TOUR WRAP
Homa Claims 6th PGA Tour Victory. Yoon Earns Maiden Pro Title
PGA TOUR
Farmers Insurance Open
Homa Yields Victory at Farmers Insurance Open
Max Homa produced a stunning final round 6-under 66 to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. The 32-year-old American birdied the 16th and 18th holes to outlast fellow American Keegan Bradley by two shots. It was Homa’s sixth PGA Tour win and fourth title in his home state of California. Homa won the Fortinet Championship in September and joins Jon Rahm as the only multiple winners during the current PGA Tour wrap around season.
Homa rallied from a five shot deficit after 54 holes with compatriot Sam Ryder leading the field into the final round. The margin extended to six shots after Ryder opened his day with a birdie at the first hole. Homa poured in birdies at the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 9th holes to cover the front nine in 4-under (32 shots). And, with three more birdies on the closing nine holes, Homa signed for a 66, which was the equal low round of the final day with Bradley. Homa scored rounds of 68, 70, 71 and 66 to reach 13-under. His last five wins have come after trailing into the final round.
Bradley, aged 36, bolted into contention down the final stretch with a superb 6-under 66. The impressive round in difficult conditions was the only bogey-free final round. The flawless round moved Bradley to 11-under and in solo second place.
Collin Morikawa claimed outright third place a further shot back at 10-under. The two-time major champion closed with a 3-under 69, one shot better than Sahith Theegala (70), Sungjae Im (70) and Ryder (73). Ryder was searching for his maiden PGA Tour at his 147th start. The 33-year-old enjoyed his first 54-hole lead at a PGA Tour event.
Jason Day was the only Australian to make the cut. The 35-year-old Queenslander put together a final round 4-under 68 to get to 8-under and finish in a tie for 7th place. Day, who has won the Farmers Insurance Open on two occasions (2015 & 2018), has now racked up seven top 10s from 14 starts at the event.
Jon Rahm, who was looking for his third PGA Tour win in as many starts, joined Day in a tie for 7th place at 8-under after carding a disappointing 2-over 74. Rahm fired an impressive 6-under 66 at the third round to sit just two shots behind Ryder with the final round to play. The 28-year-old Spaniard ‘s game was unusually untidy dropping four shots over the opening 10 holes. If he won, Rahm would of overcome Rory McIlroy as the world No. 1.
The PGA Tour remains in California for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am to be staged over three fabled courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula Country Club & Spyglass Hill Golf Course. America’s Tom Hoge is the defending champion.
Final Scores
Farmers Insurance Open
1. Max Homa -13
2. Keegan Bradley -11
3. Collin Morikawa 10
T4. SahithTheegala -9
T4. Sungjae Im -9
T4. Sam Ryder -9
Australians
T7. Jason Day -8
MC. Harrison Endycott
MC. Aaron Baddeley
MC. Cam Davis
MC. Cameron Percy
Photo credit: Gregory Shamus /Getty Images
ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia & WPGA Tour Australia
TPS Victoria Hosted by Geoff Ogilvy
Yoon Wins TPS Victoria
Korea’s Min A Yoon fired a sizzling 8-under 63 to win the TPS Victoria at Rosebud Country Club. It was the 20-year-old’s maiden victory as a professional. Hosted by Geoff Ogilvy, Yoon claimed the opening Webex Players Series event of 2023, where men and women compete against one another from scaled tees, by one shot over James Marchesani. Yoon becomes the third women worldwide to win an officially recognised mixed gender professional golf tournament after Australia’s Hannah Green collected the TPS Murray River last year and Sweden’s Linn Grant earned the co- sanctioned European Tour’s and Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
Yoon started the final round five shots behind 54-hole leader Marchesani. Her bogey-free round heated up on the back nine with birdies at the 10th, 13th, 14th 15th holes before holing out her long range greenside bunker shot for an eagle at the 16th hole. Yoon enjoys the $45,000 winner’s cheque after compiling rounds of 67, 66, 64 and 63 to reach 24-under.
Marchesani closed with a 2-under 69 to get to 23-under. The Victorian finished two shots ahead of fellow Victorian David Micheluzzi (65), New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri (65) and Queenslander Elvis Smylie (63).
Cameron Pollard won the All Abilities Championship with rounds of 77 & 81. Young Huntingdale member Rupert Toomey won the Junior Championship after rounds of 73 and 70 and then holing a 25-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole.
The Webex Players Series moves to Cobram Barooga next week with the TPS Murray River in honour of Jarrod Lyle.
FINAL SCORES
TPS Victoria Hosted by Geoff Ogilvy
1. Min A Yoon -24
2. James Marchesani -23
T3. Elvis Smylie -21
T3. David Micheluzzi -21
T3. Nathan Barbieri -21
6. Brett Coletta -19
T7. Jake McLeod -18
T7. Kevin Yuan -18
