Jordan Spieth has been hugely impressed by the rise of Max Homa after he climbed to a career-high sixth in the Official World Golf Rankings last weekend.
Perhaps no PGA Tour player has seen his stock ascend as quickly in the last 24 months as Homa who has picked up five wins since the 2021 Genesis Invitational, which has him tied with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay for the most wins in that period.
A California specialist with four wins on the West Coast, Homa appears to be on a major championship trajectory particularly after winning at Torrey Pines and Riviera, becoming the sixth player to do so with the five previous players going on to lift major titles.
“I mean, he doesn’t really have a weakness. I’m not even sure what his weaknesses may have been when he was struggling. I don’t have that information,” Spieth said of Homa. “But I’ve played quite a bit with him in the last couple years and paired with him quite a bit and it’s really fun to watch him play the game. He’s a really easy person to play with because you want to swing it like him. You want to putt it like him.
“His relationship with Joe Greiner, I mean, Joe’s an incredible caddie, a high-level player, huge high IQ. As a golfer, you kind of listen to what they’re saying and it’s kind of fun to listen in. So they have just got — it’s a really good situation going on.
“He’s a friend of mine. I’ve known him for awhile. Not super close for a long time, but having played with him more recently and him being a new dad and just kind of spending some time with them, he and Lacey and Cam, it’s been a really kind of cool relationship over the last year or so.
“And I’m always rooting for him. He’s so likeable. Obviously his social presence has made him super likeable. He’s a fan favourite too. But that’s who he is in person, so it’s really cool and easy to root for him.”
Indeed, Homa has rapidly become a fans favourite having established himself as an affable character and he has a prominent social media presence where he comes across as a light hearted man who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
The American now looks a cert to contend in major championships and make a Ryder Cup debut in Rome for the USA – not bad for someone who lost his PGA Tour card, twice.
“He was not the first to do it, he won’t be the last to do it,” affirmed Spieth. “Like I was saying before, it’s just the way the game is. It can bring you down and it can bring you super, super high. He’s somebody who is willing to ride out the down because he knew his potential and then went and worked for it. So that’s what makes it such a cool story. You just have to be willing to risk it like that for it to pay off.”
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