People’s champ Homa has golf fans’ support
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Of course, Scottie Scheffler is supposed to win another Masters on Sunday.
He’s the best player in the world. Ranked No. 1. Already has a green jacket and a locker in the Augusta National champions locker room. Scheffler has the pedigree. But Max Homa has the passion. Scheffler enters Sunday’s final round at 7-under par, one shot clear of Collin Morikawa at 6-under and two shots better than Homa at 5-under.
Homa, the 33-year-old Californian who’s the most popular player on social media who also happens to be a pretty damned good golfer, doesn’t have the résumé of Scheffler.
While Scheffler is so stoic you wouldn’t know if he was the No. 1 player in the world or No. 61, nor whether he was in the lead entering the final round or preparing to play out 18 holes of garbage time on a Sunday, Homa wears it all on his sleeve.
Scheffler probably doesn’t even know how to access the social media apps on his cell phone and Homa gives random followers free breakdowns of their swings on social media.
If Scheffler wins a second green jacket, all power to him. He’s a wonderful player who’s mesmerizingly unaffected by all that goes on around him. And that’s something to marvel at in this world of constant distractions in which we all exist.
If Homa wins, it’s difficult to imagine a more popular winner because of how relata- ble he is to the masses with his transparency and vulnerability.
“I came here with the gratitude and appreciation that I get to do it,’’ Homa said when asked after his round what he felt entering Saturday knowing this was the first time in his career he’s truly been in contention at a major. “I’m happy I get to do it [Sunday]. I’m going to remind myself I’m a dog and I’m ready for this moment.
“If I catch myself thinking about what could go wrong, I let myself dream about what could go right. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I didn’t know what was going to happen today. If you told me I made no birdies today [he didn’t], I would have thought I imploded.
“You just kind of go with the flow. Once I’m playing, I’m very present.’’
Homa spoke of “a lot of firsts’’ he’s encountered this week, like playing with Tiger Woods the first two days and playing in the final group on Saturday of a major.
He’s not afraid of being nervous Sunday.
“Just because I was nervous didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything,’’ Homa said. “I had an impossibly hard chip on [No.] 1 and got upand-down. I was really nervous on 18 and put it right in the middle [with a par save from the greenside bunker, where he was short-sided].
“Just because you’re nervous and uncomfortable doesn’t mean you’re not going to succeed. I feel like I showed myself that. Even if I am nervous [Sunday], just embrace it a little bit.’’
Homa will be paired with 24year-old Ludvig Aberg, who’s playing in his first career major championship, in the second-tolast group. They’ll be on the chase of Scheffler and Morikawa, who are in the final pairing.
It’s been a remarkable week for Homa. He was paired with Woods, his golfing idol, for the first two rounds. He played in the most intense cauldron of pressure of his career to date Saturday. And now he has a real chance to win his first major.
Homa, who’s ranked 11th in the world, has won six PGA Tour events, including Woods’ Genesis Invitational in 2021. But his major championship record has been curiously abysmal.
Entering this week, he’d played in 16 majors, missed the cut in eight of them and posted one tie for 10th in the 2023 British Open and a tie for 13th in the 2022 PGA Championship. Other than those finishes, Homa’s best result hasn’t been better than a tie for 43rd.
In his previous four Masters appearances, Homa missed the cut in 2020 and 2021, tied for 48th in 2022 and tied for 43rd last year.
But Woods, for one, believes in Homa.
“He’s got all the talent in the world,’’ Woods said. “I got a chance to play with him at the Open Championship at St. Andrews [last year], and [with] his ball flight, as solid as he hits it, it’s just a matter of time before he starts winning in bunches.’’
From Woods’ lips to Homa’s ears.
Homa said he’ll “learn tomorrow’’ how he’ll handle the Sunday pressure of being in contention in a major.
“I’ve had pretty good success on Sundays,’’ he said. “I’ve won seven tournaments worldwide in the last few years, so I get how it all works.’’
When he was asked what he learned about himself Saturday, Homa said, “That I’m a very good golfer. So, I’m going to take that one with me.’’
Godspeed to a good guy.