Homa Wins Extension Victory "Hell, Heaven Again"... Finau Second Again

Genesis Invitational Final Day: 'Victory Par' in Second Sudden Death, Burns 3rd, 'Number 1' Johnson Tied 8th

Max Homa (right) is taking a commemorative photo with tournament host Tiger Woods immediately after winning the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It was a dramatic ‘playoff victory’ for Max Homa (USA).

On the 22nd (Korean time) at the Riviera Golf Club in Pacific Palisades, California, USA (par 71, 7,322 yards), the final day of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational (total prize money $9.3 million), Homa finished 5 under par to tie for the lead with Tony Finau (USA) at 12 under par 272. Then, in the second playoff hole at the 14th hole (par 3), he finally secured the ‘winning par’. This marked his second career victory, 1 year and 9 months after the Wells Fargo Championship in May 2019, with a winner’s prize of $1,674,000 (1.852 billion KRW).

Homa first emerged as a promising player by winning the individual NCAA championship and the Walker Cup for national teams in 2013. However, he had not achieved notable results on the PGA Tour. In 2017, he was cut 15 times out of 17 events, even facing the setback of dropping to the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) in 2018. In 2019, he was cut 8 times in 15 tournaments, so his first win at the Wells Fargo Championship was rather surprising.

On this day, he started tied for second and collected five birdies. It is worth noting that he narrowly missed a 1-meter winning birdie putt on the 18th hole (par 4). In the first playoff hole at the 10th hole (par 4), his tee shot unfortunately landed right next to a tree. Fortunately, Homa managed a magical chip shot to make par with ‘2 on and 2 putts’. He choked up, saying, "After watching Woods’ Masters victory, I made up my mind. I’m so happy to win in my hometown, especially at a special event hosted by Woods."

Tony Finau is making a bunker shot on the 14th hole during the second playoff of the final day at the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, California, USA = Getty Images / Multivits

Finau still seems to be plagued by the ‘second-place jinx’. Since his win at the Puerto Rico Open in March 2016, this was his eighth runner-up finish. Notably, at the 2018 World Golf Championships (WGC) HSBC Champions, he started the final day with a 3-shot lead but faltered with a 1-under-par round, allowing Xander Schauffele (USA) to force a playoff and ultimately defeat him. In the 2021 season, he also finished second twice, at the Farmers Open and the European Tour’s Saudi International, both before the end of last month.

Sam Burns (USA) stopped his pursuit of a first victory at third place (11 under par 273). The 24-year-old rookie entered the PGA Tour in the 2019 season after winning the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Savannah Championship. He dominated the leaderboard with a 7-under-par round from the first day and held the lead for three days but fell short with a final 2-under-par round, missing the mark by ‘2%’. World No. 2 Jon Rahm (Spain) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) tied for fifth place (7 under par 277).

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) lost one stroke with four birdies and five bogeys, finishing tied for eighth (6 under par 278). His long drives up to 347 yards stood out, but his iron shots faltered, missing the green eight times and applying the brakes. Defending champion Adam Scott (Australia) finished tied for 38th (even par 284). The Korean contingent ranked as follows: Lee Kyoung-hoon (30) 66th (9 over par 293), Kang Sung-hoon (34, both from CJ Logistics) 67th (10 over par 294).