It was Cal vs. Stanford in the final round of the Fortinet Championship and the Golden Bear came out on top.
Max Homa of Valencia and Cal closed with a 7-under-par 65 to claim a one-stroke victory over Maverick McNealy of Stanford and Portola Valley on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa.
This was the first event of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season.
“I went to school here and I love the state of California and playing on the West Coast,” said Homa, who also captured the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in Pacific Palisades earlier this year and the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. “It was nice to win today with my wife watching.
“We had only two weeks off and I was disappointed not to make the Tour Championship or the Ryder Cup, but I’ve been working my tail off and it’s great to win here in front of friends and family.
“This a great way to start the season.”
Homa birdied three of the last four holes on the front nine, holed out for eagle from 95 yards at No. 12 and had three more birdies down the stretch to record a winning score of 19-under 269 with a second straight 65.
McNealy, who held at least a share of the lead at the end of the second and third rounds, hit a bad drive on the 17th hole en route to a double bogey-6 before sinking a 32-foot eagle putt on the last hole to wind up one back after a 68.
“It was a great week and I’m proud of my round today, and I loved the way I managed my game,” said McNealy, who tied Tiger Woods’ record with 11 victories at Stanford. “I hit one bad shot at No. 17, but other than that I wouldn’t do anything different.
“I made a great eagle on the last hole, but it just wasn’t enough. I played to the best of my ability and it just didn’t work out the way I would have wanted it to.”
Mito Pereira of Chile birdied three of the last six holes in a 68 to finish three shots back in third, while Marc Leishman of Australia collected eight birdies in a 65 to tie for fourth with Taylor Gooch, who made two late birdies in a 68.
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama sank an 11-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the last hole to cap a 68 to wind up six down in a tie for sixth with Patrick Rodgers of Stanford, who had a bogey-free 67, John Augenstein, who birdied the last hole for a 68, C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who had a 69, and Scott Stallings, who birdied three of the last seven holes for a 71.
PGA champion Phil Mickelson struggled to a 75 without only one birdie and tied for 36th, while Brendan Steele of Idyllwild and UC Riverside, the only two-time winner of this tournament at Silverado, birdied two of the last three holes to close with a 69 to tie for 42nd.For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
