2023 Netflix Cup: Why Max Homa enters PGA Tour, Formula 1 golf exhibition as headlining attraction
LAS VEGAS — Max Homa does not have the résumé of Justin Thomas. He does not have the marketing allure of Rickie Fowler, the perfectly quaffed hair of Collin Morikawa nor the athleticism of Tony Finau. Of the four major championships collected by his peers, exactly zero belong to the 32-year-old. While Homa may not have any of these, he does have one item dangling over the heads of his counterparts at the 2023 Netflix Cup: his game.
Make no mistake, it is not Thomas, Fowler or the recently added Finau who will serve as the headliner at The Wynn Golf Club Tuesday in Las Vegas. That honor belongs to Homa. Ascending to world No. 7 following his victory at the Nedbank Challenge on the DP World Tour, the man who struggled in the beginning of his professional career has his feet cemented in a groove dating back to 2021. Everyone has taken notice.
“Max changed [over the last couple years],” said Joel Dahmen, who will be in the broadcast booth for the Netflix Cup. “Something flipped, and at some point he decided he was going to be the best player in the world. He had it in him for awhile, but he started to put the pieces in place. He got his swing coach Mark Blackburn, [his caddie] Joe Greiner, his sports psychologist [Julie Elion] who is awesome …”
“His practice habits changed, he worked harder, he worked out more in the gym, he started spending more time in the golf space and a little more intentionally. This is not by accident. Max has earned every bit that he has done. He’s always been a great player, but he figured out how to be his best version.”
Homa’s story is as well known as they come in the world of golf. Pac-12 and NCAA individual champion turned Walker Cup star in 2013, the former Cal-Berkley standout shed his amateur status following his senior year. Just one year later, he had his PGA Tour card in hand and all bets were off. The sky was the limit. It was not a matter of if he would win on the PGA Tour but when and how many he would rack up.
But then came the struggles.
Bouncing back and forth between the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, Homa endured a 2017 season that saw him make twos cuts and a shade over $18,000 in prize money. Dragged through the lowest of lows, beaten down and shell of the player that was, Homa’s unabashed belief was all that remained.
Four birdies across his final four holes of the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour regular-season finale put Homa through to the weekend and secured his playing privileges. One month later, the Californian secured his PGA Tour card. This time, there would be no giving it back.
The journey from the Korn Ferry Tour back to the PGA Tour and ultimately into the winner’s circle at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship is just one chapter of Homa’s story. His emotional playoff victory at the 2021 Genesis Invitational, a tournament he attended as a child, would serve as the conclusion of most Hollywood productions. Los Angeles kid wins Los Angeles tournament hosted by his hero and the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods. It almost makes too much sense.
Homa hasn’t driven off into the sunset though. His story — or at least the next chapter of it — may actually only be beginning. Triumphant in five tournaments across his last 51 worldwide starts, Homa has transformed himself from PGA Tour winner into a name to be feared come the back nine on Sunday.
“He’s got something in him on Sunday, and that’s one thing you can’t really describe,” said Dahmen. “He’s got this winning formula, this winning mentality and not many people have that.”
His name not only drives fear, but now interest and a lot of it. Increasingly popular on social media thanks to his quick wit, honesty and ability to walk the tightrope between insult and humor in the replies, Homa’s star power has grown with his game. Appearances on popular podcasts, walk-and-talks during CBS broadcasts and this showing in the Netflix Cup are the result of that and serve as just another medium through which fans are won over.
What comes next are expectations similar to those at the onset of his career. Homa understands his major championship record is abysmal, at best, despite notching his first top 10 at this year’s Open Championship. He needs to improve during those four weeks of the season. The signs are there, however.
Clutch putts at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, meaningful iron strikes in crunch time at tournaments like the Farmers Insurance Open, Homa has the gumption, guts and scar tissue to once again prove people wrong. Only this next time, it won’t be on a small stage, it will be in a unique spotlight for everyone to see.
