PACIFIC PALISADES — For the second time in three years, Valencia High product Max Homa finds himself on the top of the leaderboard at 10-under par after 36 holes of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
In 2021, Homa went on to win the tournament, defeating Tony Finau in a playoff to become champion of the event that he admitted made him fall in love with the game of golf.
While Homa knows there is a lot of golf left to play over the final two days, the Burbank native is feeling good about his game and his chances for success this weekend.
“It’s exciting, 36-hole leads are awesome,” Homa said after finishing his second round in near darkness. “There’s a long way to go, but regardless, I can rest on the fact I’m playing great golf and I’m just going to try and do that for two more days.”
Despite making a bogey to finish his round, Homa fired a 3-under 68 on Friday, giving him a one-shot cushion over Keith Mitchell, John Rahm and Lee Hodges, who are tied for second at 9-under 133. La Cañada native Collin Morikawa is alone in third at 8-under 134, with Patrick Cantlay (67) another shot back and Rory McIlroy (69) four strokes off the lead.
Tiger Woods will be part of the weekend, even with a sloppy finish and more attention over a juvenile prank than a putter that went cold. Woods, playing elite competition for the first time since the British Open last summer, finished with three bogeys over his last four holes for a 74.
He was at 1-over 143, leaving him 11 shots behind Homa, but certain to make the cut when the second round is completed Saturday morning. For the second straight day, darkness kept the round from finishing.
While sleeping on a lead can be a bit nerve-wracking, Homa said he’s much more comfortable being the 36-hole leader the lead this time compared to how he felt in 2021. His calm is likely the result of the success he’s had on the PGA Tour since winning the Genesis title two years ago.
Over the last two years,…
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