Since January 1, 2021, no one in the world has more PGA Tour wins than Max Homa. He got the sixth of his career and his fifth in the last 25 months on Saturday at Torrey Pines when he shot a final-round 66 to finish at 13 under and beat runner-up Keegan Bradley by two. The win is Homa’s fourth in the state of California.
It became clear about halfway through the final round that Homa or third-round leader Sam Ryder was going to win this event, even with several stars stacked up behind them. Jon Rahm made an early double and fell away. Collin Morikawa ranked no. Played 9-10 bogey-bogey. Tony Finau doubled in the eighth. And suddenly it was Ryder and Homa four away from the rest of the field.
While Ryder found himself in trouble late with a double on the 15th, Homa hit two of the best shots of his life to secure victory. First he got up and down from 213 yards at the par-3 11th hole for birdie, then he got up and down from 230 yards at the par-3 16th for birdie there too with two of the best putts that you will ever see.
Homa has now won five of his last 45 individual PGA tournaments, and he’s tied with Rory McIlroy with five wins since the start of 2021. It’s exciting company for someone who struggled so much with his game early in his career .
Homa was close to tears after the round when he was interviewed in front of his newborn son, Cam, and wife, Lacey. It was his first victory as a father.
“It’s a beautiful game,” Homa said. “Sometimes you’re just one good swing thought away from being good again. It took a lot of time and a lot of good people in my life. My wife, my caddy, Joe (Greiner). People who were there through the ugly.. . a lot of hard work goes into it and I’m very proud of myself and my team.”
Here is the breakdown for the rest of the standings at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open
2. Keegan Bradley (-11): Instead of Homa, it was almost Bradley who became a multiple winner in the 2022-23 season. Putting together a ridiculous final round that saw him card six birdies and no bogeys, Bradley was unable to capitalize on the par-5 18th and ended up tied for second. He led the field in strokes gained on the week and is a very encouraging sign for his 2023 prospects. At 36, this could very well be a resurgent year that could bring major championship contention and perhaps even consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Grade: A+
3. Collin Morikawa (-10): In his first start since his collapse at the Tournament of Champions, Morikawa looked like his normal self. He was on point for most of the final round and if his putter had been a hair more cooperative he would have had enough to claim the title. Morikawa was first in driving accuracy, second in strokes gained to the green, third in strokes gained approach and fourth in strokes gained from the fairway. He remains winless since his victory at the DP World Tour in November 2021, but should he continue on this trajectory, the drought will end sooner rather than later. Grade: A
T7. Jon Rahm (-8): The great Spaniard simply ran out of steam. Rahm admitted some fatigue early in the week and entered the final round just two shots off the lead, but quickly lost three shots in his first five holes and was never able to fully recover. It was almost a historic run and if Rahm had won, he would have joined Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy as the only players to win three times in a row in the past decade. While he hasn’t regained the world No. 1 ranking, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the best in the game, despite falling short at Torrey Pines. Grade: A-
T25. Justin Thomas (-1): The two-time PGA champion has now gone nearly eight months without a top-10 finish in a full-field event. Thomas continued his poor play at Torrey Pines after an encouraging 4-under 68 on the South Course to start his week. He was 12th in strokes gained from tee to green this week, but continues to struggle with the putter and perhaps more worryingly, his irons as they remain down compared to his historical numbers. Typically, the strength of his game, Thomas will go back to the drawing board before the second designated event of the season in Phoenix. Grade: C
MC. Will Zalatoris: Zalatoris was the only player in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking to miss the cut. As a playoff loser on this occasion a season ago, it felt like a good spot on the calendar for him to put himself in contention for the first time since his back injury. The putt may still be an eyesore, but it was a surprisingly poor iron performance on the South Course that led to a 5-over 77 in Round 2 and ruined any weekend chances. Grade: F
The First Cut Podcast recaps Max Homa’s win and all of Saturday’s action at the Farmers Insurance Open. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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