“The humor and stuff, that’s entertaining, but that’s not really him,” Blackburn said in early December at the Hero World Challenge, as Homa wrapped up a practice session. When Homa’s working, though, his coach Mark Blackburn sees a different side. “The way he tweets at people, roasts ’em, all of that? That’s exactly who he is,” Peter Pappageorge, Homa’s best friend, told me over the phone. (One example: “Even if I tried to save this video on my phone, I think it’d cause a virus.”) That became his brand. Homa endeared himself to golf fans long before he was one of the best in the world, thanks to his Twitter account, where he unleashed a steady stream of deadpan humor, Tour insight, sports commentary and swing roasts. That has always played well with fans, too - we like a dash of relatability mixed in with our favorite athletes’ transcendent talents. Stephen Denton Stephen DentonĪway from the golf course, normalcy is Homa’s instinct. Max Homa isn’t sneaking up on anybody anymore. “It doesn’t make you cool or special to play golf here,” he says. “I’m a professional golfer,” he told her, expecting follow-ups.Īt lunch, Homa grins. “The lady asked what I do for work,” he says. So why Scottsdale? By way of explanation, he tells the story of his first Arizona haircut. They have roots here now too: They welcomed their first child, Cam, just a couple weeks before our mid-November lunch. He admits that he still sees himself as a Californian, but Homa and his wife, Lacey, have been in Scottsdale for four years. I’m curious how Homa - who grew up in Los Angeles County, went to his hometown Valencia High School, attended Cal-Berkeley and still bleeds Dodger Blue - likes living here. There’s also an egg-roll salad, Homa’s favorite, that has just been placed in front of him. There are two 18-hole courses at Whisper Rock: the Upper, designed by Tom Fazio, and the Lower, designed by Phil Mickelson. We’re not getting beers, but we are having lunch at Whisper Rock, a Scottsdale, Ariz., oasis frequented by the area’s A-listers, from pro athletes (think Michael Phelps) to pro golfers (think Jon Rahm) to pro caddies (think Jim “Bones” Mackay), plus a slate of golf-mad local businessmen with both the financial wherewithal and connections to belong. “Well, I don’t know if you really would.” “For a while, with the social media stuff, people were all like, ‘Man, I’d love to have a beer with that guy,’” he says. IT’S POSSIBLE, MAX HOMA SAYS, that we have him all wrong. Max Homa is this month's GOLF cover star.
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