It’s been a long time since Max Homa has enjoyed looking at his scores. Once sitting comfortably as a top-10 player worldwide for over a year, the sudden downfall has not been pretty, to say the least, which was further intensified as the 34-year-old turned up for the ongoing Arnold Palmer Invitational slated for March 6-9. But before we get to that…

Homa’s struggles began last year, and have unfortunately continued. In five events played this year, the veteran has unceremoniously missed two cuts already. His 76-69 at the WM Phoenix Open where he missed the cut by five shots stands as a glaring reminder of everything that’s been going wrong. Notably, since last year’s Masters where he finished T3, the golfer has been able to reach a top-20 finish just once—translating to what is his worst spot in the rankings since April 2023 when he soared as high as No. 5.

Some have opined it’s a transitional period he’s going through since making an equipment change, from Titleist to Cobra this year. But interestingly, Homa sorely disagrees: “It’s my own fault. I’ve played poorly. But there’s been no golf club issue.” In his defense, the veteran fired Mark Blackburn before the Presidents Cup last year before moving to swing coach John Scott Rattan. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated reporter Bob Harig took his concerns to X on Wednesday,

“Max Homa’s struggles continue. It’s a very tough day at Bay Hill, but he finished with 81. He missed the cut in his last two starts, was tied for 53rd at Pebble, and has dropped to 66th OWGR,” explained Harig. The criticism comes at a time when Homa played nine bogeys and a double bogey on the first day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Sure, two birdies potted on holes 9 and 11 eased the pressure but it isn’t looking too good for him, only ahead of Cameron Young with a score of 9-over-par. Let’s talk some stats.

• As of February this year, Homa ranked 177th in Strokes Gained: Approach, during the first six weeks of the new season.
• After the WM Phoenix Open upset and a Genesis Open event where he also missed the cut, the golfer finished T26 of the 59-man field at The Sentry and was 53rd of the 80-man field at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
• As for the Cognizant Classic, it was a remarkable tournament for many. Talk about Joe Highsmith’s first-ever PGA Tour title that vaulted him to the 59th position or Jordan Spieth’s T9 finish that meant a six-position boost for him, moving to 64th. But Max Homa, who did not even tee off at the PGA National Members Club, sank to new lows… fell by three positions to 66th.

“I’ve been incredibly frustrated since April. But I also see — I find pride in waking up after a hard day and having the energy to go get better,” the veteran had said. But fans have been quick to criticize the Arizona resident for what’s been a woeful start to the season.

Top Comment by gonzo54

I think his changing irons to a different sponsor have him searching to find his swing and groove!

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Fans call out Max Homa’s lackluster year

The 34-year-old’s season has not been up to the standards he had set previously. He has failed to make the cut line at both of his last events, the WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational, scoring a combined 10 over par with both. He also withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open this year after one round. The two events in which he displayed a bit of proficiency were the Sentry (T26) and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

If you look at this season’s results alone, Homa looks like an amateur player making his way around the Tour for the first time. “Homa is not even a Top 150 player, the OWGR is a joke,” tweeted one disappointed fan, mostly with the golfer’s form this year in mind. Who can blame the fan for voicing the truth?

At the beginning of the year, the apparel company Lululemon named Homa the brand ambassador. He joined Min Woo Lee, an ambassador for the brand with Max. “I’m so excited to join the Lululemon family. Lululemon already takes up most of my wardrobe with workout and lounge apparel, and it feels like a dream come true to have the opportunity to work with such an iconic brand,” Homa stated during the announcement.

One fan called out this association with his tweet, stating how the brand might think of its partnership with the 6-time PGA Tour winner, considering his unusual form on the course. “The Lululemon marketing VP explaining this multimillion dollar endorsement deal to the CEO on Monday.”

A trend seen with retired or retiring players is that they start podcasts. This is very common in the NBA, with podcasts like Club 520 (Jeff Teague), KG Certified (Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce), All the Smoke (Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson), and many more. According to one fan, Homa should “Just go home and start a podcast, dude.” 

One netizen was not so kind, demanding the PGA Tour demote Homa to the Korn Ferry Tour, where, according to the fan, he will still struggle.“When does Max Homa get his card taken away? Dude would be pushing cut lines on the Korn Ferry.”

Another golfing fan was sympathetic to the cause, drawing attention to how polished the American golfer’s game was in the previous years. Homa has also found it difficult to compete at the tech-based TGL, where his team struggled and finished a woeful fifth in the standings, missing the playoffs.“Max Homa is actually ruined. About to fire an 81… just sad. Not. Like. This,” stated the fan. He will be one of the many who remembers how Homa was on his day, especially when he won 5 events in the 2021-23 period.

Despite the struggles, Max Homa has kept a positive mindset and knows he will work through this hard patch. Do you think the American golfer will recover and post a competitive score? Or do you think this will be the beginning of the end of a tough season for Max Homa?