom Woods has a content partnership with. The videos entailed Woods working with celebrities on their golf games.

About 12 hours before the Tuesday morning crash, actor/comedian posted a photo on Twitter of him and Woods in a golf cart.

Other photos on social media showed Woods with former NBA star Dwyane Wade. The actress Jada Pinkett Smith was also involved in the video shoot, which Golf Digest reports took place at the Rolling Hills Country Club on Monday.

Digest also reported that Woods’ “movement still restricted, he did not hit balls or play any holes. The shoot involved Woods giving on-course lessons to a number of celebrities, but he mostly provided instruction and hit a few putts.”

On Tuesday morning, Woods was driving a Genesis courtesy vehicle when the accident occurred. Within hours, golfers at this week’s PGA Tour stop in Florida were reacting to the crash, including Woods’ good friend Justin Thomas, as were athletes and celebrities from across the country.

Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Christopher Thomas classified the crash victim’s injuries to USA TODAY Sports as serious but non-life threatening. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, according to the Los Angeles Times, said that Woods is “lucky to be alive.”

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Max Homa defeats Tony Finau in a playoff to win hometown Genesis Invitational

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak recaps Max Homa’s second PGA Tour victory at the 2021 Genesis Invitational.

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak recaps Max Homa’s second PGA Tour victory at the 2021 Genesis Invitational.

How much money the top PGA Tour players earned at the Genesis Invitational

Take a look at what the top finishers at the 2021 Genesis Invitational took home.

Take a look at what the top finishers at the 2021 Genesis Invitational took home.

How much money each PGA Tour player earned at the Genesis Invitational

Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the Genesis Invitational in California.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask this week’s winner, Max Homa.

The 30-year-old native of Los Angeles won his hometown event at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, after two playoff holes against Tony Finau. The 2021 Genesis Invitational amounted to his second win on Tour.

Homa will take home the top prize of $1,674,000 and 550 FedEx Cup points. Finau earned himself more than $1 million, as well. Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader looking for a wire-to-wire victory, finished third, earning $641,700

Check out how much money each player earned this week at the 2021 Genesis Invitational.

Genesis Invitational: Leaderboard | Photos

Money list

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Max Homa -12 $1,674,000
2 Tony Finau -12 $1,013,700
3 Sam Burns -11 $641,700
4 Cameron Smith -9 $455,700
T5 Jon Rahm -7 $344,100
T5 Viktor Hovland -7 $344,100
T5 Matthew Fitzpatrick -7 $344,100
T8 Francesco Molinari -6 $262,725
T8 Wyndham Clark -6 $262,725
T8 Matt Jones -6 $262,725
T8 Dustin Johnson -6 $262,725
T12 Patrick Rodgers -5 $197,625
T12 Alexander Noren -5 $197,625
T12 Talor Gooch -5 $197,625
T15 Will Zalatoris -4 $151,125
T15 Xander Schauffele -4 $151,125
T15 James Hahn -4 $151,125
T15 Jordan Spieth -4 $151,125
T15 Patrick Cantlay -4 $151,125
T20 C.T. Pan -3 $101,835
T20 Rickie Fowler -3 $101,835
T20 Matthew NeSmith -3 $101,835
T20 Nick Taylor -3 $101,835
T20 Scottie Scheffler -3 $101,835
T20 Branden Grace -3 $101,835
T26 Lanto Griffin -2 $67,890
T26 Jim Furyk -2 $67,890
T26 Cameron Tringale -2 $67,890
T26 Adam Hadwin -2 $67,890
T26 Scott Harrington -2 $67,890
T26 Andrew Landry -2 $67,890
T32 Mackenzie Hughes -1 $51,925
T32 Bo Hoag -1 $51,925
T32 Kyle Stanley -1 $51,925
T32 Andrew Putnam -1 $51,925
T32 Marc Leishman -1 $51,925
T32 Jason Kokrak -1 $51,925
T38 Tyler Duncan E $40,455
T38 Russell Henley E $40,455
T38 Kevin Na E $40,455
T38 Brooks Koepka E $40,455
T38 Adam Scott E $40,455
T43 Joaquin Niemann 1 $28,179
T43 Brendan Steele 1 $28,179
T43 Sepp Straka 1 $28,179
T43 Collin Morikawa 1 $28,179
T43 J.T. Poston 1 $28,179
T43 Brian Harman 1 $28,179
T43 Sebastian Munoz 1 $28,179
T43 Cameron Davis 1 $28,179
T43 Wesley Bryan 1 $28,179
T52 Tom Hoge 2 $22,153
T52 Kevin Streelman 2 $22,153
T52 Tyler McCumber 2 $22,153
T52 Danny Lee 2 $22,153
T52 Charley Hoffman 2 $22,153
T57 J.B. Holmes 3 $21,297
T57 Nate Lashley 3 $21,297
T57 Richy Werenski 3 $21,297
T60 Keegan Bradley 4 $20,832
T60 Brian Gay 4 $20,832
T62 Charl Schwartzel 5 $20,460
T62 Harold Varner III 5 $20,460
T64 Scott Piercy 6 $20,088
T64 Matthew Wolff 6 $20,088
66 Kyoung-Hoon Lee 9 $19,809
67 Sung Kang 10 $19,623

Photos: Genesis Invitational

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Genesis Invitational: Tony Finau goes low on Sunday but still falls short in playoff

Tony Finau made an impressive Sunday charge with the low round, a 64, but lost in a playoff to Max Homa at the Genesis Invitational.

Of all of Tony Finau’s close calls and near misses – and there are a lot to choose from – this one at the Genesis Invitational has to hurt the most.

Finau was at his Sunday’s best at Riviera Country Club, shooting the low round of the day and tying his lowest final round on the PGA Tour, a 7-under 64 to pass 54-hole leader Sam Burns. This was the type of Sunday charge that Finau’s fan base has been waiting for and he finally delivered.

“We saw (Burns) get to 13 (under) and I was at 9, 10, so I was still trying to keep the pedal to the metal, trying to make some birdies coming down the stretch,” Finau said.

He did just that and it still wasn’t enough. That’s because eventual champion Max Homa was every bit as good, shooting a bogey-free 66 and tying Finau with a 72-hole total of 12-under 272.

Genesis Invitational: Leaderboard | Photos | Winner’s bag

Finau was beyond fortunate to make a playoff with Homa, who missed a 3-foot birdie putt to win at the last in regulation.

“I was expecting him to make that, but I was ready to play after that no matter what,” Finau said.

Given a new lease on life, Finau failed to take advantage. His putter had been his sword on Sunday. He had holed 17-of-17 putts from inside 10 feet during regulation, but his putter didn’t cooperate during extra holes.

After both players hit tee shots left at the first playoff hole, the 282-yard par-4 10th hole, Finau appeared to be in the driver’s seat. Homa’s ball nestled near the trunk of a tree, limiting his options. He was fortunate to be able to play away from the hole and get his ball on the green and save par. Finau had a much more routine chip for his second shot, but it ran nearly 8 feet past the hole. With a putt to win, he missed.

“It was nice to have a look to win a golf tournament, I haven’t had that feeling since on the 72nd hole or in a playoff since Waste Management last year,” he said. “Not the best putt I hit, but I had a chance to win one and unfortunately didn’t get it done this time.”

Finau’s putt was longer than Homa’s miss in regulation, but it felt as if he had returned Homa’s philanthropy and blown a golden opportunity to end his winless streak dating to the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.

Finau took too aggressive of a line at the par-3 14th with his 7 iron and shortsided himself in the left greenside bunker. He blasted to just under 10 feet. After Homa planted his tee shot to 12 feet and cozied his birdie effort to tap-in range, it was do-or-die for Finau.

“Hit a proper putt,” said Finau of his missed effort to extend the playoff. “I think sometimes in those situations almost like match play when you’re forced to make a putt, you probably hit it harder than you would normally hit it and that’s what I did there. I’ve been reading putts all week for speed, that kind of ends up by the hole, maybe a foot by. That one ended up hitting a little harder.”

When Finau replays how he didn’t go home with the winner’s trophy, he should also think about his approach shot at the 72nd hole of regulation. He blasted his drive 319 yards into the fairway, but missed the green from 146 yards and had to scramble for par. One more birdie could’ve been the difference.

In the end, it’s his 10th runner-up finish, 21st top 5, and 37th top 10 for Finau since his last victory. He’s collected a whopping $19.2 million since the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. His time will come and his performance this week showed what he’s capable of doing on a Sunday. He just needs to slam the door shut next time, and there should be a next time relatively soon given his recent run of form (four top-5s in his last five starts worldwide).

“I’ll keep marching on,” Finau said. “I’m not a quitter, I’m not someone that’s going to fade away into the sunset because I can’t win in these situations. I had another great shot today. I don’t know what else I can say other than I enjoy playing good golf and one of these days it will happen for me and hopefully turn into kind of a domino effect.”

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Max Homa’s emotional reaction to his PGA Tour win in his hometown was too awesome

What a moment for Max Homa.

Max Homa grew up going to the annual PGA Tour event every year at the legendary Riviera Country Club in his hometown of Los Angeles.

On Sunday, the 30-year-old went out on that same course and won that same tournament in dramatic fashion, beating Tony Finau on the second hole of a playoff.

This is Homa’s second victory on the PGA Tour and it was easily the bigger of the two because of how special this course is to him.

How he did it was even more incredible. Homa missed a short 3-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have won it. He then was able to shake it off and won with a par on the second playoff hole.

Moments after his win he had this emotional moment during his interview with CBS. It’s pretty awesome to see how much this meant to Homa:

So great.

Here was that short putt he missed:

And here was an incredible shot he had on the first playoff hole:

What a win.

Winner’s Bag: Max Homa, 2021 Genesis Invitational

See a complete list of the Titleist equipment Max Homa used to win the Genesis Invitational at Riveria Country Club on Sunday.

A complete list of the golf equipment Max Homa used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Genesis Invitational:

DRIVER: Titleist TSi3 (9 degrees), with Aldila Rogue Black 130 MSI 60 TX shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees), with Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 80 TX shaft, TSi2 (21 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD XC 9 TX shaft

IRONS: Titleist 620MB (4-9), with KBS $Taper 130 X

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled SM8 (46, 50, 56, and 60 degrees), with KBS $Taper 130 X shafts

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 11.5

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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Max Homa defeats Tony Finau in a playoff to win Genesis Invitational

Max Homa parred the second playoff hole to defeat Tony Finau at the Genesis Invitational.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Max Homa came into the Genesis Invitational having made five straight cuts, including a tie for seventh last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Credit a new-found sense of self for Homa.

Now, credit Homa with a second PGA Tour title. And it’s a big one for the Los Angeles native: the first-place check is good for $1,674,000 and with it comes a three-year PGA Tour exemption.

On Sunday, Homa gave chase from ahead, playing in the second-to-last group at Riviera Country Club. When Sam Burns bogeyed the 14th hole, Homa moved into a tie for the lead at 11 under. Homa kept bogey off his final-round scorecard while stacking up five birdies, including one on the 17th hole to get to 12 under.

Genesis Invitational: Leaderboard | Photos

Tony Finau was already in the clubhouse after shooting a final-round 64—tied for low round of the week—to get to 12 under. Homa striped his tee shot on 18 a massive 339 yards and then stuffed his approach to a back pin to about four feet. One more birdie would win it.

But Homa lipped out on the left side. He finished regulation at 12 under to force a playoff.

After they both parred the 10th to open the extra session, Homa made par on the par-3 14th while Finau bogeyed, giving Homa the win.

Homa opened the week with a 66 and then posted back-to-back 70s to get into contention. He closed out his second PGA Tour victory in playoff style, his first since the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship.

Sam Burns, aiming to go wire-to-wire at Riviera, had a three-shot lead on Homa and Finau after he birdied the ninth but he faltered down the stretch with bogeys on Nos. 12, 14 and 15. He did birdie 17 but parred 18 to miss the playoff by a shot to finish solo third.

Conditions on Sunday were just about perfect, a stark contrast to the high winds and fast golf course the players encountered on Saturday, which saw a four-hour delay to the blustery conditions.

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Max Homa’s #golf goes from joke to catalyst for positivity (with help from Shane Bacon, Aaron Rodgers)

Max Homa’s trend of #golf on Twitter has gone from a joke to a catalyst for positivity (with help from Shane Bacon and Aaron Rodgers).

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Max Homa?

It’s probably not his 2013 NCAA individual national title, or the fact that he finished T-9 in his first PGA Tour event as a pro, or even that he’s won more recently on Tour than highly touted players like Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.

It’s his hilarious swing roasts and creative Twitter jokes, right? The 30-year-old is one of the most entertaining players to follow on social media, but after a handful of missed cuts by just one shot last summer led to some unfriendly messages, Homa decided to start “tweeting the boring (expletive) that everyone else tweets.”

For example:

“I would #golf because that’s the most boring thing you could write and then people started to like it. It was actually kind of funny, guys started to like it, even I started to like it,” said Homa with a laugh. “Everything I think I do on the internet is like a parody. So it’s like a parody of people being robotic on their social media while also not being robotic. It’s like a little #golf community.

“It’s a bit of a culture thing now,” Homa continued. “We want people to be less robotic but we also want them to fit in this box.”

Who better to talk about being placed in a box than Homa, who jokes every January that his New Year’s resolution is to no longer be the Twitter guy, but be the golf guy.

“Obviously I have my friends that know me really well, but most people online do not,” explained Homa. “I guess I could be misconstrued as someone who’s always on their phone and goofing around, but I take (golf) incredibly seriously.”

If you’ve been following closely, Homa is hitting his stride and becoming just as fun to follow on the course and he is off of it. Since missing the weekend at the November Masters, Homa has made the cut in his last five starts, including a T-12 finish in December in Mexico at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and more recently a T-7 at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

These days Homa is comfortable in his process, approaching golf like Kobe Bryant – his idol – approached basketball and approaching life like Max Homa would approach life.

Max Homa Kobe Bryant
Max Homa plays the 16th hole wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey during the first round of the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic)

After his first appearance at Augusta National in the fall, Homa realized – with the help of his caddie, Joe, and wife, Lacey – that he was focusing too much on the physical aspect of golf, but not the mental side. He thought about that a lot for the two weeks leading up to the Mayakoba. When he got to Mexico, his only goal for the week was to own every shot. Fully commit, and then roll with the punches.

When he came home, he went to a small gathering – socially distanced, of course – where he met a musical artist who told him about meditation and even got him into a book club. Homa also learned how that same guy wakes up every morning and writes down what he’s grateful for and what he wants to be.

“It takes you out of your head,” Homa said. “If I’m 1 over at a golf tournament or if I have a really hard shot and I’m worrying about the outcome, if I remember I have a great wife, great dog, I get to play golf for a living and I have an awesome caddie in Joe, my life is pretty great. If the ball goes in the water, it’s not the end of the world. We’re good.”

“It’s just a good way to stay happy,” he said of the new process back in January after a Saturday 7-under 65 propelled him to a share of the American Express lead entering the final round. “Golf is my life, but I don’t want it to consume me. I want to win, I want to be the best player in the world at some point one day, I want to be the best me I can be and all that kind of comes with being a happy dude. So I’m just trying to be a happy dude, I guess.”

Easier said than done, but Homa credited two parts of his life that help with his positive outlook, and they actually go hand-in-hand: his weekly “Get a Grip” podcast with good friend Shane Bacon, and texts from his other pal, 2020 NFL MVP and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

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“He’s literally the best at what he does, and I’ll argue that, far superior to where I’m at in my career now, and I can talk to someone who gets it. Who truly, truly gets it,” Homa said of Rodgers, who texts him after almost every round. “When he says something, you listen. He always seems to drop just a little knowledge.”

Rodgers was a guest every Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show during the NFL season, and the future Hall of Famer credited his entertaining weekly appearances on the show as being a reason for his stellar play. Homa will tell you the same thing about his podcast with Bacon.

“What (the podcast) turned in to is kind of like therapy at times,” said Homa. “It’s been a bit of a blessing in that regard to get that off my chest, but in the end I just really wanted to do it to chat with a buddy and present a different viewpoint for golf fans. I love the game of golf, I want it to grow and I think it’s a small part of that journey.”

#golf

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Max Homa had one word to describe his string of 2s on Pebble Beach par 3s on Saturday

Sick. That’s how Max Homa described his rare feat on Saturday in the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Sick.

That’s how Max Homa described his rare feat on Saturday in the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Sick as in very good indeed. How else would you describe making birdies on all four of the par 3s in a single round at iconic Pebble Beach? The four 2s on his card were key in a 4-under-par 68 that moved Homa into a share of 11th place.

Homa is just the seventh player to go 2-2-2-2 on the par 3s at Pebble Beach since 1983, and the first since 2011 to do so (Chad Collins). In 1997, Tiger Woods birdied all the par 3s in the third round.

“On 5, hit a pitching wedge, spun it off the fringe, kind of pulled it but got away with it. Had probably six, seven feet, a little left-to-right. Made that one,” Homa said. “On 7, hit a good one to like maybe eight, 10 feet up the hill. Lob wedge. On 12, was 174, I hit a low 6-iron below the hole, probably 12-15 feet. Made it.

“Then 17, had 196 and drew a 6-iron to like 20 feet, so it was a good four par-3s.”

Homa said he can’t think of ever making four 2s on the four par 3s in a round before.

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