In a week where NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs with a masterful 40-22 performance, earning MVP honors, his words found unexpected resonance on PGA player, Max Homa. It wasn’t his touchdown passes or rushing yards that caught attention in the golf world. Nah, it was a quote that hit home, a real testament to grit and guts.

After missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open with what he called “potentially the best swing of my life,” Max Homa discovered solace in Hurts’ profound declaration: “I’ve had purpose long before anybody had an opinion about it.” The timing couldn’t have been more poignant—while Hurts was celebrating the pinnacle of his journey from Alabama backup to Super Bowl MVP, Homa was processing another disappointing finish despite feeling his game was trending in the right direction.

For Homa, who has slipped to 60th in world rankings since his career-best third-place finish at the 2024 Masters, this quote hit differently. “It stuck with me,” Homa reflected. “I don’t know how I never heard that, but like two days ago I did, and it just made me realize like however, the score is looking to those like outward, like last week would never make sense to anybody unless you’re part of like my tiny little thing,” he expressed at a press conference earlier on Tuesday.

Max Homa’s story is playing out a lot like Hurts’ comeback tale. He’s shaken things up with a new coach and Cobra clubs. The scores? Still catching up. But Homa’s confident he’s on the right track. At Kapalua, he lost by 16 shots but left Hawaii excited. At Phoenix, he missed the cut by five strokes but hit what he considers his best drives ever. “Golf does not like me at the moment,” Homa admitted with his characteristic candor.

Like Hurts’ journey from backup quarterback to Super Bowl MVP, Homa sees his current struggles as merely a chapter in a longer story. Yet beneath the surface of disappointing results, there’s a familiar pattern emerging—one that reminds him why having purpose matters more than collecting opinions.

Max Homa’s invisible progress

In the paradoxical world of golf, progress isn’t always reflected in numbers. Max Homa‘s recent statistics tell one story: 177th in strokes gained: approach, three missed cuts in five starts, and a precipitous fall in world rankings. But beneath these numbers lies a familiar tale of resilience that Homa has lived before.

In 2017, he made just $18,008 on tour, making only two cuts in 17 starts. That period of struggle preceded his breakthrough victory at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. Now, as he works through another transformation with new coach John Scott Rattan, Homa is finding strength in Hurts’ philosophy—focusing beyond external opinions.

“Last week would look like another kind of red X on the year,” Homa reflected on his Phoenix performance, adding, “But I think that’s going to be like a major stepping stone and something we’ll all look back on.” In golf, as in football, sometimes the scoreboard tells only half the story. Homa’s purpose remains unchanged—even if opinions about his game continue to evolve.

What are your thoughts on Homa taking inspiration from Hurts? Let us know in the comments below!