Max Homa's Hopes of Repeating at Wells Fargo Go Awry in the First Round
Max Homa’s bid to defend his title at the Wells Fargo Championship likely already is over.
Homa, in the midst of his best year on the PGA Tour, shot a six-over 77 on Thursday and sits in a tie for 148th place in the event featuring 156 golfers at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC.
It will take something spectacular on Friday for the 30-year-old former Cal star to even make the cut and play this weekend.
Homa — who won the 2019 Wells Fargo title before the event was canceled last year — had six bogeys, a double-bogey 7 on the par-5 10th hole. He had just two birdies.
He is 13 strokes behind first-round leader Phil Mickelson, the 50-year-old five-time major winner, who had eight birdies and just one bogey to forge a two-stroke lead over the field.
A total of 71 golfers made par or better, so Homa may need to post a 65 just to get back even and have a chance to play on the weekend.
Homa arrived at Quail Hollow on the heels of finishing in a tie for sixth place last weekend at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida. He briefly shared the lead early in Sunday’s final round before fading.
Still, it’s been a terrific year for Homa, the 2013 NCAA champ while at Cal. Just three years after he had to play his way back onto the tour, he has four top-10 finishes this season, is No. 39 in the world rankings and has earned a career-best $2.9 million.
He was still rebuilding his career two years ago when he won the Wells Fargo title — his first on the tour. "I guess my whole world's a little bit different now,” he said after that victory.
In an interview with CBS Sports last week, Homa talked about the road back.
"It's funny, it's 10 or so years ago, but I used to (contend to win) a decent amount in college, and when I first turned pro, I was comfortable in these positions," Homa said. "So I had kind of a dry spell for a while, but when I get back here now and I've kind of been in this position a few more times more recently, I feel like kind of like the old me's back a little bit, mentally.
"Obviously the golf game can fluctuate, but I just feel like my head's in a good spot week-to-week and when I put myself in a spot like I have this week I just feel ready and comfortable and just kind of accepting what happens.”
Homa was not alone in his struggles on Thursday. Byeong-Hun An, another ex-Cal golfer, had seven bogeys and shot a five-over 76 for a tie for 143rd place.
Jon Rahm, ranked No. 3 in the world, also shot a 76.
Cover photo of Max Homa by Jim Dedmon, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo