Since January 1, 2021 nobody in the world has more PGA Tour wins than Max Homa. He got the sixth of his career and his fifth in the last 25 months on Saturday at Torrey Pines as he shot 66 in the final round to finish at 13 under and beat runner-up Keegan Bradley by two. The victory is Homa's fourth in the state of California.
It became clear about midway through the final round that either Homa or third-round leader Sam Ryder was going to win this event even as several stars piled up behind them. Jon Rahm made an early double and dropped off. Collin Morikawa played Nos. 9-10 bogey-bogey. Tony Finau doubled the eighth. And suddenly it was Ryder and Homa four clear of the rest of the field.
As Ryder got into some late trouble with a double at the 15th, Homa hit two of the best shots of his life to secure the victory. First he got up and down from 213 yards at the par-3 11th hole for birdie, then he got up and down from 230 yards at the par-3 16th for birdie there as well with two of the best under-pressure shots you will ever see.
Homa has now won five of his last 45 individual PGA Tour tournaments, and he's tied with Rory McIlroy with five victories since the beginning of 2021. That's heady company for somebody who struggled so much with his game early in his career.
Homa was near tears after the round as he was interviewed in front of his newborn son, Cam, and wife, Lacey. It was his first win as a father.
"It's a beautiful game," Homa said. "Sometimes you're just one good swing thought away from being good again. It took a lot of time and a lot of good people in my life. My wife, my caddie, Joe (Greiner) . People who have been there through the ugly. ... a lot of hard work goes into that and I'm very proud of myself and my team."
Here is the breakdown for the rest of the leaderboard at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open
2. Keegan Bradley (-11): Instead of Homa, it was nearly Bradley who became a multiple-time winner in the 2022-23 season. Putting together a ridiculous final round that saw him card six birdies and zero bogeys, Bradley was unable to take advantage of the par-5 18th and ultimately finished in second. He led the field in strokes gained putting on the week and is a very encouraging sign for his 2023 prospects. At 36, it may very well be a resurgent year that could feature major championship contention and perhaps even consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Grade: A+
3. Collin Morikawa (-10): In his first start since his collapse at the Tournament of Champions, Morikawa looked like his normal self. He was right there for most of the final round and had his putter been a hair more cooperative would have had enough to claim the title. Morikawa ranked first in driving accuracy, second in strokes gained tee to green, third in strokes gained approach and fourth in strokes gained off the tee. He remains winless since his victory on the DP World Tour in November 2021, but should he continue on this trajectory, the drought will end sooner rather than later. Grade: A
T7. Jon Rahm (-8): The big Spaniard simply ran out of steam. Admitting to some fatigue early in the week, Rahm entered the final round only two strokes off the lead, but quickly lost three strokes in his opening five holes and was never able to fully recover. It was nearly a historic run and had Rahm claimed victory, he would have joined Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy as the only players to win three times in a row this past decade. While he has not reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking, it is hard to argue that he is not the best in the game despite coming up short at Torrey Pines. Grade: A-
T25. Justin Thomas (-1): The two-time PGA Champion has now gone nearly eight months without a top-10 finish in a full-field event. Mind boggling to even comprehend, Thomas continued his poor play at Torrey Pines after an encouraging 4-under 68 on the South Course to begin his week. He ranked 12th in strokes gained tee to green for the week, but continues to struggle with the putter and maybe more concerning, his irons, as they remain down compared to his historic numbers. Typically, the strength of his game, Thomas will go back to the drawing board before the second designated event of the season in Phoenix. Grade: C
MC. Will Zalatoris: Zalatoris was the lone player from the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings to miss the cut. A playoff loser at this event a season ago, it felt like a good spot on the calendar for him to get himself into contention for the first time following his back injury. The putting stroke may still be an eyesore, but it was a surprisingly poor iron performance on the South Course that led to a 5-over 77 in Round 2 and dashed any weekend chances. Grade: F
The First Cut Podcast recaps Max Homa's win and all of Saturday's action at the Farmers Insurance Open. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.