Homa defeats Finau in playoff to capture Genesis title
The hometown advantage propelled Max Homa to victory at the Genesis Invitational at Pacific Palisades, Calif., as the Los Angeles-area native got the best of Tony Finau on the second playoff hole Sunday.
Born in nearby Burbank, Homa grew up just north of Los Angeles in Valencia and was a frequent visitor to Riviera Country Club in his youth to watch the tournament he won on Sunday in dramatic fashion. It was his second career victory after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., in 2019.
After Homa scrambled for par while up against a tree at No. 10 to match Finau on the first playoff hole, he delivered a two-putt par at the par-3 14th hole. Finau found the bunker off the tee and failed to get up and down, missing a 10-foot par putt to give Homa the victory.
Top Canadians were Nick Taylor (tied for 20th), Adam Hadwin (tied for 26th) and Mackenzie Hughes (tied for 32nd).
Homa had a chance to take the tournament on the 72nd hole, but his three-foot birdie putt on 18 for the victory missed on the left edge of the cup and led to the playoff.
After birdies at 16 and 17, Finau finished with a par at 18 after his approach shot got hung up in the left rough just outside the fringe.
It was the third time Finau has missed out on a tournament victory in a playoff. He also was runner-up after a playoff at the 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions and the 2020 Waste Management Open. Finau's only PGA Tour victory came in a playoff at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open.
It was also Finau's third consecutive top-five finish, all in California, after finishing fourth in The American Express at La Quinta and tied for second in the Farmers Insurance Open at San Diego.
Sunday began with 23 golfers back on the course early in the morning to complete the third round that was halted because of darkness.
Saturday's play was delayed nearly four hours because of high winds.