Max Homa defeats Tony Finau in a playoff to win hometown 2021 Genesis Invitational.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The dream of winning at Riviera felt too good to be true for Max Homa, and it nearly was.

Needing a birdie on the 18th hole Sunday to win the Genesis Invitational, he hit sand wedge to a back pin that settled 3 feet away, setting up the storybook finish for a guy who grew up 30 miles away and has been watching this tournament his whole life.

And then he missed.

Now, credit Homa with a second PGA Tour title. And it’s a big one for the Los Angeles native: the first-place check is good for $1,674,000 winners prize money and with it comes a three-year PGA Tour exemption.

His ball next to the base of a tree left of the 10th green on the first playoff hole, Homa hooded a gap wedge with enough top spin to scoot up the Kikuyu grass and onto the edge of the green, setting up par. Tony Finau missed a 7-footer, and Homa was happy just to get to the next hole.

Homa won on the second extra hole when Finau failed to save par from a bunker, missing a 10-foot putt.

It was more heartache for Finau, who now has 10 runner-up finishes worldwide since winning the Puerto Rico Open five years ago. He closed with a 7-under 64, the best score of the final round. He had a 7-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole for the win and left it on the low side. He watched someone celebrate again. And he kept his chin up.

Homa, who joined Finau at 12-under 272, won for the second time on the PGA Tour. He cracked the top 50 in the world for the first time at No. 38. The victory sends him back to the Masters, along with the next three World Golf Championships.

Other notables: Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay, T-15; Rickie Fowler T-20, his best finish this season and his best finish since a T-15 at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last August; Jim Furyk, T-26; Brooks Koepka and defending champ Adam Scott, T-38; Collin Morikawa, T-43.

Next up: the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, which starts on Thurday.

Source: AP Sports News.