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Genesis Invitational: Winners and Losers from Riviera

By Tim Letcher

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 21: Max Homa of the United States poses with the trophy after defeating Tony Finau of the United States (not pictured) in a playoff to win The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 21, 2021 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 21: Max Homa of the United States poses with the trophy after defeating Tony Finau of the United States (not pictured) in a playoff to win The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 21, 2021 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Every week on the PGA Tour, there are players who do better than expected and those who come up short of what was expected of them. Here at Pro Golf Now, we call them winners and losers. Here are the winners and losers from the Genesis Invitational.

Winners

Max Homa – After finishing T7 last week, Homa recorded another Top 10 this week at the Genesis. Homa tied for the lead with a birdie on the 71st hole, then had a birdie chance on the 72nd hole, only to see it lip out. He would win on the second playoff hole and claim his second tour title. And it came very near where Homa was born and raised. Follow Homa on Twitter, he’s a blast.

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Tony Finau – He seems to always be in contention, and he got himself into the mix with a 64 on Sunday. But he also doesn’t win, a streak that continued on Sunday. One of these days, he’s bound to break through, right? Maybe he was thinking about the $16 million lawsuit he’s currently involved in.

Cameron Smith – He doesn’t look like your typical golfer but the Australian has plenty of game. This was his third Top 10 of the season already. At just 27 years of age, he will be around for some time to come.

Sam Burns – Yes, he blew the lead on Sunday. Yes, he should have won. But his T3 ties for the best finish in his career, so it’s not all bad for Burns.

Jon Rahm – He quietly shot 66 on Sunday to sneak his way into a T5 finish. He continues to be one of the top players in the world, even when he’s not at his very best.

Losers

Justin Thomas – He’s one of the best players in the world, so seeing him shoot 77 on Thursday was quite a shock. He came back with another over-par round on Friday to miss the cut by a mile. Not a great week for a great player.

Rory McIlroy – He wasn’t quite as bad as Thomas, but he will still pretty bad. McIlroy shot 73 on Thursday and 76 on Friday to miss the cut by a whopping five shots.

Bubba Watson – A past winner of this event, Watson was seen as someone who might be able to contend again at Riviera. He started with a 71 on Thursday but shot 75 on Friday to miss the cut by four shots.

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Hideki Matsuyama – He wasn’t awful this week but he wasn’t good enough to make the cut. Matsuyama shot 71 on Thursday, then 73 on Friday to miss the cut by two shots. We continue to wonder what’s up with Matsuyama.

Jason Kokrak – He found himself in the mix through 36 holes after two nice rounds. But when the wind kicked up on the weekend, Kokrak experienced a steady fall off the leaderboard. He finished in a tie for 32nd place.

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