'The Best Week I Could Ever Imagine': Max Homa Soaks It in and Shines at Presidents Cup
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In the end, it didn’t really matter. The match played on as the U.S. had already clinched a Presidents Cup victory over the International team late Sunday afternoon.
But it mattered to Max Homa.
He was going up against Tom Kim, if not the best player on the International side, the inspirational leader who single-handedly pumped adrenaline into his teammates' veins as they made the competition interesting on Saturday afternoon.
Kim made putts from everywhere at Quail Hollow, fist-pumping his way to stardom. The kid made a name for himself on the big stage and, at 20, has a bright future after securing his PGA Tour future last month with a victory at the Wyndham Championship.
Homa drew Kim late in the proceedings, almost as if International captain Trevor Immelman wanted that matchup. That spoke to his confidence in Kim, and his respect for Homa, who was—somewhat surprisingly—a star for the Americans this week.
The Americans ended up winning easily, 17.5-12.5, a victory that at times was tense. And when Homa was 3 down on the back nine and some other matches were not going so well for the U.S., there was certainly a sense of urgency.
Yes, he was coming off a victory last week at the Fortinet Championship and has established himself as one of the top players in the world. But this was his first Presidents Cup, and there were other stars expected to carry the day for the Americans, including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa.
They, of course, all did their part. Spieth became just the sixth player in Presidents Cup history to go 5-0. Thomas went 4-1. Schauffele, Cantlay and Morikawa all won their singles matches on Sunday.
So did Homa.
In fact, not only did he defeat Kim 1 up, he went 4-0 for the week.
“To be here was one thing,’’ Homa said. “And then to come out and play some great golf was another. And this was has been beyond special, validating, meaningful. All of the above. It meant a lot. I’ll look back on this week as a week I kind of use as continued motivation going forward.’’
And he did it by rallying from 3 down with just seven holes to play, taking four straight holes at one point.
“He’s a great player and a really great kid,’’ Homa said. “He’s going to be amazing. But I wanted a point real bad.’’
It would obvious early on that this meant a great deal to Homa. After his victory a week ago in Napa, California, he flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, and arrived well after midnight. There to greet him was Davis Love III, the U.S. captain.
“Max is riding high for the last year,’’ Love said. “A lot of wins, a lot of great tournaments.’’
It was clear that all of this was a big deal to Homa, who has won three PGA Tour events in the last 12 months and climbed to 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Although he didn’t make the Presidents Cup team automatically, his inclusion as an at-large picked seemed all but certain.
And he didn’t disappoint. He was part of winning matches on Thursday, winning 1 up in foursomes with Tony Finau over Taylor Pendrith and Mito Pereira, and again on Friday, when he and Billy Horschel teamed up to defeat Pendrith and Corey Conners in four-ball.
It was Homa’s birdie putt on top of Pendrith’s that clinched the 1-up victory.
“It was pretty surreal,’’ Homa said of standing over the putt and watching it drop. “That atmosphere out there is insane. There’s so many people, you can feel them on the back of your neck. I feel very thankful.
“I'm not super, super close with anybody on this team, but I have always respected and gotten along with everybody, and it's been amazing to watch these 11 other guys who are incredibly good, incredibly acclaimed, so many accomplishments, cheering us on coming down the stretch. I've been in the last match both days, and to be able to see that is special for me.
“The golf's amazing, but you remember that kind of stuff well into your days. So I feel very thankful for that. I was nervous as could be over that putt, but it was fun. I was telling my wife, when we talk about things money can't buy, money cannot buy that feeling. And that was something that I will remember forever, and I will tell anybody who ever wants to hear about it how that felt.’’
That is exactly the kind of vibe you want out of a player in these Cup competitions, something that has often been questioned about U.S. participants over the years, especially as they struggled in the Ryder Cup.
But Homa, not at the top of anyone’s list to be a star contributor at Quail Hollow, did just that—sort of like some less-heralded European players have done to the Americans over the years at the Ryder Cup.
Who knows if he will be part of the team that goes to Rome next year? He was one of five players who competed here this week who were not at Whistling Straits a year ago. Only three players were on this team—Thomas, Spieth and Finau—when the U.S. lost the last Ryder Cup overseas, in Paris.
A good deal can happen in 12 months. But Homa did his part this week, and why wouldn’t you want someone like him, with everything else being equal, to be part of it again.
“It was the best week of golf I could ever imagine,’’ he said. “It was very special just to be on this team and to contribute and to bond with the guys. Some of the moments we’ve had together on the golf course and in the team room have been amazing. I feel very, very, very lucky to be on this team.’’