Max Homa's Skid Could Cost Him Spots in Two Golf Majors This Summer

The 34-year-old Cal alum has dropped to No. 75 in the rankings after missing four straight cuts

Max Homa / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Cal alum Max Homa, ranked as the world’s No. 5 golfer less than a year ago, is in jeopardy of missing two of this summer’s majors.

Having failed to make the cut at his past four tournaments, the 34-year-old has skidded to No 75 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), his lowest spot in more than four years.

Because he finished in a tie for third at the Masters last season, he will have a place in the field April 10-13 at Augusta National.

But Homa has no such exemption for qualification to the U.S. Open, set for June 12-15 at Oakmont, or The (British) Open Championship, which will be contested July 17-20 at Royal Portrush.

As of this week, he is not qualified for either.

To gain a spot in the U.S. Open, Homa must climb back into the top 60 in the OWGR by June. To get an invite to Great Britain, he needs to be in the 50 by the 21st week of the season.

Fellow Cal alum Collin Morikawa, who owns two major titles, is ranked No. 4 in the world and safely qualified for all of them this season. One-time Golden Bear Byeong Hun An is at No. 34 in the rankings and Michael Kim has climbed to No. 54, giving him a legitimate shot at one or both events.

Homa, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, has made it to the weekend in just two of seven events he played so far this year. Last week, at The Players Championship, he shot 79-71 the first two days and missed the cut by seven strokes.

Afterward, he vented in an emotional interview on PGATour.com:

“I know how hard I work; I know how much I care. So it just feels more just s----- for myself, like internally,” he said.

"I know people probably love this and some people probably hate it for me, but people like to laugh when people aren't doing well. I would laugh at that, because I just don't know what more I could be doing at the moment. The way I work, I feel like I deserve to be the best player in the world at some point.

"I know that sounds crazy, but that's how I approach each day, is to be the best at it and I'm going the complete opposite direction…. It's hard to care this much about something and just not get anything out of it.. It's like you're in a very toxic relationship. I might be the toxic one, but it's still toxic.”

“If my kid was going through this, and he was working this hard, I would be proud of him, so I'm (pauses) proud of myself.”

Homa has become one of the most popular players on the Tour, in part because he interacts with his nearly 700,000 followers on Twitter. But he’s taking a break from that right now and hasn’t posted anything since Feb. 3.

"No, I think I finally had a come-to-Jesus moment that it’s for the sick. I was sick. I’m just trying to get healthy now,” he said. "No, I have not enjoyed that app. It’s not very fun. It’s fun to watch our little highlights or lowlights, and that stuff is fun. The rest of it’s probably not great, so I’m going to stick to TikTok.”

Homa insists he’s not unsatisfied with his preparation, just the results.

“I know people probably think I'm crazy but like the work I’m doing is right, it’s just I’m not doing a very good job on the golf course of making that show,” he said. 

“I’m sure I’d get made more fun for saying how great I feel and shooting 80 or whatever. I’m not blowing smoke, but I’m also not scoring at all, so it’s just hard.”

Homa is not listed among the entries for this weekend’s Valspar Championship at Palm Harbor, Florida. 

Perhaps just as well — the guy may need some time to exhale and regroup.