THE 152ND OPEN

July 19, 2024

Max Homa

Mixed Zone

Q. How was that putt on 18?

MAX HOMA: Tricky, but it went right in the middle, so that felt very good.

Q. It was a very demonstrative reaction afterwards. What caused that?

MAX HOMA: Hopefully it was to make the cut, but I don't know, just been really not playing very well and golf has not been very fun.

I've been doing a poor job mentally. I just felt like today for one of the first times maybe ever I just never really flinched, never blinked. I played 16 really good holes and just made two really bad swings.

I don't know, maybe I'm just proud of myself. This is my favourite tournament in the world. So to have the chance to potentially play two more days, I don't know, I had an out-of-body experience. I didn't really expect to yell like I won a golf tournament. It just felt really good. I felt like I fought all day.

Q. When was the last time do you think on a golf course you've been that happy?

MAX HOMA: Honestly, I just told you, I don't know if I've been that happy. It's more like inward. Just sometimes you just win like a battle within. It's a lot more -- you get a lot more proud than even beating all these guys sometimes.

Q. Do you feel like everyone out there was kind of living it with you?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, that's something I'll never forget. They just kept clapping. It really did make me feel good.

I think these fans obviously over here get it more than anybody. I think they all knew how hard it was out there, and I think they appreciate a good fight. I tried to do my best.

Q. Compared to a typical Tour setup, what are the questions that Troon is asking that make it so difficult?

MAX HOMA: Today was a bit -- and not in a bad way, just it was a bit of goofy golf on the front nine. There wasn't a whole lot of -- the questions they're asking is how fast can you get on the ground?

The slopes out here are a lot different than other links courses in that there's a lot more undulation in the fairway. I just felt like the first few holes we were in the fairway, I'm chipping a 7-iron, but the ball is six to eight inches above my feet, and you're trying to hold it off the right. It was like supreme ball striking, hit a ball close. You were just trying to keep it on the right side and make pars.

After that 9th hole, the wind died back to like a normal rate and then I just think you were just back to hitting, playing the golf course and avoid the bunkers, and you're going to have to stack up on two or three tee shots. 11 and 12 are just nightmares.

Q. When you get a shot that you've never practiced, a 5-iron from 140 yards or whatever it is, how do you commit to that and play that do or die shot?

MAX HOMA: It's funny because I feel like those are oddly freeing because you're not supposed to know how to do it. You just kind of feel like a kid again and just chip them. There's no science to it on those. You just really have some feel and like a shot on a basketball court, just see it and try to make a 7-iron go that far.

I like that aspect a lot, it's just really difficult.

Q. You said you've been struggling to have fun playing golf. How do you kind of try to have more fun?

MAX HOMA: I'm not sure. I really did go around yesterday a little better. I still got down on myself quite a bit. I feel like I finished the round right and I was trying to find little goals.

Today I had already committed to I was going to miss the cut, and I was just hoping to find something mentally just to enjoy myself out here.

It's just the golf game hasn't been great. Expectation is a hell of a drug, and it's just been getting to me. If I wasn't going to win the ball striking battle, I was at least going to try to win that battle inside.

Q. Expectations are a hell of a drug. So was it after the Masters that you had expectations for where you're going to go this year?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, I think just in general. I played so well last year. Finished at the Ryder Cup, played great, won in Africa and just thought to myself that my game felt so good. Then this entire season it's been a roller coaster, haven't hit the ball well at all, minus Augusta and maybe one other week.

Then those two weeks I did hit it well, I didn't putt it well. It just feels like the game's really getting to me. I'm on the wrong side of a lot of inches here.

I guess at some point you just have to grow up and realize that it doesn't get better with a bad attitude.

Q. Did you diagnose the swing issues?

MAX HOMA: I actually think we did last night. We did a lot of good work. Today I think it showed. I was really great off the tee today. It was really hard to be creative and kind of mechanical at the same time.

I really only made two bad swings. They were horrific, but the rest of them were kind of on point. I didn't really feel like I missed -- really missed a golf shot other than those two swings, but I kind of had that anticipation with just coming out in 30 miles an hour, 20 miles an hour with a completely kind of new swing feel.

So I kind of gave myself some grace there and just tried to move on from it and keep making good swings.

Q. You've had some cool pairings in this tournament. You played with Tiger a couple years ago, Rory today. Is that cool at all?

MAX HOMA: Yeah, it's really cool. Yeah, I've got a cool life.

Q. With the wind going the way it was, did it feel a little like you were swimming against the tide?

MAX HOMA: No, it was just hard. I don't think there was anything overly like brutal about it. Like it just was -- that's just what was going to be today. I don't think a lot of people were going to go out and get it. It was just going to be hard. I think everybody is in their own world.

Q. You said you assumed you weren't making the cut?

MAX HOMA: Kind of. I just haven't been playing well. I was going to play in a lot harder conditions, and I shot 5-over yesterday. I wasn't overly optimistic, but I was still going to try. I felt like I was at ease with that.

Q. What are you thinking after that triple? Are you thinking you're out of it?

MAX HOMA: A little bit, but again, I don't know why, I was just in a good state of mind. I just had a feeling that, if I kept plugging along, maybe something good would happen. We turn to play a lot of easier holes, 13 through 18, so you can make two or three birdies.

Q. With two more days of golf, is there something you try to gain before this tournament is over?

MAX HOMA: Well, I'm first hopeful I even have two days. Yeah, like I said, I thought I made a big stride on my ball striking today. So just keep doing that and use that going into the playoffs.