Cal Golf: Max Homa Tied For Third at Valspar After Shooting a Second-Round 68

Former Cal star Max Homa shot a 68 Friday and sits in a tie for third place heading into the weekend at the Valspar Championship at Palm Harbor, Florida. Homa is at 8-under 134.

Sharing the top spot are first-round leader Keegan Bradley and Sam Burns, both four strokes in the clear at 12 under.

Homa briefly had the lead to himself at 10 under after posting three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th hole Friday. But as he slipped back to 8 under, Bradley and Burns warmed up.

Still, Homa is in contention to win for the second title this season, the third time in his career. He took the Genesis Invitational in February and his $2.7 million in winning this season already is a career best.

He has made five putts of 25 feet or longer this week.

"I think I'm just better at golf now," Homa said.

Homa’s comeback from what appeared to be a dead end in his career is impressive. Now 30, he earned just $18,000 during the 2017 season, missing the cut in 15 of 17 events and finishing 71st and 84th in the two tournaments he completed.

That left him off the PGA tour in 2018, but he has steadily rebuilt his career since then. He won $2 million in 2019 when he captured his first PGA tour crown, winning the Wells Fargo Championship, and more than $1.4 million last season.

He has three top-10 finishes this season, including a tie for seventh at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Homa shot a 5-under 66 on Thursday, posting eight birdies and three bogeys. He completed the first round in a tie for second place, two strokes behind elder Bradley, who shot a 64.

Homa’s brief lead Friday disappeared when he had three bogeys in a span of seven holes on his second nine.

Bradley, 34, is chasing his first tour win since the BMW Championship in 2018. He has 11 birdies, an eagle and just one bogey through his first 36 holes this week. The eagle came on his final hole Friday, assuring him a tie for the top spot.

"I turned a good day into a great day," Bradley said. "Man, it was a fun day. And what a way to finish. It was a blast."

Burns, a 24-year-old former LSU player, was third behind Homa at the Genesis but has not yet won in 75 starts on the tour. After a first-round 67 that included an eagle but three bogeys, Burns shot a bogey-free 63 on Friday, fueled by eight birdies.

Homa is tied at 134 with Lucas Glover and Charley Hoffman, with five players one stroke back of that threesome, and five more one stroke further back.

Byeong-Hun An, also formerly of Cal, is part of a large group that barely made the cut at 1 under 141.

Cal’s Collin Morikawa, No. 6 in the world golf rankings, is not playing at the Valspar event.

Cover photo of Max Homa by Jasen Vinlove, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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