THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 7, 2023

Max Homa

TPC Sawgrass

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Max Homa to the interview room here at the 2023 PLAYERS Championship. Max, welcome. You're having a great season. Two wins so far, four top 10s, and entering the week second in the FedExCup. Can you talk about opening thoughts with momentum going into THE PLAYERS?

MAX HOMA: It's nice to have momentum coming into THE PLAYERS. This place is really tricky, so I think confidence is a big part of the week. It's nice to have that.

But, yeah, obviously I've been playing some really good golf. It's been quite consistent, so it's kind of fun to arrive at a massive event and not feel like I'm tinkering with anything or trying to do anything different, knowing that if I just keep doing what I've been doing, the birdies will come and hopefully the bogeys will hide in the corner.

THE MODERATOR: This is your third start at THE PLAYERS. Best finish T-13 last year. Just talk about the course a bit and your thoughts on your game to this Stadium Course.

MAX HOMA: Yeah, last year was quite the anomaly. I played that Saturday in the tornado. That was really difficult. But it was fun to play well that day, play well enough to play four rounds here and then give myself an opportunity on Sunday to continue to learn the golf course.

Obviously I was quite a ways back as I teed off on 10, but I played really well that day. I shot 67, I think. I felt like at least I kind of built up the idea that I can play quite well around this place. I think it suits me. I'm a good iron player typically, and I think it requires quite a bit of precision.

But it's just a bear. If you're out of position off the tee, you're going to be out of position until you get it in the hole. So I like the place for the way I'm hitting it. I think I can keep myself in the right spots and give myself some looks at birdies and some maybe some extra stress-free pars that I think go a long way over four days.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open to questions.

Q. I was wondering did you go to the players' meeting this morning?

MAX HOMA: I did not. I wanted to and then my kid, Cam, had a -- I'll save you guys the details, but I was a little late. (Laughing.)

Q. Just wondering if you have a sense of how the PGA TOUR changes are being received by the membership at large and how those conversations have been going.

MAX HOMA: Yeah, a pretty big mixed bag. I think if you're someone like me who's been in more meetings than I had ever been in prior to this year, I think we grasped the entirety of what has been presented and worked on. And I think I've been fortunate that a few other players who aren't in all of those meetings have come up to me and we've chatted about them. They have asked me, you know, questions about it, but I've kind of more so asked them how they feel about it and what, you know, their hang-ups may be.

Something I have heard quite a bit of in these conversations is, well, I understand this isn't for me as I'm not a top-50 player and I've been trying to do my best to explain that this is for everybody. There's room for growth up to that top 50, or even in a micro version, you play a couple good weeks and get into these events. I've really racked my brain on this quite a bit and I don't see how this isn't better for every member of this TOUR. I think it makes it more competitive at the top. It has a bigger pot of gold at the end of the competitive rainbow for the guys at the maybe just outside the designated event area going into next year.

So I've been just trying to explain that to people, and if they still have a problem with it, then that's okay. But I just feel like it's been a bit tricky because I'm not sure all of the information has been presented perfectly, and I don't think that all of the information has been presented. So I think, you know, I didn't get to watch it yet, but I imagine Jay's press conference today explained quite a bit of it and it's not so much of playing telephone.

Q. What has it been like for you who has obviously kind of seen every side of professional golf to now be in this position where you're in these meetings and guys are coming to you with concerns and kind of being a person in that now power position?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, I think as I said last week, which is kind of interesting, and again it's -- I know when I say this, it's just to the internet and it's just people on my Instagram telling me things about how I -- what they think I think.

But so many people say, well you wouldn't have thought this back in 2016, 2017, although I have said like last week that I did believe in this. I didn't know about this exact model, but I did believe in this, I guess, the crux of what's changed. So when people do talk to me about it, I feel like I have a good perspective on it. I have vivid memories of when I wasn't someone who was being asked questions or someone who was in meetings. I was someone hoping to meet someone who was in meetings so I could ask these questions.

So I've seen both and I remember both, and I still live my life and make my decisions and inform my opinions based off of both kind of sides of professional golf that I've seen. So I understand not everyone will believe that, and so much of this looks like, oh, it's just a great way for me to make money. But I can promise you that that is not why I play golf and that's not what I -- that is not my opinion on this.

I think this is really a great thing for upping competition on this TOUR. I think it's great for the fans as we will have more of the top players battling more often, and I think it's going to be really exciting at events that aren't designated to see that if you win, yes, you're in the designated events, but even if you don't, if you have a great week, you're one step closer to getting in that designated event or maybe closer to getting into that top 50 at the end of the year to be doing this the next year.

So I don't know, I just, I see it as a benefit in so many ways. Obviously there's little tinkering you could do here and there, not going to say anything's perfect as we haven't even seen it yet, but I do believe in this quite a bit.

Q. Congratulations on becoming a father recently. How has this life-changing event changed your perspective on life and how might that impact your perspective on golf?

MAX HOMA: It didn't change my perspective on golf much. I have to work on not treating it like it's the end of the world anyways. It does help quite a bit when I leave Bay Hill on Sunday and my family had flown in that day and I got to go pick up Cam. That was really cool, just because it was very exciting and I missed him a lot. So little things like that cheer me up.

Even Sunday I played with Jordan, and he made quite a great run at winning that thing and came up just shy, and as we were walking to scoring, Sammy, his son, ran to him with a big stick in his hand, and you could just see how Jordan's emotions changed. I thought that that was quite nice. So little things like that I think to cheer me up.

I don't think it's changed my perspective, but I do think I've gotten quite a bit more efficient in practice. I'm someone who loves to be at the golf course, but I don't love it as much when I know my kid is at home and my wife is on her own. So I do feel like I've done a good job of getting the same value of work done in a little bit less time. I think that's clearly not hindered my golf this year, so that's been cool. But I like now that when I'm off the golf course I feel like I'm off the golf course, and that's not something that I could say prior to him being in my life.

Q. It's early days, but do you think this new life for you might make you a better golfer?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, I mean, it could. I would like to say that they're independent. When I'm practicing and playing, I'm still playing to be the best me I can be. It sure is motivating to want to win golf tournaments as he gets older so that he can run to me with a big stick, you know, maybe when I have a trophy in my hand. But obviously I understand regardless, he's not going to think of me any differently if I don't. So, yeah, I don't see why it -- if I can keep the two independent in a way, it's more motivating than it is pressure. So I would assume that would help.

Q. As someone who's been sort of involved in the PGA TOUR's broadcast changes over the last couple months and particularly considering the designated events this year, have you been paying more attention to the TV ratings that have come out about the PGA TOUR?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, I actually had a good discussion with Jay about this after Waste Management. I had read something that we had fairly low ratings at one of the events, and I was kind of asking him, does this concern you, considering the changes we're about to make. And he said, first and foremost, that just straight-up TV ratings isn't the way the world works anymore. If you think about the Waste Management as he put it, so much fanfare, especially, and this is corny, but all the celebrities and people who aren't in the game of golf intimately that are out there and sharing it via social media or with their friends is boosting not only the PGA TOUR but golf in general, which I think is great. So that was quite interesting.

Then of course a day or two later he sent me the final ratings of it and it was I think the highest event, I can't remember what day, Saturday or Sunday, but it was the highest viewed event since THE PLAYERS the year prior. So I thought that was a really good sign.

I think it's easy for us to, as players, to look at these events and say, man, this is working great, like look at the last few designated events and the finishes and the players battling against each other and the leaderboards and just all of it, and it just seems so great. But it's hard, it's not like I can -- I would assume that that would mean great ratings and great attention, but we don't know that.

So I kind of lean on, since I've had this conversation with Jay, where he can kind of continue to show me, not just explain, but show me that it is doing a great job, and again, I know I'm probably sounding like I just keep reiterating myself, but the reason I love this product model is because I'm a fan of golf. I love watching golf and I've loved watching golf since I was a little kid. That's why I play it.

My attention is of course on my performances and being the best me I can be, but it's also on making sure that golf is thriving, and as I'm on the PGA TOUR, the PGA TOUR's thriving and that people are watching it, because I love this game and I want other people to get involved and love this game and watch it. I don't want to put up or be a part of a product that people find to be boring and stale. So I am very much about what we're doing and these meetings and pushing the envelope and making changes that benefit the golf fan, because again, I am a golf fan.

Q. The TOUR has some of the top 30 I think probably 20, 29 of the best players right now. But what it's missing are kind of like the heels, the Brysons, the Patrick Reeds, the Brooks Koepkas, and we've kind of gotten a glimpse as to how close TOUR players are with each other, how friendly they are. You said you're a fan of the game as well as you're out there playing, but do you think golf is missing some of those characters that get under the skin of other guys? Do you think those sidebars are kind of missing from the TOUR right now? I'm just kind of curious as to your opinion on that.

MAX HOMA: Yeah, I think that certain TV shows and movies aren't great, like a Hallmark movie, when everything is just all perfect. And I think all of it is interesting. I do think that it is a shame that I find Bryson to be one of the most interesting people who has probably ever swung a golf club. He thinks about it differently. Even his setup of his golf clubs are different. He obviously transformed his body, and I thought that was incredibly interesting.

It was something like, you know, sixth at Bay Hill last year or two years ago, it was like must-see TV, and it was awesome. As I talk to my friends who are far removed from my standing in golf and how close I am to it, I ask them quite often, you know, who are their favorite players and least favorite players, and it's interesting because when they mention someone who is maybe not their favorite, they always seem to like light up and love talking about it. I'm not saying that those players are anyone's least favorite, but they obviously have brought some controversy when they have played in events here and there, whether that's good or bad, but for the, for golf I feel like that's good. For entertainment that's good, for fans that's good.

I guess one thing that I've kind of settled on is, although some of the most interesting players in golf are playing on a different TOUR, I don't think that that, that those are the last of the interesting players that will come through this TOUR. I think that there will be other interesting aspects or other interesting characters to come play through here. They might be on it now, they might not be. They might be coming up in a bit, in a year or two. But of course I think the most kind of frustrating part of kind of the fracture of golf right now is that everyone plays a role in entertaining the fans. And since there's a divide, you're missing something at the very least, and that's quite a shame. Again, as a fan of golf that's a shame that you have to watch them in two separate events. But such is life, I guess.

Q. So it's a virtual certainty that at some point a LIV contract is going to expire and someone's going to want back into this ecosystem. How would you feel about that personally?

MAX HOMA: I've thought a lot about this. My selfish, petty side would be really frustrated, because I have not been annoyed at anyone leaving. It's your own choice and you have to do what you believe you should do. I'm totally cool with that. Things I've been joking about it and maybe not so subtle about is some people have said things on their way out that's been quite frustrating. So if they were to come back, I think it would be kind of, it would feel kind of nice because it's almost like, oh, yeah, never mind, like do I like the PGA TOUR, as we who have stayed love the PGA TOUR.

But I think that the fact that they went out and, you know, not saying we're a family out here; I'm not super duper close with a ton of guys, but like it does feel like we're all kind of in this together to push competitive golf and push the game forward. So I think my petty side would be a little bit annoyed, but also kind of smiling underneath thinking, okay, welcome, welcome back to what you could have just been doing.

But I think my unselfish side and my realistic side is that as I just mentioned, all of those guys that you can name that left are great for golf. Champion golfers, interesting golfers, so many great stories across their careers. So of course I think if I could put my selfish part aside and maybe my and put on my big-boy hat, I would realize that having them back would be a good thing for golf at large.

Q. When the last month you've been part of a 1-2 finish at the Genesis Invitational, going up against the No. 1 player in the world in Jon Rahm. Now that you're playing -- you are playing some of the best golf of your career, what kind of opportunity do you feel like this week represents for you to take advantage of that? And what if anything do you think that sort of one-on-one contest that came toward the end helped you prepare for not only this tournament, but also the majors to come later this year?

MAX HOMA: I think with some of the success I've had lately, as much as it has been great physical changes and work with my caddie and my coach, Mark and my putting coach, Phil, and all these great advancements I made physically with my body with my trainers and all of my team, the big leaps have come mentally.

So I can, I think what's quite comforting, to your question about this event and the majors, is if I play terrible it this week I know now it does not define me and if I'm a great golfer. I think I have proven, not only to other people but to myself, that I am a great golfer.

So, yeah, I would love to go out here and say I'm going to win and that's all that, that's -- if I don't win then I got to go work on something and fix something. But I don't believe that anymore. I believe that I'm going to play well because I have played great. But I believe that if, by some lightning rod of bad luck I play terrible, I don't think I'm going to go home and think I need to re-invent the wheel. And that's quite comforting. Because I think before when I came to big events and my struggles in majors is I put so much pressure that, Okay, this is how I test myself and prove myself and all those things.

I don't believe that anymore and I think that is what's letting me play great golf. And I think that's what's going to lead to me playing well in these five massive events.

I'm quite excited about, I guess, my -- confidence is an interesting thing, you know. I think true confidence isn't fleeting, it just stays. Obviously in golf it has ebbs and flows. But I think that if you're looking at THE PLAYERS and the four majors this year, for myself personally, I see great opportunity and not nearly as much pressure as I think I put on them in the past.

THE MODERATOR: All right, Max, thank you for your time. Good luck this week.

MAX HOMA: Thanks, guys. Have a good one.