LOS ANGELES – Statistically, Max Homa had a 99.57% chance of converting the 3-footer to birdie in 72nd hole of the Genesis Invitational, but then there is no room for statistics in the chambers of the human heart.
In 11 events this season on the PGA Tour, Homa, who is as LA as palm trees and Dodger dogs, had predictably been automatic, like most Tour types, from that distance. But not all 3-footers are created equal, and the slider for birdie and victory at the event means more to him than any other just as well could have been 9 meters.
Homa, who grew up 30 minutes north of Riviera, admitted to “shaking like a leaf” about the game winner on the iconic 18th hole and the only saving grace was that the empty pandemic gallery wasn’t there for a collective sigh.
“I was just a little nervous, to be honest,” admitted Homa. “This tournament means a lot to me. I was a little shaky. “
This was about much more than a second Tour victory or a cool winner’s check. Homa has been coming to the old LA Open since “I was actually a baby.” His dad first took him to the event when he was 2 years old and he grew up devouring soft pretzels and wandering the autograph rope line for hours on end.
Genesis Invitational: Full-field scores | Full coverage
As the winning putt grazed the rim of the cup before rolling away, there was an eerie silence. Careers have been derailed by less and “Missed a 3-footer to win the big one” is a title that doesn’t wash away easily.
But this felt different. Despite the nervous miss, there seemed to be an outward calm for Homa that belies how important the Los Angeles stop is for the 30-year-old.
It wasn’t like a year ago when he started the final round on Riviera just three shots off the lead. Getting so close to a childhood dream took its toll, and he ended with a 70 with early bogeys at Nos. 16 and 18. But as of the failure of 2020, the condemnation of 2021 came.
Homa bounces back after missing a potential winning putt
“I really think that helped last year when I saw my name in second place with Adam Scott at 15, I had that in my mind,” said Homa. “I kind of got to this event, especially today and yesterday, knowing that I handled myself really well last year, I just had to clear up one or two mistakes.”
The ultimate ‘mistake’ at the 72nd hole loomed and the grueling walk up the hill to the Riviera clubhouse did little to calm Homa’s racing spirit by following his two-putt par last, finishing in 12 under par alongside Tony Finau, who was dealing with his own Sunday demons.
The pep talks came quickly.
‘This is our city. This is your tournament. This is your golf course. This is our tournament to win, ”Homa’s caddy and old friend, Joe Greiner, told him.
Homa called his wife Lacey.
“I think I choked a bit,” he stammered.
She was quick to remind Homa that he had just turned a 7-footer for birdie at 17th hole and he was still on his way to a playoff. She also reminded him of the message she sent the day before he declined, “Forgive quickly.”
Homa beats Finau in the playoff to win The Genesis Invitational
Homa seemed to forgive and forget his mistake on the 18thth hole in the playoff. Starting on the par-4 10th Both Homa and Finau’s hole hit fairway woods to the left of the green, statistically it was the right game, but Homa’s ball ran into a tree.
“He was very calm for what I thought we couldn’t hit the green [from beside the tree], ‘Said Greiner. He goes, ‘I’ve got it.’ He thought he could really hit it closer than that and I thought of hitting the pony 5 meters away. “
Homa hooked a 50-degree hooded wedge to the green to 3 feet for a two-putt par and a push. On the second extra hole, his tee shot on the par-3 14th rolled to 12 feet and he won with an anti-climax two-putt and a Finau miss.
A lifelong Dodgers fan, Homa would have preferred the walk-off at 18, but he is very happy with the win in extra time. As his childhood hero Tommy Lasorda once said: “I like double heads. That way I can keep my uniform on longer. “
He’ll also draw a healthy dose of confidence from the resilience he needed after the miss on the 72nd hole and the unlucky bounce on the first playoff hole. When asked where this win was ranked, Homa offered a predictable rating, “1-A, 1-B, 1-C.”
That it was tournament host Tiger Woods who handed him the trophy after a marathon day only added to a dream he admitted the 6-year-old version of himself probably couldn’t have imagined.
“I don’t know if I could ever do anything cooler in golf than this,” he said. “Just for me, for my caddy Joe, we grew up 25 miles north of here. I mean, Tiger Woods is giving us a trophy, that’s a pretty crazy thought. We grew up idolizing him, idolizing the Riviera Country Club, glorifying the golf tournament. Getting it done is almost shocking. “
No, what was shocking was the unusual miss on the 72nd hole, but that only made Homa’s emotionally charged victory even more satisfying.