Cal Alum Max Homa Fires 65 To Soar 49 Spots into 11th at the Genesis Invitational
Former Cal golf star Max Homa delivered a six-under par round of 65 on Friday to climb 49 spots into a tie for 11th place at the $20 million Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club at Pacific Palisades.
Patrick Cantlay, sitting at 13 under par, holds a five-stroke lead over three golfers tied for second place. Through two rounds, Cantlay assembled 12 birdies, an eagle and just one bogey for rounds of 64 and 65.
Homa’s 65 lifted him from 60th place after the first round to a tie for 11th. But with a two-round score of four under par, he is nine strokes back of leader Cantlay.
Homa made five birdies and five pars through 10 holes, then sandwiched three more birdies around bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 to wind up with a 65.
“I’ve just been really waiting for the last few months to make a couple of putts and just make things a shade easier on myself,” Homa, 33, said after his second round.
“Didn’t really play a whole lot better. Hit my irons better than yesterday, but just yesterday, if you can’t make anything, it makes you feel like you’ve got to play too perfectly.”
Homa, who is ranked No. 8 in the world, carded a two-over 73 on Thursday that included three birdies but also a triple-bogey.
He shares 11th place with eight other golfers, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Another one-time Cal golfer, South Korean Byeong Hun An, is part of an 11-way logjam for 20th place at minus-3. An, 33 and ranked No. 44 globally, shot a four-under 67 on Thursday and followed that with a one-over 72 in the second round.
Cal grad Collin Morikawa shot an even-par 71 and is tied for 35th place at minus-1, leaving him 12 strokes off the pace. The 27-year-old, ranked No. 14 in the world, had four birdies in his second round but also a couple of bogeys and a double bogey.
Tiger Woods, who shot a one-over 72 in the first round, played five holes Friday before withdrawing because of flu-like symptoms.
Rob McNamara, a close friend of Woods, said Woods began feeling ill on Thursday night.
"He had a little bit of a fever and that was better during the warm-up," McNamara said. "But then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.
“Ultimately, the doctors are saying he's got potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He's been treated with an IV bag and he's doing much, much better.”
Cover photo of Max Homa by Ray Acevedo, USA Today
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