On the PGA Tour
HOME SWEET HOME FOR MAX HOMA AT THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL
L . A . native Max Homa fell in love with The Genesis Invitational and Riviera Country Club at a very young age . Well he fell for their warm soft pretzels at least .
That inviting smell and salty taste kept young Max coming back year after year . And it wasn ’ t long before a serious love of the game developed . He has been part of tournament scenery from the age of two , first as a toddler on his father ’ s shoulders , then as a youngster seeking autographs and lastly as a high school and college star dreaming of forging his own path on the storied layout .
That dream came true on Sunday as Homa beat Tony Finau in a playoff to claim his second TOUR win – but not before a twist
That dream came true on Sunday as Homa beat Tony Finau in a playoff to claim his second TOUR win .
ending even the best Hollywood writers might have had trouble scripting .
With Finau scorching the course ahead of him Homa came to the par-5 17th hole needing a birdie to tie . But he lost his approach shot in a bunker on the right , leaving himself short sided . A clutch shot followed by a 6-foot putt sent him to the 18th hole knowing one more birdie could make all of those wild childhood dreams come true .
RORY MCILROY ELECTED PGA TOUR PLAYER ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN
Rory McIlroy has been elected Chairman of the Player Advisory Council ( PAC ) by the TOUR ’ s membership for the 2021 calendar year . The 16-member PAC advises and consults with the PGA TOUR Policy Board ( Board of Directors ) and Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the TOUR . Rory McIlroy , who prevailed over Russell Knox and Kevin Streelman , will succeed Jordan Spieth as a Player Director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board next year , serving a three-year term ( 2022-24 ). He will join James Hahn ( 2020-22 ), Charley Hoffman ( 2021-23 ) and Kevin Kisner ( 2020-22 ) on the Policy Board . McIlroy , 31 , of Northern Ireland , joined the PGA TOUR in 2010 . An 18-time PGA TOUR winner , including the 2019 PLAYERS Championship and four major championships , McIlroy is one of two players to win multiple FedExCup titles ( 2016 , 2019 ). When he assumes his role of Player Director in 2022 , McIlroy will become the first international player
McIlroy is one of two players to win multiple FedExCup titles ( 2016 , 2019 ).
to serve on the Policy Board , which dates back to the TOUR ’ s first season in 1969 . In November , the TOUR announced that the 2020 Player Advisory Council would extend its term through 2021 due to the vital role the PAC played in navigating the TOUR ’ s response to the pandemic .
KOEPKA WINS WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN FOR EIGHTH TOUR TITLE
Koepka , though , turned his comeback into a handcrafted , 20-pound “ Chrystal Thunderbird ” trophy of crystal on a mesquite-wood base . His pedal-to-the-mettle finish salted away his eighth PGA TOUR title and moved him from 73rd to 12th in the FedExCup . After battling a left knee injury for much of the last year and a half , he ’ s finally 100 percent , and it showed . Shaking off a bogey at the second hole , he made two eagles , went 5 under for the last six holes for the second straight day , overcame a five-shot deficit , and won for the first time since the 2019 World Golf Championships- FedEx St . Jude Invitational . “ It feels like it ’ s been forever ,” he said after collecting his second Waste Management Phoenix Open title ( 2015 ) – and breaking a streak of three straight missed cuts coming into the week . Steve Stricker ( 67 , T4 ), who at 53 was vying to become the oldest-ever TOUR winner , played with Koepka and was more than an interested observer . He will captain the U . S . Ryder Cup Team at Whistling Straits later this year , and Koepka is a mainstay on such teams .
GolfPlus MARCH 2021 23