Cal Golf: Max Homa Climbs to Tie for 10th at Arnold Palmer Invitational
On a Sunday when the Bay Hill Club and Lodge course largely got the best of the field, Max Homa shot a final-round 73 to climb from 22nd place to a tie for 10th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Florida.
Bryson DeChambeau’s 1-under-par 71 matched the day’s best score but it was good enough to secure a one-stroke victory over third-round leader Lee Westwood. Only three golfers broke par Sunday in what was called the toughest final day at Bay Hill in 41 years.
Homa, who two weeks ago won the Genesis Invitational for his second career tour victory, wound up seven strokes off the pace at 3-under 285.
The 30-year-old former NCAA champ from Cal pocketed $195,300 after posting scores of 70-70-72-73 over four days.
Homa opened Sunday with a birdie on No. 1 but he had three straight bogeys on Nos. 3 through 5. Birdies on the 10th and 12th holes back him back to even for the day, but his up-and-down day continued with a bogey on No. 14 and a birdie on No. 16 before he closed out with a bogey.
Among the seven others tied with Homa for 10th was Rory McElroy.
Collin Morikawa, coming off a triumph last week at the WGC-Workday, took the weekend off. But another former Cal golfer, Byeong Hun-An, finished in a tie for 43rd place after a final-round 74.
An carded a 4-under 68 on Thursday, then settled for 74, 75 and 74 the final three rounds to finish at 3-under 291, 14 strokes off the pace.
DeChambeau delivered the most consistent performance of anyone in the field, with four straight rounds under par. He bogeyed the first hole Sunday then made birdies on Nos. 4 and 6 before play straight par golf the rest of the afternoon to take home a check worth $1,674,000.
Known as one of the game's biggest hitters. DeChambeau holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the front nine and a 50-foot par putt early on the back nine.
Westwood , 47, has won tournaments in four different decades — the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, and was even with DeChambeau until a bogey on the 14th left him one back. The two were never separated by more than one stroke over the final 15 holes.
DeChambeau said he received a text Sunday morning from Tiger Woods, who is recovering from serious leg injuries from his car crash in Los Angeles. Woods, an eight-time Bay Hill winner, told DeChambeau to "keep fighting.''
Palmer also offered encouragement, telling DeChambeau to "play boldly.''
Westwood finished two strokes ahead of four golfers, including Jordan Spieth.
Cover photo of Max Homa by Reinhold Matay, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo