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The pairings for the first two rounds of 150th Open Championship came out this morning and there was one big winner in the list of tee times – Max Homa.
If you’re a golf fan then it’s likely that you know Homa’s story. His climb to the PGA Tour was a rough one full of missed cuts and self doubts. This 4-minute video of Homa talking about his battles through those tough times is what made me become a fan of his starting back in 2019. Take a few minutes to watch it if you want to be inspired today.
The 31 year old from California fought through those rough times and is now a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and is currently ranked No. 19th in the world.
Hardcore golf fans have come to love Homa because of his fun breakdowns of golf swings that people send him on Twitter and just because he’s a really nice guy who oozes positivity and is quick to poke fun of himself and not take things too seriously – like the time he roasted himself after his rough final round at the 2022 Masters.
If you’re not a huge golf fan then Homa is any easy guy to root for because he’s just a good dude with good intentions who loves the game just like all of weekend hackers do. He’s one of us. He’s just a whole lot better than us.
Over the past few years he’s made it known that he grew up a gigantic fan of Tiger Woods and he was besides himself in 2021 when Tiger Woods handed him the trophy for winning a PGA Tour event at famed Riviera Country Club in Homa’s hometown of Los Angeles. He then could barely talk when Tiger hung around and talked to him once all the cameras were gone.
A few years ago while on the No Laying Up podcast he made jokes about maybe asking Tiger to play in a practice round at the Masters, fearing that Tiger wouldn’t know who he was and that the opportunity was just a pipe dream that was fun to joke about with friends but would never happen.
Also, there was this awesome tweet he sent to Tiger in 2013.
@TigerWoods just won PAC 12s, NCAA championship, and qualified for the us open. Any chance I can get a practice round with u?? #hero
— max homa (@maxhoma23) June 4, 2013
Well, I can’t imagine how Homa is feeling right now because this morning he found out he’ll be playing the first two rounds with… Tiger Woods. At the 150th Open Championship. At St. Andrews.
My. Goodness.
I just got goosebumps writing that. Homa, meanwhile, must be moonwalking around the practice green or throwing up in a bathroom because this is just some unbelievable news for a guy who deserves to live this dream.
Homa and Tiger will be joined by U.S. Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick and they’ll be going off Thursday at 9:59 a.m. ET and Friday at 4:58 a.m. ET.
This is a win for the good guys. A win for the everyman golfer who has become beloved by so many fans just because he’s so comfortable being in his own skin and even more comfortable in sharing all of his emotions – the good and the bad – that have come with his journey.
Homa might not win a trophy this week at St. Andrews but he’s going to experience something that could be even cooler than that – spending 36 holes with his idol in one of the most special major championships in our lifetime while playing at the home of golf.
Have yourself a week, Max Homa!
Quick hits: Tiger Woods steps on Jack Nicklaus’ foot by accident… Richard Jefferson blows easy call in debut… Top 20 NHL free agents… And more.
– Tiger Woods was standing on Jack Nicklaus’ foot by accident in an iconic photo at St. Andrews and golf fans had lots of jokes.
– Richard Jefferson blew an easy call in his ref debut and the NBA Summer League crowd went nuts.
– Mary Clarke ranks the 20 best NHL free agents who are available this offeseason.
– This story of Indian farmers faking cricket matches and fooling Russians into betting on them is so good.
