Max Homa comes from behind for sixth Tour win

SAN DIEGO – Joe Greiner experienced never ever noticed his manager and best buddy, Max Homa, smile so extensive.

This was on Thursday as Homa was playing on the North System at Torrey Pines and Greiner, his dutiful caddie, pointed to Homa’s wife, Lacey, and newborn son, Cam, who experienced appear out to the study course and astonished him

“He was like a child when he saw Cam,” Greiner reported.

That smile may well have been topped late on Saturday as Homa sewed up his sixth PGA Tour victory with a birdie at 18 to get the Farmers Coverage Open up with spouse and son observing from powering the green.

“If he screams at me, I will just be smiling ear to ear,” Homa mentioned of returning to diaper duty. “He can poop away and I’ll just be listed here for him.”

Homa shot a last-round 6-under 66 at Torrey’s South Study course to edge hard-charging Keegan Bradley by two strokes.

Max Homa with his spouse Lacey and son Cameron following he won the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open up Torrey Pines in San Diego. (Picture: Ray Acevedo-Usa Currently Athletics)

Homa’s past five wins have been in appear-from-driving vogue. This time he erased a five-stroke overnight deficit, which had developed to as a lot of as 6, by the change, canning a 7-foot birdie at 9 to tie for the lead. He toured the entrance nine in 32 en route to his 2nd victory of the 2022-23 Tour season, such as his get at the Fortinet Championship in September, and fourth win in his native condition of California.

Homa became a initially-time mother or father on Oct. 30, but it was not devoid of its fretful moments. Lacey underwent issues in the course of Cam’s delivery, Homa has mentioned, requiring multiples surgical procedures and time in the ICU.

“She had a horrendous delivery, it did not go perfectly,” Homa mentioned through his winner’s push conference. “It was the scariest – tough to say simply because it was an awesome working day, get a new son, Cam. It was the worst day at any time at the identical time.”

Homa credited his spouse for remaining “a rock star” as a mom, allowing him to follow and focus on his participate in, and he wished to spend back her for these efforts.

“I really feel like I’ve pretty much labored tougher for this since I want to devote as a great deal time as I probably can encouraging her and staying with Cam and undertaking all the amazing issues, catching some smiles listed here and there and receiving screamed at,” he stated. “But I also want to be the most effective golfer on the planet and she understands that and she just does an incredible job letting me do both…I get the job done tricky at two things now, so it feels a minor little bit extra tricky but it’s a million moments far more gratifying.”

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In the last spherical, Homa acquired his very first of a few deuces on the working day at No. 3, the to start with of four birdies on the opening 9. As the players turned for dwelling, the maritime layer gave way and Torrey Pines was bathed in sunshine. Between a stacked leaderboard, Homa shined brightest. He designed the second deuce at No. 11, striping a 4-iron to 13 toes and rolling in the putt.

“When he designed the just one on 11, I stated, ‘That’s a Tiger two appropriate there.’ Cuz fellas really do not make two there,” Greiner explained.

But Homa surrendered the direct at 14 with his lone bogey of the day to drop back to 11 less than. Homa saved his very best swing of the working day for the par-3 16^th, flagging another 4-iron to 15 toes, the closest any one obtained to the hole all working day, and drained the putt.

“I’m not even seeking at that pin,” Collin Morikawa, who played alongside Homa, mentioned. “He did not pass up a shot and which is what you’ve received to do if you are likely to gain out in this article.”

The closest tee shot of the working day on No. 16.@MaxHoma23 cashes in with a birdie. pic.twitter.com/IOVjfl0IlW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 29, 2023

Homa additional a birdie at 18 for great evaluate to finish at 13-below 275.

Bradley carded the only bogey-totally free round of the day with a 6-less than 66. But he pulled his second shot from 219 yards on the par-5 18th into the bunker left of the environmentally friendly, and he was not able to get up-and-down for birdie.

“The a person shot I mis-hit all day,” stated Bradley, who concluded 11 below, a shot improved than Morikawa (69), who was alone in 3rd.

Immediately after keeping at the very least a share of the guide immediately after every single of the initial a few rounds, Sam Ryder made a pricey double bogey at 15 to drop out of the direct and concluded T-4 (75). Jon Rahm, who entered the final round in second put with a possibility for his third get in as a lot of begins, struggled on the entrance nine and shot 74, settling for a T-7 end, his fourth leading-10 in four begins to start out the period.

Homa, who represented Group United states of america in his to start with intercontinental staff competitiveness at the Presidents Cup in Oct, has emerged as a person of the game’s best players soon after twice getting rid of his card and obtaining to return to the Korn Ferry Tour. Saturday was a gritty overall performance that showed just how considerably he trusts and believes in his video game.

“It’s genuinely easy to pretend-believe that that you are a truly very good player but now he walks all-around and you can just convey to that he appreciates when he performs effectively he’s likely to contend and that he must be one particular of the ideal players in the earth,” Greiner mentioned.

Max Homa seems to be on prior to hitting his 1st shot on the 14th hole of the North Program for the duration of the very first round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Photos)

He’s gained the respect of his peers, who believe Homa is just hitting his stride.

“It was only a matter of time in advance of he place a string collectively like this,” Morikawa, a fellow Cal Bear, explained.

“He’ll be hard for No. 1,” CBS’s Colt Knost stated. “He’s that fantastic.”

Homa has develop into the unusual social-media star, who also can pull off currently being a planet-course player. If he can harmony these acts, why not this dad or mum thing as well? He’s now wanting ahead to the working day that he can explain to Cam about the time daddy took down some of the best at Torrey.

“I will inform him this story advert nauseam and he will probably think I’m the worst for it, but this will be my corny father story that I will inform every Thanksgiving or a little something,” he explained, adding, “he’s not going to don’t forget this, so I have got to get yet again.”

Though there may be even larger victories nonetheless to arrive, Homa will often try to remember his first victory as a parent with a specific keepsake. As he waited to do an job interview, Homa took the Titleist golfing ball he had applied, which has the No. 25 inscribed on it, the basketball number of a high university buddy who passed absent, and in black Sharpie he additional, “For Cam.” Then he shoved it back into his pocket for safe and sound-keeping and wiped his eyes.