“He’s big brother, and I’m little brother,” said Max Homa in 2020 about Joe Greiner. But what would interest you is that their partnership and friendship started a long time ago. Their friendship began in childhood at Vista Valencia Golf Course in California, where they both grew up. Homa met a slightly older Greiner when he was just 6 years old, and they remained close throughout their youth.

It would sound funny to you, but Max Homa never shies away from mentioning their slight age difference all the time. “I met Joe when I was six. He’s a bit older than me, and I remind him of that all the time.” Interestingly, despite this age difference, the two shared a fun relationship, with Greiner once saying that Homa is “funnier on Twitter than in person.” Of course, it came as no surprise when they started working together in 2013.

Indeed, it did not last long as Greiner soon started working with Kevin Chappell, however, he returned to Homa’s bag in 2019 after Chappell underwent back surgery. Since then, the two have been inseparable. Or, well, had been inseparable until this recent news. According to the latest update from the PGA Tour, the two have decided to end their ongoing partnership.

“Joe and I made memories for a lifetime and can’t be more thankful for all the hard work. We have parted ways and it will be sad to see him go. I’ll always be grateful to have walked the fairways with one of my best friends,” said Max Homa via the PGA Tour. When you look at their records–with Greiner being present for all of Homa’s Tour wins as well as Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup appearances–you cannot help but wonder why this even happened, especially with the Masters so close.

Though the official reason is kept private, the answer may lie in Max Homa’s current form. Forget about last year; his 2025 season has been pretty poor. In his 9 appearances this season, Homa’s best came at the Nedbank Golf Challenge with a T14. But, his other finishes were bad, including 4 missed cuts and a T111 finish at the Valero Texas Open. We don’t know if Homa will further clarify this situation, however, his anxiety regarding his game is pretty obvious.

Max Homa’s on-greens anxiety is pretty clear

“It’s hard to care this much about something and just not get anything out of it… It’s like you’re in a very toxic relationship. I might be the toxic one, but it’s still toxic,” said Homa, talking about his 2025 season. We already know what happened in 2025, but Homa’s 2024 season hasn’t been that great either. Last year, the golfer had only 3 top-10s against a staggering four missed cuts. Then, in December 2024, during The Sentry, Max Homa had an unexpected caddie swap. Jordan Spieth’s trusted caddie, Michael Greller, stepped in for Greiner on a one-time basis. This arrangement occurred because Spieth was sidelined after wrist surgery with no season debut, and Greiner was away due to familial reasons. Homa finished tied for 26th in a 59-player field.

Maximus’ best performance beyond those numbers came early in the year with the Farmers Insurance Open (T13). Of course, he is trying to fix this. In the latest course of change, Bill Harke will replace Joe Greiner. Interestingly, Harke’s portfolio is strong as well as he has previously worked with several Tour players. So, who? Chris Kirk, Colt Knost, and Jonas Blixt, among others. Before his caddie change, Homa switched from Titleist to Cobra equipment in the offseason to fix his game. Additionally, he ended his long-term coaching relationship with Mark Blackburn last fall.

After working without a coach for some time, Homa began collaborating with John Scott Rattan in October. Despite these changes, he has struggled on the greens, missing cuts since the 2014 Open Championship. “I feel like I deserve to be the best player in the world at some point,” stated Homa confidently, ranked 157th in the FedExCup and 78th in the OWGR.  He will compete in the Masters but has yet to qualify for the U.S. Open or The Open. Maybe we’ve got to wait and watch. Like Frank Sinatra says, “The best is yet to come.”