MEET MAX HOMA | The Scoop

Before his third-place finish at the 2024 Masters, Max Homa joined Claire Rogers on this episode of the Scoop to discuss the highs and lows of his professional career, the Ryder Cup, his caddie and a whole lot more. From teeing it up with Tiger Woods at St. Andrews to what he’s learned over the course of his career, get to know the six-time PGA Tour winner over some (dairy-free) vanilla ice cream.
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the best ever yeah and he looked at me
dead serious unprovoked and was like I
expect more out of you and I was like
all right I’m going to take that cuz any
day I’m having a a bad conference day I
think myself tiger effing Woods thinks
you’re pretty
[Music]
good Max H welcome to school thank you
so much Ry this is a a treat so what did
we go with f we’re not sure because we
did a mystery swap it is dairyfree
I think mine is the one that’s the
coconut milk but I really I think mine
is that means they’re both good okay
that’s fair if not it’s the oat milk so
are you a big ice cream guy if you’re
having dairyfree stuff maybe not um well
I’ll eat some Dairy at home Dairy
doesn’t sit so well with me but I’ll
still do it I mean it’s worth it for ice
cream I’m happy we’re finally doing this
cuz it’s been a long time coming I feel
likewise I’m a huge fan of the show oh
my gosh thank you huge fan um so I
wanted to ask you a bunch of questions
but first just kind of how did you
become a golfer
oh grew up next to a driving
range Griffith Park and then the course
when we moved to Valencia kind of up
from like la la it’s called Vista
Valencia it’s a par
61 uh they have a par three course there
as well massive range lit up at night
and it was uh from by American junior
golf or the American Golf Junior Golf
Association and they uh that’s wrong
it’s I think it’s just called American
Golf and they had an unreal Junior
program and that’s just where like the
kids went to hang out it’s what I tell
parents when they ask about like how to
get their kids into golf I said ours was
like organic everyone just loved to go
there you get french fries and orange
bang and play a bunch of holes and that
was like the hang I was like the movie
theater of golf courses kind of you know
when you’re the kid and then I found out
I was fairly good at it and I really
loved it but I played all kinds of
sports like like most kids and um it was
just like a great place a lot of things
obviously lined up like Jason gor’s from
V Valencia my home course so you got to
see somebody who was a professional
golfer on the PJ tour we watched him win
the 84 Lumber at the golf course so you
kind of like Built This Love for and an
inspiration to try to get better at it
and yeah I kind of just went from there
awesome so then start playing tournament
golf maybe do you remember the first
golf tournament you ever
won dang sadly
no that
stinks we had so many like cool Junior
events at chica is the part three course
we had great Junior events
there
man I don’t I remember the first time I
shot underpar at chica in a tournament
and made a hole in one on eight and shot
26 so one under and just it was a 180
event so two rounds Joe my caddy won the
whole thing I think but I have this
picture in my house my mom still has it
one of my still good buddies Eric he was
older than me and he’s also in he’s
still very tall like we were young and
he was 6′ five and I as a kid I had a
big grossir in high school but I was
Tiny and we tied for third cuz usually
it was 11 under and 18 and and 18 and to
12 now was and this one was all of us
and we tied and the picture is me Yi in
way up here and it’s like the best day
of my life and I’m holding the trophy
and I’m smiling like ear to ear and he
is so miserable in this picture and so
my mom every time she sees it she’ll
take a picture of s to me and I send it
straight to Eric it’s like the the
difference in our attitudes about that
day are very funny but yeah that that’s
some probably my best Junior memory of
like a golf tournament that first memory
I have of like really seeding I guess
okay so you mentioned Joe so you’ve
known him like forever then I was six he
was 10 so how do you remember meeting
and then how did it hand up on your bag
all these years later yeah
um kind of like anything especially that
age you know when someone’s four years
older than you they feel like they’re
wiser and all these things and he he and
Brandon Christensen were best friends
and they were the two best golfers at
our golf course and started to find out
they were two of the best golfers in
Southern California so anytime you’d see
them you know it felt like you could
never talk to them they’re too cool too
old but as being around there longer and
longer you started getting in their
Circle a little bit um and yeah I Joe
like T Joe and BR and taught me had a
gamble basically as a kid I remember one
of the first times I ever saw them they
were in the Pro Shop turned in like 20
bucks for ones there’s this game called
payline we would play where you Putt and
after each hole it’s a massive group
guys if you made a two I made a one and
and you know somebody else made a two
you would pay me a dollar he paid me a
dollar he made so Joe and Brandon would
be running back and forth and I mean
they would leave with just one stuffed
in their pockets so I just remember
being like infatuate how great they were
in golf then Joe
played uh played a year college golf and
then turned Pro and that was kind of
right in my sweet spot of like I was
about to go to college getting good at
it
um and then when I turned Pro Joe had
kind of quit Golf and was working at uh
TBC Valencia at the time and we had
every summer we would hang out play a
bunch of golf I was kind of getting
better he was kind of winding down in
his playing but he was such a good
person to be around because he like knew
professional and he was had the time
still like fantastic he was
sharp and I like Turned Pro and I have
like a week and a half before my first
event and I didn’t have a caddy I didn’t
even know how to get a caddy and he one
day was we were playing he’s like hey
you you you know you want me to cadd
I’ve been there before quarterb I
thinking caddy for chappie there and I
was like yeah that’d be great cuz I
don’t really want to find some die and
we went up there got ninth first ever
start we’re driving down happiest kids
in the world and my old Honda Civic just
hoping it made it back to Valencia and
we got into the Shriners the next week
from the top 10 and he goes I don’t know
about you but he goes that was the most
fun I’ve ever had and he’s like I’d love
to keep doing this I was like same he
goes all right here’s the deal though I
can C it for you next week IQ school
like the day after the Shriners he goes
I can C of up your next week but like I
haven’t put my I need to put my two
weeks in at work so I can’t come to
North Carolina for Q school I’m like
that’s all good not thinking much of it
so we play pretty well at Shriners got
30th he goes home I go to North Carolina
I’m this kid now with got I had like
$160,000 now like went from 228 I turned
Pro with 160 Grand happiest guy ever and
here I am catting for myself a q school
with a moon bag strap uh just hoping now
I get through don’t you know I didn’t
want to ask anybody to CAD cuz I got my
guy now and it’s been really cool since
we had uh you know he C for chap in the
middle all this um when I was playing
really poorly but it’s been it’s been
really fun to have success and experienc
some really cool things with like one of
your best friends by our side we’ve
obviously gotten even closer uh his wife
and I are really close my wife and you
know they just everyone’s like a big
family and it’s just cool cuz like
little things like shoot we play with
Tiger Woods at St Andrews and like the
kid and us like at times we be walking
around and we’re just looking at each
other like what is happening I don’t
think I would have had that with you
know a not to say Joe’s not a
professional Academy but at the time
like if I would have hired some veteran
I think we’ve gotten to learn together
and everything we’ve gotten to do has
just been
like like exponentially better okay so
you just mentioned tiger we’re both big
tiger fans um do you remember the first
time you met him yes uh
Us open in Maran I was in college still
or in am
still wanted to see him you know it’s
2013 wanted to see him so
bad and uh on the Range Thursday it was
like Thursday Lake there was a massive
rain delay so we te off like five
something so I’m
nervous he’s hitting on the right side
of the range and there’s a space in in
between him and Rory and I my buddy was
counting for him I was just like screw
it put the bag down we’re hidden between
them you know and there’s a funny
picture out there I love because tiger s
balls and I’m just staring watching him
hit uh so I finally was like I got to do
it I got to at least get the shake a
sand at that time you don’t know if
you’ll ever play on the PJ tour ever
meet him so uh he went for a bite of a
uh protein bar and I just stopped and I
just said hey tiger you know this one to
say big fan blah blah blah it was really
nice quick caning he went perfect like I
didn’t want to linger just wanted to get
my handshake and go so that was awesome
is your favorite memory with him St
Andrews or you have something else you
think yeah I’ve been lucky as of late
you know I I do his uh event or I’ve
done his event in um Monteray when he’s
up there for his one of his Tiger Woods
Invitational events he does a few of
them but I’ve gone up and helped so
we’ve gotten to like hang out hang out
you know outside of just hitting B balls
but yeah there was just a
moment uh the ninth hole we had the
slowest day ever first round at August
or at St Andrews and
ninth hole we like have this long wait
in the Fairway and he kind of like
walked by and he goes uh hey you know
how many how many times you won I can’t
remember what it was at the time three
or four I three or four and I made some
joke about I’m so you I’m going to catch
him pretty soon and he like dead serious
and goes you should have won a liked a
lot more than that like almost like came
at me that I shouldn’t be more confident
and whatever and it was just like that
was my fondest memory like it just it
was cool to have somebody I respect
pastor just the fandom he the best ever
yeah and he looked at me dead serious
unprovoked and was like I expect more
out of you and I was like all I’m gonna
take that because any day I’m having a a
bad conference day I think myself tiger
effing Woods thinks you’re pretty good
you know so I I I try to make sure I’m
still competitive obviously but like I I
do want to soak in those moments because
they are cool regardless of what people
may say you know there is some part of
you that’s still a kid so that that that
whole day was awesome and then watching
him walk up the 18th hole I will never
forget that it was wasn’t a moment
between me and him but it was just I and
you and I think people we all know know
like respect them so much but I got to
watch like thousands of people and it
was an awesome moment that’s so cool um
so a lot of golf fans who or maybe newer
golf fans might know you from the last
few years and not know that you like
your road to the tour wasn’t super
smooth um can you kind of just take me
through quickly like 2013 getting the
card losing the card yeah yeah uh ice
cream P was a rocky
bro
um yeah like I’ve always been a really
slow learner College my freshman year
was not great then got better sophomore
year got better junior year and then by
the senior year I was like good I knew I
was good I knew I was plenty good enough
to play on the PJ tour never knew what
level i’ get to but came out the same
time as Justin Thomas and I felt like we
were being compared as like oh the two
guys coming up and I knew Justin was
much more polished and like a can’t miss
kit I still thought I had a lot to learn
but I knew that my raw skill at that
time was good enough to at least like
compete so yeah so like I said before I
get ninth first ever PJ tour start first
ever professional start 30th and next
week I’m like okay like I’m good and I
did a ter like tremendously bad job of
looking down the range every week and
trying to be as good as the guy next to
me was at their best quality instead of
thinking how why am I here like what am
I good at so I went down a rabbit hole
of try to change stuff and get better at
things that I probably didn’t need to so
yeah I get I get my corn Fury card got
through there one lost my card got
through again one again and then that
next year was 2017 and I got through
2016 on cornr with not my stuff it was
it was getting pretty bad um but I just
found a way to kind of like score and
figure it out and then uh yeah it was 17
made two of 17 Cuts made $18,800
course and feel good again MH but yeah
just uh really put you know I’ve always
been a I’ve always appreciated my own
like hard work like I think that’s my
best quality and I really went to work
but I felt like I really came up with a
plan I went back to my old coach Les
Johnson who’s from my hometown and we
took he’s like this going to take some
time but like he’s like I gotta I gotta
kind of like you’re a pretzel I got to
undo you and then make you a better
bretzel again and it took a while but it
was well worth it you know got 20191 at
the well Faro I finally took a deep
breath so it’s it was very uh up and
down but Looking Back Now older and
wiser like I’m glad that that happened I
wouldn’t be the person I am and I think
I have more grit when I get into
competition than I than I would have had
I just gone just kind of linear right so
what what changed in 2019 you had you
went back to working with somebody else
but if you looked back at that time like
what was the switch you think that made
you ready that’s a great question um
I think I did a good job of learning
from my mistakes and by that time I
still didn’t know if I was good enough
to win or good have to make rer cups or
any of that but I stopped caring what
other people were doing I really got
into like the because of like with less
and his plan we had it was just very
much like this G might take some time
but when you get there you’ll be good so
the whole time I wasn’t judging myself
as much I was like yeah it’s going to
take a bit this is going to take a bit
at some point you know it’s going to
it’s going to click and I’m going to
have it so I think I spent so much more
time worrying about myself and not what
everybody else was so great at and I
just think that that was uh that putting
the blinders on and ever since then
obviously then you win and you just
think okay I’m you know I don’t need to
do this anymore even if I get like a
even now like I look at certain people
like Justin chip or hidden iron or you
know Rory drive it and I I look at it
like oh that’s fascinating how amazing
and then I just get back to my thing of
like how am I going to beat them it’s
not as much of a
clamoring to be like them which I think
I had early on got it so I’ve heard like
corn fairy tour is just like the guys do
a lot of bonding do you have any
specific memories that you feel safe
sharing here of hanging out as a corn
fairy Tour player there’s a lot of B I
mean South America no one’s family comes
you know that’s a that’s a lot of
dinners uh we used to play a lot in
Jinn uh that was like the one thing to
do felt like uh I was a staple at the
every Outback in every city
I always told people if you want to have
dinner with me you’re welcome but I’m
going be at the corner of the bar at the
Outback get an Outback Special so
there’s one one really fun night
was I’m good friends with Colt no and
Colt is in the final group in Fort Wayne
Indiana uh in the playoffs first event I
already locked my card up so it’s kind
of more relaxed I finished my round and
Steve Marino had the house off of one
and he just told me that a bunch of guys
were going to come hang out have some
fun and watch the golf and hopefully you
know col um Colt will win or whatever
well the thing was he ended up going
against Bud collie I think Bud ended up
winning so it’s good for either way and
now col has less to brag about uh so it
worked out Every Which Way but it was
just fun like every golfer was coming
through there Colt came back after we
all went out and I just felt like it was
a it was a cool Community to be a part
of we’re obviously all competing and out
there it’s more Cutthroat than out here
you know you’re talking about
livelihoods more so than here a bad
you’re out here you’re still doing just
fine but I think you you get a respect
for everyone’s golf game and you know
everyone’s working at it so sometimes
people are going to beat you sometimes
they won’t uh but you got to kind of you
guys are all kind of bonded by this
really stressful situation week in and
week out and I just felt like that was a
really fun kind of culmination of a year
type of night because yeah I was bummed
I didn’t win I was bummed you know I’m
sure everybody was that they weren’t you
know we we were done early enough to
watch like the back six holes last six
holes but it was cool to just be around
everybody and and
see just kind of see the energy rooting
for some friends to like get to then get
promoted to the PJ tour like stuff like
that was awesome right so we do this
thing growing up where at every night at
dinner we would have to say our low from
the day or high from the day and
something that we learned so if you look
back on the last 10 years of your career
a low high in something that you’ve
learned that’s such a great
question my low is um Thursday Friday at
the Windam championship in
2017 I knew I would I had to get a third
place solo to keep my card in I
mean maybe for five total seconds that
week I thought I could do it you know I
hadn’t done anything good let alone a
third place so I kind of went that EV
knowing I wasn’t going to eat my card
and I needed like something good even
just to get in the top 200 so I knew I
was going back to Q
school and I played terrible Thursday
and I remember I was the morning wave
and I hit I went to the range and I hit
ball salong I’m pretty
sure the afternoon wave
finished and it was just it’s hot as
hell there and I just kept hitting balls
and I had I think it’s my low and my
high it’s the worst I could have felt
about myself but I look back at that day
more than I look back at any day cuz I
thought that there’s no reason for me to
do this I’m not going to find something
for tomorrow but the reason it’s a high
is I
guess what I’m most proud of of coming
back and and having success as C in the
last five years is because of days like
that where I wasn’t working for tomorrow
I was working for 2024 2023 things like
that so as my LS it’s definitely the wor
I’ve ever felt about myself um but it’s
a high in a way because I was proud of
doing that I don’t think a lot of people
would do that it was probably a little
crazy but I like that
um and then what was the third something
you learned something I learned I do
think like I said before I think just
not really worrying about what other
people are doing and what they’re good
at I think if you’ve made it out here
you’re really good at something and you
should harness that and try to get
better through the Avenue see the value
in
yourself uh and and just maximize it
some people are going to be Rory some
people are going to be Scotty they’re
just better um they’re going to have
better careers than you potentially but
the whole point is to whatever you have
in you you maximize that and you take
pride in that um you know if I played
basketball well I’m not 6 foot eight so
my ceiling is is significant it might
look higher because I’m further from it
but it’s significantly lower than Leon
james’ ceiling just physically in every
aspect but if I went out there and did
my absolute best I would be proud of
wherever I made it to I think if I look
when you look at that in golf there’s
some guys that were if they top out they
get 10th in the world or 20th in the
world whatever that is you should find
pride in that so I’m I’m just doing my
best to see whatever that number gets to
and and
avoiding trying to be like other people
or trying
to catch other people in the sense of
like forcing that like I have to do that
to be worthy of being like a successful
professional now I know that I mean I’ve
been lucky like I’ve made it pretty far
but even if I hadn’t I think just one
foot in front of the other and do the
best you can every day and then you just
take sols with that in that so I think
of you as a very laid-back person with
even like your pressors and online and
stuff and then when I see you on the
course it’s like a a shift kind of but I
like you’re dialed in your head stays
down I notice you almost don’t look up
that often and you’re walking like with
a purpose have you always been like have
that switch and when does it in a
tournament Week start and then turn off
yeah it’s funny to say that I’ve really
been working the last last week was the
best I’ve ever done with it but I’ve
really been working at it to be more
like who I am off of the golf course on
it I do a great job of put my head down
on a
Sunday and being very focused but I’m
also very calm and like at peace I would
say like in something like this like I’m
calm I’m peaceful I’m with you know a
friend like everything it’s like the
walls aren’t up yeah when I get out
there I think it’s the the people I get
a little bit of like social anxiety and
I’ve been very lucky I have a great
support system out there and it feels
like I can’t give back enough to
everybody so I kind of just like don’t
give much at all I’m trying to smile a
bit more and be a little bit more
laidback but I’ve just always been like
that I
I I’m I’m misconstrued in that like I’m
goofy like I’m I and Goofy off the golf
course but like I care about my golf
more than I could ever explain like I
want to be the best I can be more than
anything so it’s like a balancing act
sometimes you have people come up and
like say a joke and it’s like yeah like
I feel that joke I’d like to go back and
forth like I’m working yeah like this is
golf makes me very happy good golf makes
me uh outside of my family that’s that’s
something that has just never changed so
I’d like to be a little less serious
isn’t the right word but like head down
and just like locked in cuz sometimes
I’m thinking too much I wish sometimes
things could roll off my back like they
do in the real world a little bit more
but that’s a it’s a balancing out
because I know it’s gotten me here again
I don’t want to change just to change
but it’s definitely something I’d like
to I’d like to get better at it is
interesting though being like and this
is you’ve had this times 500,000 but
like when I’m inside the ropes like it
is an awkward feeling of like people are
no one’s looking at me but I feel like
they are and then someone will be like
oh do you remember me I met you at this
pram eight years ago and it’s like it’s
awkward you feel like you’re in like a
fishbowl kind of yeah it’s a uh it’s an
acquired taste I think I’ve gotten worse
at it as time’s gone on more
people and it’s never that I don’t
appreciate them being out there and it’s
never that
I am a wo as me why are you yelling it’s
just
more it’s just more Awkward it’s just
uncomfortable at times to have people
yelling your name or yelling things they
I’ve said on the Internet or people have
said on podcast like it just feels like
a lot at times and again I if I were off
the golf course and they were at dinner
with me or whatever it would be easier
to have a back and forth but like if I
give you a back and forth and then that
person says something I feel like I need
to give you a back and just need to and
then it’s just like I I it’s the kind of
the things uh like at the zoo when it
says don’t feed the animals I feel like
once I feed one I feel the need to then
give them all so I do do a poor job at
times of just kind of shutting off and
living in my own world but I do really
appreciate all of it it’s just it’s hard
I’m still trying to work and I can’t you
know I can’t can’t just give you know
what they probably deserve yeah as
you’re walking today shot it’s so much
all right just a few more here um the
most nervous you’ve ever been on the
golf course 18 at the rder Cup this year
we had this I say like the sweetest 20
to 30 minutes of hope I got like the
14th home and I looked and we were going
to tie or lose a couple matches but we
were going to win quite a few and then
right behind my name it was a sea of red
and I was like oh and you know you’re
doing the math I’m like oh my gosh we
could pull off the coolest comeback ever
and then I looked a little bit closer
I’m like oh my God it’s going to come
down to this match if I push my match we
lose and as I said before um I’ve dreamt
and I think everyone has a making a put
to win the Ridder I’ve never dreamt to
make it a p not to lose it and there’s
something weird about it uh so that
whole 16 through 18 but especially the
18th hole just million thoughts going
through your head trying to calm
yourself down uh that that putt I was I
was shaking like a leaf uh but you know
it’s unfortunately we didn’t win we gave
him a hell of a run but it’s something I
I hold near and dear as far as a
learning moment I will never I don’t
think feel like that again and I’ve had
multiple puts this year on last holes
where you know it’s last week I wanted
to go from potentially eighth place to
like 12th or 13th and those are you know
you love rocking up top 10 and I
sometimes tell myself like dude you made
that part of the rder cup like you’ll be
all right yeah just hit it do your best
and then your favorite OnCourse memory
of your whole life and then your
favorite off course memory with golfers
oh best I have a lot of best Encore I’ve
been very lucky uh
you know the whole Saturday with Brian
at the rder cut was very fun we played
really well and it was a blast
but something about that first win I
remember I was walking up 18 hit the
green and two I had a three shot lead so
we knew we
won and I was walking in like as I I
walk fast so I’m always ahead in Joe but
I like kind of look back and it was more
and more space and I finally like looked
back at Joe and Joe just kept saying
soak it in soak it in and it was really
cool it was like one of those things
where I felt the years of bad and it
felt like a full like lift and I was
like I did it like if this is the
furthest I ever get like I would have
never not saying I never dreamt of it
but I wouldn’t have probably believ you
at times if you told me so something
about that walk up uh it’s very Vivid in
my mind and I got again sharing it with
Joe makes it extra special and so that
was cool like I said I’ve been lucky
there’s been bigger wins I guess and
maybe cooler moments but some about that
uh just because of everything that came
before it that that that holds a pretty
special memory in my mind off the golf
course probably a lot of I can’t hear
people out PG yeah be PG
um with golfers I’ve had so many I mean
shoot the Safari this year with Justin
and his wife
Jill man I mean I’ve always been close
with Justin I didn’t wasn’t super close
with Jill Lacy and her were are good
friends but getting to spend time with
them and be out in
just the most real place you could ever
imagine and get to just like tell
stories and we still all talk about it I
don’t know something about that was it
was really cool it’s just it was it was
a mix of like man how lucky are we to
have such great friends and second like
how cool is it where golf can like take
us I would have never dreamt to go into
South Africa on a safari uh in a mill
years and all of a sudden because of
golf we got to go there we got to go
with you
know one of my best friends out here and
one of the best golfers I’ve ever seen
his lovely wife and just like soak in an
experience it was cool awesome well Max
thank you so much for this was amazing
Che that was a blast house ice cream I
had to slow down I was worried I was I
was going to finish too quickly well I
feel bad cuz usually I I think non-dairy
doesn’t melt as fast as yeah I mean that
was
solid all right right just finished the
scoop with Max H this is the side that
they don’t show you oh we’re on our way
up this is beautiful
[Music]