On Sunday at The Genesis Invitational, Maverick McNealy almost pulled off an incredible comeback. Starting five shots back, the 29-year-old PGA Tour pro fired an 8-under 64. His round was the best of the day by two shots, leaving him one stroke shy of victory. McNealy began the final round tied for eighth, but things didn’t go well early. He missed the green on the first hole but sank a 38-footer to save par.

That clutch putt sparked a birdie frenzy, with McNealy making nine birdies in the next 12 holes, including five straight. At one point, he even led by three shots. However, McNealy’s momentum slowed down. A costly bogey on the 14th hole gave Ludvig Åberg a chance to seize the lead, and McNealy couldn’t recover. Despite four pars to finish, including a stunning save on 17, it was a memorable week for the young pro.

And well, Justin Thomas does not think otherwise. Despite the disappointing bogey on the fourteenth hole, let’s not forget how beautifully McNealy went about carding back-to-back birdies from the second hole to the sixth. He had nine birdies throughout the round, and this level of resilience at Torey Pines is commendable indeed. Justin Thomas, who finished at T9, made sure that he gave a shoutout to the 29 YO for the exceptional fight he put up.

JT took to his official X account and wrote, “Just went back thru the day after thinking about that round by Mav I got to witness first-hand today. If we would’ve played a match. I would have been 1 up through 1….. then lost the next 10 consecutive holes to holes 9&8 holy smokes!!!!”

Why would anyone not compliment him? Although it was Ludvig Aberg who grabbed the trophy, McNealy’s Sunday round stole the show. He had a better score than Aberg too. Nevertheless, McNealy held no regrets about losing out.

Maverick McNealy confessed about having fun on the course

After the Genesis Invitational concluded, Maverick McNealy was asked what it was like to play at such a high level, almost unbeatable. To which he said, “It was really fun. It’s really fun when the ball’s coming off exactly like you want when you’re standing over a putt and you feel like it’s just going to go in. It’s one of those things you get on a roll, you know it’s going to come to an end at some point but you just want to extend it as much as possible.” He was already a whopping 9-under through the 13th hole, and well, he confessed about being immensely proud of it.

He carded an even par on the seventeenth hole. On his first shot, he hit the ball 315 yards, landing in the right rough, leaving him 133 yards to the hole. For his second shot, he reached 46 feet 9 inches to the right intermediate, leaving 120 yards to the hole. He then hit a 122-yard shot to the left side of the green, with just 8 feet 1 inch left to the hole.

Finally, on his fourth shot, he made the putt, sinking it in the hole. However, he was aiming to the right, and that was the only swing that he regrets. “You know, a few golf swings I’d like to have back. You know, hit it off a post on 17. I was actually trying to hit it over in the right matted-down area where we made birdie from on Friday and ended up in an unlucky spot, but that’s golf,” he added.

Regardless, his Sunday round was indeed the lowest that the 2025 Genesis Invitational witnessed, and that’s a monumental accomplishment. What are your thoughts about McNealy’s final round at the elevated event? Let us know in the comments section below!