Max Homa Surges on Back Nine to Win 2021 Fortinet Championship

Max Homa Surges on Back Nine to Win 2021 Fortinet Championship

 

 

NAPA, CA - In picturesque Wine Country, something sweet was fermenting. 

 

It was Max Homa's golf game, coming to full fruition on the back nine at Silverado Country Club. The Burbank, CA native has won the 2021 Fortinet Championship with a score of 19-under, one stroke ahead of 36-hole leader Maverick McNealy.

 

This is Homa's third PGA Tour win and his first since the 2021 Genesis Invitational. Aside from a $1.26 million paycheck, Homa becomes fully exempt on the PGA Tour for the rest of the season through to the 2023-2024 season. He also secures a spot in the Sentry Tournament of Champions (next season), The Players Championship, The Masters and the PGA Championship.

A BACK NINE MOMENTUM SWING: HOMA SURGES, MCNEALY FALLS

At the start of the back nine, the storylines were much different.

 

McNealy, in the final group, made the turn at 17-under whereas Homa, in the second-to-last group, made it at 14-under.

 

McNealy, calm and poised as ever, seemed to be cruising on his way to his first PGA Tour win. On the other hand, Homa bogeyed the 10th hole to drop him further away from McNealy and a potential victory.

 

But then, things changed, in Homa's favor, on the short par 4 12th hole. Homa's tee shot found the first cut of fairway rough, 96 yards from the hole. With birdie prospects looking slim, Homa swung his wedge, landed the ball perfectly on the green, and watched it roll in for an eagle, shooting him two spots up the leaderboard.

This was the wake-up call that Homa needed, as he would go on to make an incredible birdie putt on the par 4 13th, to tie McNealy for the lead at 17-under. 

 

Fully in contention now, Homa knew exactly what he needed to do. After an excellent approach shot into the par 5 16th hole green, he was left with a tap-in birdie putt. On the 17th, he yet again made birdie with another huge putt. He would par the par 5 18th hole to shoot a 65 on the day.

Amidst the run that Homa was on, McNealy was cruising at 17-under, after a series of pars, until the par 5 16th hole, where he sunk a tricky putt for birdie. A playoff seemed almost inevitable at this point.

But then, things changed, not in McNealy's favor, at the 17th hole, a short par 4. During his pre-shot routine, something seemed off with McNealy's swing, as noted by Golf Channel TV Commentator and 2008 Masters Champion Trevor Immelman. McNealy's tee shot sliced hard right, hitting a tree and dropping straight down, about 190 yards from the hole. He followed this with an approach shot that overshot the green, then a risky flop shot that also overshot the green. After three-putting, McNealy finished the hole with a double-bogey.

At this point, with Homa in the clubhouse at 19-under, McNealy needed an albatross on the par 5 18th hole just to force a playoff. To his credit, he played the hole excellently, missing the albatross approach shot but holing the ensuing eagle-putt, to finish one short.

SILVERADO BITES BACK... A BIT

Sunday saw a tougher golf course at Silverado, compared to previous days. During the morning rounds, the course remained benign albeit foggy, but as the day progressed, the winds picked up and the course became firmer. This made conditions slightly tougher for those higher on the leaderboard, particularly with approach shots into the harder greens. 

 

The low round on Sunday was a 65, shot by Max Homa and Marc Leishman.

 

In his post round interview, Homa credited his caddie for knowing how the course would change as it firmed up, something that certainly aided in his win. 

 

HOW DID ARE PICKS FINISH?

Our hopes were resting on young Will Zalatoris, let's see how he finished.

1) Jon Rahm: CUT

2) Kevin Na: CUT

3) Will Zalatoris: T11 at 12-under

 

Not a bad finish for Zalatoris, great to see that his form from last season has carried over. As we mentioned in our Weekend Update, the bigger concern is Jon Rahm's form and what state it will be in for the Ryder Cup next week. Only time will tell. 

 

***

 

 

And with that, the first tournament of the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season has concluded, and in great fashion. If the 2021 Fortinet Championship is a sign of things to come, we are in for a great PGA Tour season.

Our coverage next week moves to Michigan for what is perhaps the most exciting event in golf: The Ryder Cup from Whistling Straits. We'll be having special coverage for the Ryder Cup, with daily round recaps and a special op-ed article before the tournament. Be sure to follow our Twitter feed as well for live tweets about the event.

 

Stay tuned for all that and much more!

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Maverick McNealy Leads 2021 Fortinet Championship

Maverick McNealy Leads the 2021 Fortinet Championship

 

 

The last few holes of the weekday rounds of the 2021 Fortinet Championship are wrapping up at Silverado Country Club. As it stands heading into the weekend, Maverick McNealy leads the tournament with a score of 12-under and a two shot lead over Beau Hossler and Mito Pereira. 

The cut is also projected to be 3-under.

MCNEALY OFF TO A HOT START

McNealy, starting his third year on tour, opened the tournament on Thursday with a 68, in a round that included five birdies and a bogey. 

This momentum continued to Friday where, the California native carded five birdies on his front nine (actually the back nine as he started on the 10th tee). However, things would turn for the worst on the start of his back nine, where he bogeyed holes 1-3. But to his credit, McNealy did not let this get to him He went on to birdie four straight holes after that, including a hole-out birdie on the par 3 7th hole from the bunker, and finished the day with an eagle on the par 5 9th hole. 

McNealy had his best season on tour last year, including a 2nd place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a T4 finish at the RBC Heritage. He is still searching for his first PGA Tour win and is in a great position heading into the weekend to do so. 

KUCHAR DOESNT DISAPPOINT WITH NEAR ACE

Just four shots behind McNealy sits Matt Kuchar, PGA Tour veteran and fan favorite. Also starting his day on the back nine, the 43-year old nearly aced the par 3 11th hole (his second hole of the day), after hitting an iron just short of pin high and watching it roll by the hole to four feet, nearly dropping in along the way.

Kuchar would go on to make the four footer for birdie, on his way to a 6-under 66 for the day.

SILVERADO PLAYING WELL FOR PLAYERS

As we mentioned in our preview to the tournament, Silverado Country Club is one of the shorter courses played on tour. Consequently, we are seeing some low scores this week, as a result of players being able to take on holes more aggressively, often times having shorter approaches to greens, compared to other tournaments.

The low round of the tournament was a 64 shot by Maverick McNealy, Beau Hossler and David Lipsky.  

The weather has been a bit cooler but perfect for players at Silverado and is scheduled to continue that way. There is a chance for winds to pick up on Sunday, but nothing too impactful for players.

HOW ARE OUR PICKS DOING?

We're looking for some redemption after our plan last week at the BMW PGA Championship backfired. Here's how our picks are doing so far:

1) Jon Rahm: CUT

2) Kevin Na: CUT

3) Will Zalatoris: T4 at 9-under

Nope. Wow, I really was not expecting Rahm and Na to be cut, especially after the way the ended last season. I suppose this is more concerning for Rahm, who needs to find some form for the Ryder Cup next week. The silver lining is that he'll have more time for prep via not making the cut.

 

And in his first season as an full-status PGA Tour member, "rookie" Will Zalatoris is off to a hot start. Here's hoping Zalatoris can carry this momentum into the weekend.

***

Two rounds are left at the 2021 Fortinet Championship. Much can change in two rounds of golf, so stay tuned to see who has won it.

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

2021 Fortinet Championship Preview

Jon Rahm is our top pick to win the 2021 Fortinet Championsip

 

 

Despite golf being perceived as a sport that takes too long to play, what isn't long is the break between PGA Tour seasons...

Just two weeks removed from the 2021 Tour Championship and official end of the PGA Tour season, the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season kicks off this week at Silverado Country Club in Napa, California for the 2021 Fortinet Championship (formerly known as the Safeway Open and Frys.com Open). 

 

It's the start of a new season and everyone is trying to kick off on the right foot. On the line this week is a $7 million purse, with $1.26 million going to the winner and 40 World Golf Rankings points.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The tournament was first contested back in 2007. At the time, it was part of the PGA Tour Fall Series, a group of tournaments played after the Tour Championship but before the end of the season. Scheduling was different then, with the season starting in January and ending in November, giving players the month of December off. 

 

In 2013, the PGA Tour changed its scheduling to start the season in October. The Frys.com Open, as it was known then, was selected to be the inaugural tournament of the season and has held the title since.

Since 2007, several courses have played host, including Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale and CordeValle Golf Club near San Jose. 

 

Since 2014, the tournament has been contested on Silverado Country Club's North Course, which plays as a par 72 measuring 7,166 yards, making it one of the shorter courses on tour. Last year, Stewart Cink set the tournament scoring record to par, winning with a 21-under par.

WHO DO WE THINK WILL WIN?

The Fortinet Championship sits in a unique position this year, in terms of scheduling. As stated prior, we're coming off a great FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup is being played next week. Some players will perhaps be looking to capitalize on some momentum they have left from the playoffs, while some (one really) will be looking to get into Ryder Cup form. At the same time, this is the start of a brand new PGA Tour season. New season, new opportunities, a chance to start out strong. 

Wrapping all of this together, here are our picks to win the 2021 Fortinet Championship:

1) Jon Rahm

2) Kevin Na

3) Will Zalatoris

Rahm is coming off an impressive playoff run and is the Number One Golfer in the World. He's riding a huge wave of momentum and is perhaps using this event as Ryder Cup prep. He hands down has to be the favourite to win this week. Kevin Na may have missed out on a Ryder Cup pick, but he also performed well during the playoffs. Lastly, Will Zalatoris, newly named Rookie of the Year, is now a full PGA Tour member, with some serious game, as we saw last year,

***

Play kicks off at 10AM Eastern time Thursday morning, officially ending one of the shortest off-seasons in professional sport. Be sure to check out our Weekend Update post to see what the drama and storylines are after the first two rounds.

 

 

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews 

Sang-Moon Bae Wins the 2014 Frys.com Open

And just like that the first tournament of the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season is over. The winner of the Frys.com Open this year is Korean golfer Sang-Moon Bae, with a score of 15-under (-15) and a two shot lead over Australian Steven Bowditch. This is Bae's second PGA Tour win and first since his 2013 HP Byron Nelson Championship win.

He played excellent golf all week and had a several shot lead on Saturday evening, after shooting 66/69/65. However, Bae stumbled slightly during today's final round with a score of 73 and several bogeys. Some good pars and a few birdies however saved his round and eventually helped him win. Silverado Country Club played very good for the players too this week, with low scores being shot all around.

As we said before, new PGA Tour member and Canadian Adam Hadwin made his debut this week as a full time member. Unfortunately, Hadwin shot a 72/75 on the weekend to finish the tournament at T53 at 2-under (-2). Let's hope Hadwin will do better in the weeks to come. There were a few other Canadians in the field this week too, with the highest finisher being Graeme DeLaet (T39 at 4-under).

Lastly, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Lucas Glover: CUT
2) Cameron Tringale: T26 at 6-under (-6)
3) Hunter Mahan: T3 at 12-under (-12)

An excellent finish from Mahan, who is probably being underrated at the moment due to his play at the Ryder Cup. It's hard to believe that the first tournament of the new season is already over. Based on the golf that was played this week, it looks like this season's going to be very exciting, with good golf being played for sure.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Sang Moon Bae Wins The 2014 Frys.com Open

2014 Frys.com Open Weekend Update

The weekday rounds of the first tournament of the new PGA Tour season have now concluded and the leader going into the weekend is Scotsman Martin Laird. He shot a pair of 67's at Silverado Country Club and leads the tournament at 10-under (-10) with a one shot lead over Sang-Moon Bae. The cut has also been set at 1-under (-1).

Conditions were really good for scoring for the first two rounds, especially earlier today. The low round of the day was a 7-under 65 shot by Mark Hubbard, as well as a few 66's and 67's by other players. It looks like Silverado Country Club was a good choice for hosting the Frys.com Open this year.

As we mentioned before, Canadian Adam Hadwin is making his debut this week as a full-time PGA Tour member. He's currently T12 and played great golf throughout both of his rounds. His game was on par, when he stumbled a bit with a bogey, he would quickly bounce back with a birdie. Let's hope he does well in the next two rounds!

Here is how our picks are doing so far:

1) Lucas Glover: CUT
2) Cameron Tringale: T8 at 6-under (-6)
3) Hunter Mahan: T8 at 6-under (-6)

Good golf being played by Mahan and Tringale. Let's see how they'll finish some Sunday evening,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Martin Laird leads the 2014 Frys.com Open (AP/Eric Risberg)

2014 Frys.com Open Picks

After a three week break, the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season officially kicked off today with the start of the Frys.com Open, being played at the North Course of Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. This is the first time that the Frys.com Open is being played here, having traditionally been played at CordeValle Golf Club, also in California.

In the past, the Frys.com Open was part of the PGA Tour Fall Series, a series of tournaments played after the Tour Championship during the off season. The Fall Series was dissolved at the end of 2012 and after a bit of rearranging of tournaments, the Frys.com Open became the starting tournament of the PGA Tour season, starting in 2013.

In other news, a Canadian golfer with a great story is making his PGA Tour debut this week. Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (residing in BC though) has been a Web.com regular for a few years now. Earlier this year, he earned his PGA Tour card after an impressive season (including winning the Chile and Chiquita Classic) and a Top-5 finish at the Canadian Open. Let's hope he's continues to play well and make a great debut this week.

Also, here are our picks for the winner this week:

1) Lucas Glover
2) Cameron Tringale
3) Hunter Mahan

Stayed tuned tomorrow for our weekend update of the 2014 Frys.com Open,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews