Max Homa Maintains Share of the Lead in South Africa

The first 36 holes of “Africa’s Major” are complete and Max Homa, the top-ranked player in the field, has yet to make a bogey. Homa shot a second-round 68 to follow up his opening 66 and currently holds a share of the Nedbank Golf Challenge lead with France’s Matthieu Pavon at 10-under par. 

Homa’s hot start was preceded by an extended break from competition following the Ryder Cup in Rome, where the U.S. team lost to Europe at Marco Simone. Homa was the leading points scorer for the Americans with 3 ½.

“If you fly 20-odd hours over here, you may as well play some good golf,” Homa said. “So it’s nice I’m doing that.”

Homa carded four birdies during Friday’s round, including three on the back nine for a closing 33. 

“The body’s feeling better as the week’s gone on,” Homa said on Thursday. “I woke up today and felt like a golfer again.”

The Californian is joined in South Africa by his fellow Ryder Cup team member and PGA Tour player Justin Thomas. The two-time major champion also had not teed it up since Rome. 

Thomas sits four strokes back of the lead, tied for eighth place. He posted a 6-under 66 on Friday to jump up the leaderboard, with seven birdies and one bogey. 

Thomas and Homa traveled to South Africa one week early and embarked on a safari trip with their significant others. The excursion seemed to have a significant impact on both players. 

“It’s so hard to explain to people that weren’t there with you,” Thomas said. “I know my wife and I both said how much we’d love to come here again and more often.”

For Homa, this week’s start at the Nedbank Golf Challenge marks his first official event solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour. 

“A lot of people have been throwing around the ‘grow the game’ thing as of late,” Homa said during a mid-round interview. “I do think that part of that is playing more around the world to grow it.”