WiretoWire: Homa goes back-to-back after frantic Fortinet finish

HOMA REPEATS IN NAPA AFTER THRILLING FINISH The first event of the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Regular Season opened in a fog and closed with a flurry that left Max Homa standing with his second-straight Fortinet Championship title. Homa and 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett spent most of the back nine ahead of the pack, with the Englishman leading by one as they stepped up to the par-5 18th. Fast forward from the tee to around the green and the loudest roar of the day. Homa had a tricky chip from 32 feet after coming up short from the greenside bunker but made the unlikely birdie look easy to tie the lead. Willett was still in control with less than four feet for birdie. Until he wasn’t. Three putts later and it was Homa who ended the day back in the winner’s circle for his fifth TOUR title. How did he do it? “Patience, I think. You know, my coach just said hang around, hang around, hang around and I don’t know, the last like three minutes were kind of a blur,” said the 31-year-old, “Danny and Justin both played great but I just tried to play my game … That was a wild finish.” Homa will take the high spirits with him to Quail Hollow as he gets set for his first Presidents Cup appearance for the United States. PREPPED FOR PRESIDENTS CUP The 14th edition of the Presidents Cup is here as the U.S. and International Teams get set to battle it out at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Captain Davis Love III heads up a U.S. Team with an impressive resume featuring an average age of below 30 and a combined 19 TOUR wins between them for the 2021-22 season. Presidents Cup rookie Max Homa (Wells Fargo Championship) and veteran Justin Thomas (PGA Championship) have won at Quail Hollow, with Homa fresh off a season-opening win. Time will tell, but it’s possible this U.S. Team could surpass even last year’s collection of all-stars despite the late injury to Will Zalatoris. Trevor Immelman’s International Team has five combined wins this season and features eight rookies including 20-year-old from South Korea Tom Kim who picked up his maiden win at the Wyndham Championship and big-hitting Canadian Taylor Pendrith. The Internationals will look to build on the success from Royal Melbourne in 2019, where Immelman was a captain’s assistant to Ernie Els and the Internationals nearly pulled off their second win of the competition. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “But on the course, I found solace. I found my mom again. I’d be in a fairway somewhere, alone in my thoughts — and I’d look up to the green, and I’d see her. She’d be off to the side, with a coffee mug or a notebook, smiling and watching me. At first it sort of spooked me like, Holy S—, I just saw my mom. But it comforted me.” – Read Joel Dahmen’s story reflecting on his mom’s battle with cancer and how he was able to find comfort during his journey on the course. BY THE NUMBERS 1 – The RSM Birdies Fore Love competition began its 5th year this week at the Fortinet Championship and will again direct $1 million to charities during the fall portion of the TOUR schedule. 3 – Steve Stricker sealed his third win of the season on PGA TOUR Champions with a playoff victory at the Sanford International. Stricker continues to rebound in impressive fashion after a mystery illness kept him out until the end of April. 5 – Watch five PGA TOUR rookies Harrison Endycott, Nicolas Echavarria, Kevin Roy, Trevor Cone and Vincent Norrman hit their debut shots on the PGA TOUR at the Fortinet Championship with their families by their side. 11 – Digits is all you need to get behind-the-scenes content from the Presidents Cup right to your mobile device! Just text +1 (704) 237-6877 or click here to sign up and stay up to date with all of the action. 61 – John Huston is having a remarkably resurgent season on the PGA TOUR Champions at age 61 after recovering from neck fusion surgery, surgery on both shoulders in the years prior and brain surgery. Read more on the epic comeback here. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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