Max Homa rolls in 10 birdies, leads BMW Championship

 

[August 19, 2023]  Max Homa racked up 10 birdies, fired an 8-under-par 62 and grabbed the second-round lead at the BMW Championship on Friday at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club.

Homa, who piled up six birdies on the back nine alone, broke the course record for PGA Tour and major championship events while tying his career-low round on tour.

He sits at 10-under 130, two shots ahead of Chris Kirk, who posted his second straight 66. Matt Fitzpatrick of England (67 Friday) and first-round co-leader Brian Harman (68) are tied for third at 7 under.

"After 14 or 15, I just was thinking to myself, ‘I've birdied most of the holes on the back nine,' and that was quite a nice feeling," Homa said. "... Sometimes you're just zoning, but I knew I was making a lot."

Homa entered the second of three FedEx Cup playoff events No. 6 in points and would rocket to No. 1 with a victory at the BMW, allowing him to start next week's Tour Championship with a two-stroke advantage on the field.

After going out in 32 with four birdies and a bogey, Homa sank a 13-foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th hole and a downhill, right-to-left birdie putt from 22 feet at the par-4 11th. He rang up three more in a row at Nos. 13-15, from 18, 13 and 6 feet away, respectively.

Homa took his second bogey of the day at the par-3 16th hole when his tee shot nearly found a water hazard, but he rebounded at No. 17 with his 10th birdie, a 21-footer.

"I've been putting great all year, but it was helpful, like I said, I was in the fairway a lot, so I was able to be a bit more particular of where I was leaving it," Homa said.

Only the top 30 players in FedEx Cup points after Sunday will qualify for the Tour Championship; Kirk entered the week No. 29. On Friday, Kirk birdied three straight par-4s, Nos. 3-5, and added one more on the back nine while staying bogey-free.

Though not a household name, Kirk finished second in the 2014 FedEx Cup playoffs. He took a leave from golf in 2019 while fighting alcoholism and depression.

"I hate the way my swing looked (in 2014). I feel like it's much more efficient now," Kirk said. "But at the same time, I'm a lot older. I may not have quite the endurance that I had, even though I'm probably in better shape physically now, but 10 years older certainly takes a little bit of a toll."

Like Kirk, who won the Honda Classic in February for his first PGA Tour title in eight years, Harman continues to be a feel-good story on tour after his runaway win at The Open Championship last month.

Harman, who had four birdies and two bogeys Friday, is No. 9 in points and also could leap to No. 1 with a win.

"That's a tough golf course next week, so yeah, I've got to play really well this weekend if I'm going to have any chance next week," Harman said.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who shared the first-round lead with Harman, had just one birdie and one bogey on his card Friday for a 70. He stayed at 5 under and heads to the weekend tied for fifth with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (69), Rickie Fowler (69), Harris English (67) and England's Justin Rose (65).

Two-time defending champion Patrick Cantlay shot his second straight 68 and is part of a tie for 10th at 4 under. FedEx Cup points leader Jon Rahm of Spain tied for the worst round of the day, a 4-over 74 with no birdies, and dropped to 2 over for the week.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan withdrew before his second-round tee time due to a back injury. He will not qualify for the Tour Championship.

--Field Level Media

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.