Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa and Max Homa Both Advance in FedEx Cup Playoffs

Morikawa finishes in a tie for fifth, Homa shares 42nd at the St. Jude Championship.

Cal alums Collin Morikawa and Max Homa easily advanced to the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, with Morikawa finishing in a tie for fifth on Sunday at the St. Jude Championships at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Homa wound up in a tie for 42nd place, but both will play next week at the BMW Championships at Wilmington, Delaware, the second stop in the three-week playoffs.

The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW event qualify for the Tour Championship, a no-cut event at Atlanta on Aug. 25-28, with the winner taking home the $18 million FedEx Cup prize.

A third former Cal golfer playing at St. Jude, 40-year-old James Hahn, failed to advance, projected to finish outside the top 70, necessary to play next week. Hahn will wind up 107th in the FedEx Cup standings, an improvement from No. 117 a week ago but nowhere close to moving on.

Morikawa, the 25-year-old two-time major winner who is ranked No. 8 in the world, fired his fourth straight round in the 60s, assembling a bogey-free day until the 18th hole and finishing with a 3-under 67. He had four birdies over the first 17 holes.

Morikawa shot 67-69-66-67 over four days and finished four strokes off the pace in an eight-way tie for fifth, also involving Jon Rahm, Tony Finau and Matt Fitzpatrick. Each took home $480,000.

Morikawa is projected to be No. 20 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Max Homa / Photo by June Han, USA Today

Homa, 31, continues to build on the best season of his PGA tour career. Ranked No. 22 in the world but 13th in the FedEx Cup standings entering the weekend, he shot a final-round 71 to wind up at minus-5 for the tournament and 10 strokes off the lead. Homa’s first three rounds netted scores of 66, 69 and 69, and earned $54,750.

Homa is projected to land at No 16 in the updated FedEx Cup standings.

His 42nd-place finish had to feel much better than J.J. Spaun’s identical placing. Spaun entered Sunday leading the pack at minus-13 but suffered through a disastrous day on the course.

Three days after posting eight birdies and no bogeys during his opening round o 8-under 62, Spaun closed with six bogeys and two double-bogeys, adding up to an 8-over 78. That dropped him from first and a tie for 42nd for the tournament and down to No 30 in the FedEx Cup standings, meaning he has little wiggle room next week.

His collapse Sunday was costly because a victory would have been worth $2.7 million. 

Instead, that big purse went to American Will Zalatoris, who won the title in a three-hole playoff against Sepp Straka, claiming his first PGA tour victory. The two tied at minus-15, three strokes free of Lucas Glover and Brian Harmon, who shared third place.

"It's hard to say, 'About time,' when it's your second year on tour, but it's about time," Zalatoris said. "Considering all those close finishes, it means a lot."

Zalatoris has ascended to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, overtaking Scottie Scheffler, who missed the cut this weekend.

Hahn, who played one season at Cal, needed something of a miracle to advance to next week. It didn’t come.

He had bogeys on four of his first seven holes and finished at 3-over 73 and tied for 61st place.

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Rob DeChiara, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo