2022 Fortinet Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Silverado

Maverick McNealy has taken to the PGA Tour after a dominant amateur career. The Stanford alum is still holding his own.

McNealy’s closest call at his first PGA Tour victory came in his home state at the 2021 Fortinet Championship. Rounds of 68-64-70 earned him the 54-hole lead. A closing 68 was nothing to be ashamed of and was one of the best rounds among those in the top 10.

Unfortunately for McNealy, Max Homa’s closing 65 gave Homa the one-shot victory.

A tough break on 17 led to a double bogey. McNealy admirably fought back with an eagle on the par-5 18th to claim solo second place.

The Fortinet Championship is one of the Californian’s favorite events, even if he now has a little scar tissue.

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. This is my fifth time playing this golf tournament, too, so the volunteers and the tournament staff, we know them well,” McNealy was transcribed by Tee Scripts in 2021. “It’s one of the places on Tour where I don’t feel like as much of a rookie, and it’s going back to the Bay Area roots. Something about the air here, I feel really comfortable, and the grass and the conditions and it’s a lot of fun having people rooting for you.”

McNealy has made four of five cuts at Silverado.

He ranked top 25 in the field in all strokes gained stats last year. That includes fourth in SG tee to green (9.429). McNealy also led in putts per green in regulation (1.547).

The 26-year-old nearly made it to the Tour Championship last season. He finished 38th in the FedEx Cup. McNealy piled up four top-10 finishes as well as a T-11th. He also made the cut in the only major championship he competed in.

The first win could open the floodgates for him. This week at the Fortinet Championship is a prime spot to do so.