The road to PGA stardom for Homa and Morikawa went through the Silicon Valley Amateur

February 17, 2023 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Photos courtesy of Cal Athletics

The two former Cal Bears won the AmateurGolf.com Silicon Valley Amateur five years apart before becoming PGA Tour stars

Before they were multi-time winners on the PGA Tour, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa claimed wins at the AmateurGolf.com Silicon Valley Amateur (presented by Callaway Golf), which begins play on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, Calif.

The two former California Golden Bears won the tournament -- which traditionally gets a strong collegiate field due to it being held over winter break -- five years apart, with Homa's victory coming in 2011 and Morikawa following suit in 2016 at the tournament's former home, Coyote Creek Golf Course in Morgan Hill, Calif.

In 2011, Homa broke Coyote Creek's Valley Course record with an opening round 63 en route to a four-shot victory over Richard Conlin. What made Homa's course record 63 even more impressive is that it came in a two-club wind and he had two bogeys on his card.

Two years later, Homa capped off an outstanding amateur career by winning the NCAA men's individual championship at the Capital City Club (Crabapple Course) in Milton, Ga. and has gone on to win six times on the PGA Tour, including a pair of titles this season at the Fortinet Championship and the Farmers Insurance Open.

Related: Before They Turned Pro: Max Homa

Morikawa won the 2016 Silicon Valley Amateur as a freshman at Cal in 2016, carding a pair of 3-under 69s in wet and cold conditions on the same Jack Nicklaus-designed Tournament Course. Morikawa was in a position to defend his title the following year but stumbled to a final round of 74 and ultimately finished third.

Just a little more than four years after his win at the Silicon Valley Amateur, Morikawa won his first of two majors, the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. He added his second major in 2021 by winning the Open Championship at Royal St. George's.

Related: Before They Turned Pro: Collin Morikawa

Morikawa's impressive amateur resume includes victories at the 2013 Western Junior, 2015 Trans-Miss Amateur, 2016 Sunnehanna Amateur and 2017 Northeast Amateur.

• • • • •

Due to inclement weather in the Bay Area, this year's Silicon Valley Amateur was rescheduled from Jan 7-8 to Feb 25-26. It marks the third consecutive year the tournament has been held at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, Calif.

Last year, Sean-Karl Dobson, now a freshman at Stanford, shot rounds of 62-72 to post a one-stroke victory over Cameron Keith, who now plays collegiately at Dartmouth. Dobson's first-round 62 set Bayland's course record.

About the AGC Silicon Valley Amateur

The road to PGA stardom for Homa and Morikawa went through the Silicon Valley Amateur

As our premium medal-play event, The Silicon Valley Amateur at Stanford Golf Course is now a 54-hole, limited-field WAGR and NCGA points event! Past champions of this tournament include PGA Tour stars Collin Morikawa and Max Homa. The 2027 field will...

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