Max Homa Stars in US Open Qualifier by Carrying His Own Bag
In a US Open qualifier filled with PGA Tour players, Max Homa stood out in an unusual way on Monday: he was the only one who carried his own bag.
Homa, without a caddie, preferred to focus on his game, setting aside the rumors about his personal situation.The separation from Bill Harke, his caddie for two months, occurred recently. A close source revealed that Harke “lost his job,” but Homa did not offer further details.
I prefer to talk about golf instead of questions about the caddie. I’m fine. I walked 36 holes.
Max Homa
Regarding his performance, Homa commented: “It’s probably heartbreaking, but it’s okay. I hadn’t carried my bag for 36 holes in a long time, so I’m a little tired.”
When asked about his attitude, Homa hinted: “It seems to be better than when someone is by my side for some reason. Maybe I need to walk alone more. Perhaps I saw it as a nice, quiet walk. I probably had to fight some demons without anyone to lean on. Maybe that helps a little. There’s no one… it’s all me. The battle helped a little.”
The qualifier in Kinsale awarded six spots for the US Open at Oakmont next week. Homa was in the qualifying zone for much of the day.
After leaving a chip in the rough on his ninth hole of the second round, he made a double bogey, followed by a bogey, and then responded with two consecutive birdies.He seemed to be safe with a second shot at 25 feet on the 9th hole, his last hole. But the uphill putt circled the hole and came back about 6 feet, and he three-putted for par and finished at 5 under par 139.
A tiebreaker seemed to be his best hope. He would be fine with carrying the bag more holes if that meant going to Oakmont.
Homa didn’t imagine being in this position a year ago, when he was number 10 in the world. But he changed teams and coaches. He parted ways with his six-year caddie just before the Masters. And then he had no caddie at all.
Homa said he never felt fatigue because he was near the cut line all day, pushing himself. It was after making three putts on his last hole when it started to affect him.He said that not having anyone to consult about a shot led him to be a bit more conservative, not a bad tactic on a course he doesn’t know very well.
Asked last about the caddie situation, Homa whispered: “I wanted to load up for 36 holes. Everyone’s going to ask me that.”
