Max Homa Gets First International Victory with Win in South Africa

Former Cal golfer takes home more than $1 million for his victory in this DP World Tour event

Max Homa claimed his first victory in an international event and took home more than $1 million in the process by winning the Nedbank Golff Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, on Sunday.

Homa, a former star at Cal, shot a 6-under-par 66 in the final round to finish at 19 under par, giving a four-shot edge over second-place finisher Nicolai Hojgaard.

This event is part of the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, and Homa was one of the few Americans in the tournament. He adds this victory to his six career wins on the PGA Tour.

Homa posted this simple message on his twitter account shortly after winning.

Homa finished in grand style, clinching the win with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, making a 38-foot putt on the 16th to mount an insurmountable lead.

"It's kind of what you dream of. You want to be in the fight, and it was just fun to kind of close it out at the end," he said. "It was one of those weeks the ball wanted to go in when it needed to go in."

Homa finished the round with six birdies, one eagle and two bogeys, and he led or was tied for the lead after each of the four rounds.

He takes home the winner’s check for $1,025,000, and he did it after the longest layoff of his career.

Homa hadn't played competitive golf since Oct. 1 at the Ryder Cup in Italy, where he was the highest scoring American with 3½ points. His last stroke-play event had been the Fortinet Championship in mid-September.

"It's just been tremendous to get to travel to a new place, meet so amazing people," Homa said. "The fans have been amazing; everyone has been so welcoming and kind. To be granted the opportunity to even be here, I was truly grateful for, but to come out with a trophy is just cherry on top."

Homa, who is No. 8 in the world rankings, was invited to this event along with Justin Thomas, who finished in fourth place at 12 under for the tournament after shooting 66 on Sunday.

Cover photo of Max Homa by Jamie Sabau, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.