Max Homa leads Genesis by one; Tiger Woods likely to make cut

 

[February 18, 2023]  Max Homa snagged a one-stroke lead at the Genesis Invitational when play was suspended due to darkness Friday night in Los Angeles.

Fourteen players still must complete their second rounds when they return to Riviera Country Club on Saturday morning. The cut line likely will stay at 1 over with the conclusion of the second round -- meaning Tiger Woods would make the cut on the number after his second-round 74.

Homa shot a 3-under 68 on Friday to slide ahead of the pack to 10-under 132. Keith Mitchell (69 on Friday), Lee Hodges (66) and Spanish star Jon Rahm (68) are tied for second at 9-under 133.

Homa, the 2021 champion and a native of nearby Burbank, Calif., was a co-leader through one round and got his second round going with a stretch of four birdies in five holes at Nos. 9-13.

He finished with six birdies and three bogeys. He could have held a two-shot cushion had he not bogeyed the par-4 18th.

Four of Homa's six PGA Tour victories have come in his home state of California, including last month's Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

"I think I see the bumps on the poa annua green and I don't cringe, doesn't give me the shivers," Homa said. "I enjoy it. I know people are going to get frustrated and I like that in a competition.

"I'm not really sure why I play so well in California. Obviously there's some comfortability with the grass and how far the ball goes. I don't know. This golf course in particular does suit me really well. It suits a lot of the shots I like to hit. That's my best estimation."

Homa led the field in strokes gained: putting in the second round (3.929).

Rahm holed two eagle putts Friday to make sure he was in the red despite more bogeys (four) than birdies (three).

After making an 18 1/2-foot putt at the par-5 first hole for eagle, he made magic happen at the par-5 17th. His approach hit the base of a seating area behind the green, bounced back toward the green and rolled past a greenside bunker to within 4 feet of the cup.

"I tried to hit the tightest cut, overdid it a little bit knowing that that bunker is a doable spot," Rahm said. "... Obviously I got very fortunate to get that bounce not only to go on the green, but to have basically 3 feet straight up the hill. That's arguably the best bounce I've seen in person my whole golf career and it would be hard to beat in the future."

Hodges had six birdies and a bogey, while Mitchell, who co-led with Homa overnight, had five birdies and three bogeys on his card.

As a so-called designated event with an elevated purse, the biggest names on the PGA Tour are dotting the leaderboard.

Alone in fifth is Collin Morikawa, whose second-round 68 got him to 8 under for the tournament. Morikawa chipped in for birdie from 34 feet away at the par-4 third, then made another birdie at the par-4 fifth by holing a 42-foot putt from the fairway.

"It's really nice, but you know what, it's a little frustrating just not hitting more greens," Morikawa said. "You know, coming into the week, the ball-striking still felt fine even after last week. I knew it was going to be a small little fix, just haven't found it. Want to make it a little more stress-free and just a little more enjoyable."

Patrick Cantlay shot a 67 to move into sixth place at 7 under. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy (69) is tied with Matt Kuchar (70) for seventh at 6 under. Will Zalatoris, who has one hole left to complete in his second round, is tied at 5 under with Gary Woodland (68) and former Masters champ Danny Willett of England (69).

Other notable names who will be around for the weekend include world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (4-under 138), Sungjae Im of South Korea (4 under), Viktor Hovland of Norway (2 under), Justin Thomas (1 under), Tony Finau (1 under) and Australia's Adam Scott (even).

Woods -- playing in his first competitive event since the Open Championship in July and his first official, non-major tournament since winning the 2019 Zozo Championship -- followed a first-round 69 with a 74 that featured five bogeys and just two birdies.

Woods left his tee shot at the par-3 sixth on the front of the green, 71 feet from the cup. The hole has the unusual feature of a bunker in the center of the green, and Woods' attempt at a lag putt ended up in the bunker, forcing him to get up and down for bogey.

"I was actually trying to hit ... my putt over to where (Thomas) was and the hill caught it more than I thought it would and ended up in a bunker," Woods said. "I mean, I was trying to give myself a chance at making par and at worst bogey. So realistically I had two bad calls on the wind on 6 and 9 and end up costing me two shots there."

Still, Woods, the tournament host, likely will qualify for the weekend in the top 65 and ties. Notable names who missed the cut include Jordan Spieth (2 over), Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose (2 over), Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (2 over) and Sam Burns (5 over).

--Field Level Media

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