Winner’s Circle: Max Homa
You would only have to go back five years and the name Max Homa would not garner much of a reaction away from the most ardent of golf fans.
His early rise, alongside his continuation of prominence, has taken shape rather quickly, and he is now a four-time champion on the PGA Tour.
We’re going to dive deep into the history of Homa and how his golfing career has gone to date, before culminating with speculation about his promising future.
Turning Professional
Homa turned professional in 2013, and started in unbelievable fashion, finishing T9 in his very first event after transitioning from amateur.
His first professional win came at the Web.com Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am, where he bested Jonathan Randolph by a sole shot before progressing to the PGA Tour.
He struggled to find the momentum needed to keep him at the top however, and after featuring in 27 events during the 2015 season, he finished 163rd and lost his card.
Perhaps his largest attribute, especially after plummeting down a level, was his ability to respond positively, which saw him return back to the PGA Tour before again succumbing to the otherworldly talent that surrounded him.
Sweet, Sweet Victory
Homa catapulted to relevance once he captured the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship, beating good friend Joel Dahmen by three strokes.
A plethora of benefits flowed from that victorious moment: $1.4 million in prize money, a place in the PGA Championship and Masters, but perhaps most important of all – a two-year extension of his tour card.
Although Homa would start to compete in more events, his second victory didn’t come until 2021, where he narrowly edged Tony Finau in a playoff for the Genesis Invitational.
By this time, the American was making quite the name for himself and he has always been a popular figure on social media, interacting with fans and roasting their swings.
The year of 2021 was a special one for Homa, who picked up his second title of the year at the Fortinet Championship in California – his home state.
His latest success came over the weekend, where he secured his fourth PGA Tour title and saw off a valiant attempt from Keegan Bradley, who played courageously throughout.
Major Success?
We all know what the benchmark is for golfers: major championships. The greatest players to ever grace the sport are continuously and meticulously contrasted via major victories – so can Homa join that revered list?
If we look at the player he has become, one who is brimming with confidence and someone who has complete control of their game at the right moments, you’d argue positively for his case.
The problem lies with his record in important competition, where he has only made the cut on three occasions out of a possible 11.
The three times he saw the weekend was the PGA Championship (T64, 2019), The Open Championship (T40, 2021) and The Masters (T48, 2022).
That record is rather unfathomable, and potentially worrying if you’re a huge fan of the golfer – which you all should be, by the way.
Homa is no longer the new-kid on the block; at the ripe age of 31, he’ll be looking to assert dominance on the tour.
However, three wins in the space of 15 months is not something that everyone can achieve – and he looks like he’s only just getting started.