Max Homa needs a new hobby.
The six-time PGA winner pointed to the importance of feeling refreshed and admitted to having trouble getting away from the game when he spoke with reporters ahead of the John Deere Classic on Wednesday in Silvis, Ill.
So, the question is – what’s the solution?
“Golf, you’re just so tied into results,” Homa said. “Once you go down that path it’s hard to stop, so it’s not like tons of fun. I want to find something that’s fun that I feel like I can get better at.”
The 34-year-old talked about getting into fishing – “That seems peaceful” – but also seemed to light up at the prospect of getting better at cooking, noting that it would benefit his immediate family.
“When you have a 2 ½-year old … I make a lot more meals than I was for myself,” Homa said. “I’d like to get better at that. Treat my wife to not my typical home-cooked meal. Something a little bit better. I think I might get into that.
“I can grill a little bit,” he added. “I can make a decent sauce for pasta. But I’m not super great at it. Fortunately, my son eats chicken tenders, so he probably thinks I’m a great cook.”
But whether it’s fishing, cooking or something else entirely, Homa is serious about finding respite to make sure his mental game is strong.
“Hopefully when I get home next week, I’ll get into something,” he said.
First, though, there’s that little matter of the current task at hand.
Homa, ranked just No. 99 in the world, is making his first appearances at TPC Deere Run in eight years, and his last appearance, in 2017, was less than inspiring, as he missed the cut.
That was prior to his greatest run of success as a professional, as he won six tournaments between 2019-23 and got as high as No. 5 in the worldwide rankings.
Lately, it’s been more of a struggle. Homa is 122nd in the FedEx Cup race, and he has finished in the top 20 just once in his last 10 appearances (T12 at the Masters). The sports books place him at +10000 to win going into Thursday.
Those odds haven’t dampened his spirits, and he looks forward to playing a course conducive to birdies and one he feels he’s been away from for too long.
In particular, he’s excited to interact with some of his fans. In keeping with the theme of food and cooking, one might even say he’s looking forward to the nourishment they might be able to provide him.
“I haven’t had a very fun year and a half, but when you get a bunch of kids coming up excited to get your name on their hat, at least it makes you feel good inside,” Homa said. “Even if you made a bogey, it’s definitely something that kind of gives a nice reality check.
“So like I said, I’ve just been super lucky with the support I’ve had for a while now. It’s fun to come to a place I haven’t been for a while and get to meet a lot of those people and feel the love and support here.”
–Field Level Media
