Despite down year, Presidents Cup pick Max Homa hasn’t forgotten what he’s capable of

Max Homa would’ve been apprehensive about being picked for this Presidents Cup. He has no problem admitting it. He’d spent much of the year fighting his driver, initially overcoming those demons before having the wheels fall off this summer with no top-20s from the PGA Championship onward. A season after ranking 41st in strokes gained off the tee, Homa slipped to No. 156 this season, ahead of just 13 players.

But then the weekend at the BMW Championship happened.

Having split with his instructor of four years, Mark Blackburn, after the FedExCup playoff opener in Memphis, Homa was beating just two of the 50 players at Castle Pines through 36 holes. He lost over seven shots alone off the tee on that Friday. That evening, Homa sent a few swing videos to a friend, who responded with some advice that Homa took with him to the range the next morning.

Homa made several setup changes and missed just two fairways in his third round while ranking fifth in the field in strokes gained off the tee. He then shot 67 on Sunday to salvage a T-33 finish – not great, but great for Homa’s psyche.

“I was like, OK, I’m not as worried about my own game if I were to play the Presidents Cup,” Homa said. “So, that did wonders for my confidence and … how comfortable I would have been being picked.”

Homa didn’t advance to the Tour Championship the following week, and after finishing ninth in the final U.S. point standings, he asked captain Jim Furyk if he should keep practicing or start his offseason. Furyk didn’t give him a concrete answer, though a week later, Homa received the call he was hoping for; he had made the 12-man team.

While Homa had shown Furyk little form in recent months, perhaps weighing heavily was Homa’s resumé in these team events – Homa’s debut performance at last year’s Ryder Cup, where he went 3-1-1 in Rome and was one of the few American bright spots, and his maiden Presidents Cup two years ago at Quail Hollow, where he was a perfect 4-0.

“I don’t think [form is] necessarily overrated,” Homa said, “but I do think experience in this matters. I’ve proven myself, and I’ve shown in these microscope stages I’ve done quite well.”

Added Xander Schauffele: “In Italy, we were catching strays the entire week, and Max was sort of our knight in shining armor giving us some hope. Pat [Cantlay] made that huge putt in the dark there on 18, but other than that, you look at the big point guard, it was Max.”

Homa won the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour about a month later, a victory that, in Homa words, “will go down in the history books of just like, how the hell did I do that?” He already could feel the driver start to betray him.

It didn’t get better.

Now, Homa appreciates performances like his T-3 at the Masters and top-10 finish at Bay Hill; even playing poor golf, he still had some moments and was able to reach the BMW. Yet, he knows what could’ve been if the driver had cooperated more.

“I just felt like I was throwing mud at the wall all year and could not find anything that would stick,” Homa said. “… But probably spent too much time throwing mud and not enough time trying to figure out how to get the ball in the hole.”

Homa called his breakup with Blackburn “unfortunate,” with communication between the two waning in recent months.

“It’s one of those things, more for me, I need a break,” Homa said, “and sometimes I don’t do a great job of taking ownership of my own golf swing, so kind of putting the ball in my court a bit, and you know, trying to figure it out myself. I mean, as much as a coach can be brilliant, a genius like Mark, I know my golf swing better than anybody, and I can see it and feel it.”

Though Homa missed the cut a couple weeks ago at the Procore Championship, an event he’s won twice, the driver wasn’t the issue, as he gained a little over a half shot each day.

“My golf swing feels great,” Homa said. “I just needed some time. I just don’t think people understand how impressive it is when golfers like a Scottie or a Wyndham, or anyone on our team goes through a week slump and then it ends. It’s just not that easy.”

That said, Homa will sit Thursday’s opening four-ball session – Brian Harman, Homa’s three-time partner in Rome (they went 2-1 together), also is taking the session off. But if Furyk said anything after revealing his first set of pairings, it’s that he still believes in Homa – even if some people outside the American team room still hold reservations about what Homa can realistically contribute this week at Royal Montreal.

“Putting him on the bench is an extremely harsh word,” Furyk said, responding to a question phrased similarly. “You’ve got to have two folks that don’t play tomorrow. Max, I have a lot of confidence in his game. I have a lot of confidence in what he brings to our team, not only from a playing standpoint, but in the team room as well. You’re going to see him play a lot of golf this week.”

Homa believes again as well. He mentioned how Justin Thomas, a U.S. team stalwart though not on this year’s squad, recently sent him a highlights video of Homa in cup play. Seeing that footage reminds Homa of his potential on the big stage.

“It’s cool to have those moments to reflect on,” Homa said, “and I feel very lucky to have those. … When the lights got bright in the last couple team events, I made big putts on the last couple holes.”

And despite a frustrating year, he’s in a position where he can hopefully hole a few more.