Two-time reigning champion Max Homa one of top storylines heading into Fortinet Championship
There are a number of storylines heading into the Fortinet Championship, the first event of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Fall.
There is Justin Thomas, a 15-time winner on Tour. He has won two majors and is a past FedExCup champion. He was one of six captain’s picks, as announced last month by U.S. captain Zach Johnson, for the Ryder Cup.
There is Aaron Baddeley, who is making his 500th start on Tour.
There are the 10 holes on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa that have been re-routed as part of new course enhancements for the tournament, which carries an $8.4 million purse.
There is also Max Homa, the tournament’s two-time reigning champion who, at №7, is the highest-ranked player in the field. The last player to win the same Tour event in three consecutive years is Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009, 2010 and 2011).
“It’s always fun being back here,” Homa said, at a press conference, in the media center, on Wednesday. “I’ve got my family up here. It warms my heart to be back.”
There is a great connection that Homa has to Silverado — having won Fortinet Championship titles in 2021 and 2022. There is the connection that he has with Fortinet, as he is a Fortinet Global Brand Ambassador.
“Obviously, my partnership with Fortinet makes that better, too, just because I know a lot of the people who put on this event and who have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this event. So, it’s great to come up here and see it looking like it does and everything running smoothly,” Homa said.
There is a lot that Homa has going on.
He was in Rome last week, with Johnson, vice-captain Stewart Cink and members of the Ryder Cup team, looking at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. The Ryder Cup is Sept. 29-Oct. 1.
He’s at Silverado this week, and plays in Thursday’s first round starting at 7:28 a.m. He goes off at 12:38 p.m. in Friday’s second round.
“I think once we get to Rome it will be easy — the adrenaline’s going to be at a million, so I’m not so worried about that,” said Homa. “This week has been a bit of a grind, felt like I was a zombie the last two days. Today I finally feel a little bit better energy-wise. I’m very much excited to go play in Rome, but I have a week to get my energy back. I’m not so worried about that.
“I’d like to make sure that I expend enough energy this week to make sure I get as ready as I can to play well, and then, I’ll re-assess that at the end of the week. It is just golf at the end of the day. Once I caught up on sleep, I felt a lot better.”
First- and second-round starting times for the Fortinet go from 6:55 a.m. to 2:17 p.m., Thursday and Friday.
The field consists of 156 players. The North Course is a par-72, 7,166-yard layout. The winner receives $1,512,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points.
It was an outstanding 2022–23 season for Homa, who had two wins and 11 top-10 finishes. It’s the second consecutive season that he has won multiple titles on the PGA Tour. With a tie for fifth place at the BMW Championship, he clinched a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
“I would love to win this thing three times in a row,” Homa said. “I told (U.S. Ryder Cup vice-captain Steve Stricker) as we left Rome that I look to shake his hand in two weeks’ time and tell him we’re the last two people to have won three times in a row. So, it’s kind of fun up here in a way freewheeling. I get to go play for my country in two weeks. Using this obviously to get ready and to hopefully go do it again.
“It’s the opposite of pressure. It’s a very comforting place to be like truly playing with one thing on my mind, which is nice, and that’s to try to hopefully not have as much chaos as last year but hopefully have the same outcome. I love this golf tournament. I love being in Napa. I love the golf course. It’s a very family friendly and great event to be at. So, it’s all those things combined.
“This has always just been a special week for us. I think so many people would have the same sentiment, that it’s just a nice event to come to. The golf course is always in great shape and for me on the west coast it’s very easy travel in and out. I get to see some friends here. It’s just a lot of those things combined.”
This past spring, the PGA Tour announced a reimagined 2023 FedExCup Fall. There are seven official PGA Tour events during the FedExCup Fall. The significant benefits to winning during the FedExCup Fall remain, according to the Tour, including:
- A two-year PGA Tour exemption.
- 500 FedExCup points.
- Entry to the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Players Championship as well as eligibility into those major championships that have invited PGA Tour winners in the past.
“I like this golf course. I like this tournament. I obviously like Napa as well,” said Thomas. “I had an opportunity to come to a place that I really liked, and it worked out even better after getting picked for the Ryder Cup to get some competition under my belt before going there. I haven’t gone this long without competitive golf in a while, so I’m excited.”
Golf Channel will televise all four rounds, each day, from 3–6 p.m.
To purchase tickets, or for more information, go to fortinetchampionship.com.
Daily grounds tickets start at $45 on Thursday and Sunday and $75 on Friday and Saturday.
