SAN DIEGO — Max Homa grew up watching the Farmers Insurance coverage Open and even skipped class to sneak all the way down to Torrey Pines to observe Tiger Woods play the South Course one yr.
“One gap, 15, one other bear of a gap, I keep in mind he hit a large drive and it seemed like he hit a 9-iron and spun it again to love two toes. That’s the opening that I simply keep in mind stands out a lot to me,” he stated Tuesday. “It’s swish and it’s highly effective, one thing it’s important to nearly see up shut.”
“Even once I bought out right here as knowledgeable, simply the vibe round him,” Homa continued. “One yr there was a fog delay and we had been all caught on the placing inexperienced and he’s taking part in with two very fashionable and superb golfers, Billy Horschel and (Rickie Fowler). The primary day there was a thousand individuals on the placing inexperienced and the subsequent day he had withdrawn that afternoon, the subsequent day there was the identical fog delay and there have been like 22 individuals round us. It was like ‘Dang, this man actually controls the world.’ Simply stuff like that I all the time thought was fascinating about him.”
Making his eighth Farmers Insurance coverage Open look this week, Homa has returned to the 36-hole municipal gem alongside the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean with a lofty purpose: turn out to be the primary participant to defend his title at Torrey Pines since Woods gained 4 consecutive years from 2005-2008. A title protection wouldn’t be something new for Homa, who went back-to-back up the coast in Napa in 2021 and 2022 on the Fortinet Championship for 2 of his six PGA Tour wins.
MORE: How a spherical with Max Homa introduced Michael Kim out of his social media shell
In truth, 4 of the Burbank native’s victories have are available in his house Golden State, however don’t simply chalk up his California success to good vibes. Homa famous a similarity between Torrey Pines and Riviera – the place he gained the 2021 Genesis Invitational – and the way each programs demand elite ball putting, which occurs to be one the very best components of his fine-tuned recreation. To not point out his consolation with placing on these pesky poa annua greens.
“Plenty of guys appear to wrestle on poa annua. I do know lots of guys complain about it. I don’t know, I’ve simply had lots of success placing on poa annua,” Homa defined whereas additionally noting his struggles finally yr’s U.S. Open at Los Angeles Nation Membership. “I grew up placing on it. It’s simply a kind of issues I most likely have a bit extra consolation in it round the entire state.”
Homa’s title protection isn’t the one motive he’s within the headlines this week. On Tuesday Capital One’s “The Match” introduced Homa would compete in opposition to Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang within the subsequent model of the made-for-TV sequence. Often one to by no means draw back from having a bit of enjoyable, Homa declined to start out the trash speak along with his three opponents.
“I want to save lots of my bullets as a result of they’re all phenomenal golfers and I’ve a sense if issues get going sideways, I’m solely going to have one little bit of worth left and it will likely be my mouth,” he quipped. “I’m going to save lots of these for once I want them.”
FARMERS: Tee occasions | Odds, picks to win
Admirable as his humility could also be, Homa is driving the very best wave of type of his profession lately. Homa adopted his 2022 marketing campaign that featured two wins and 5 top-10 finishes with two extra wins and a whopping 13 top-10s in 2023. He additionally had a runner-up and a third-place exhibiting in addition to a win in November in South Africa on the DP World Tour.
“Wins, you permit a legacy with wins so I’m by no means going to low cost them or discredit them,” stated Homa, “however while you’re speaking about the very best gamers, they’re across the lead rather a lot.”
“I used to be extremely happy with final season not as a lot due to two wins, however I used to be actually pumped in regards to the top-10s,” he added. “I simply wish to put myself in place as a lot as potential. I do know there’s going to be weeks that I get it finished and weeks that I don’t, however being round it I feel reveals the, I assume, talent and expertise of a golfer.”
