Max Homa was just a six-year-old kid when Tiger Woods went on a rampage at Augusta National.
That was in 1997. Woods was 21 years old. He won by a record-setting 12 strokes, an accomplishment not yet understood by a 6-year-old.
What did register was the swagger this 21-year-old guy from California brought to a game otherwise considered a sport for ‘utter dorks’.
Homa is now 33 and has six PGA Tour titles under his belt. Incidentally, he played with Woods at Augusta National last April, but the 15-time major champion’s influence has not faded, even though I’ve seen it up close.
In a recent conversation with the Join the Lobby team, Homa explained how Woods left a lasting impression not only on him but on other young people his age.
The host, known by the pen name Swag, admitted that when he was younger, he didn’t know anything about golf apart from the name Tiger Woods. Blame it on Gatorade’s famous “Tiger” bottle.
Coma smiles. Growing up, Woods was part of the Big Three — or even the Big Four, if you add Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. But the debate remains between Mickelson and Woods, with Lefty winning six majors and 45 PGA Tour titles.
Still, it’s Woods who takes the top spot for the Max Homa Award. “He (Phil Mickelson) was always right behind Tiger, but I always say Tiger because he was the best and not only did he completely change the shape of golf, he made golf cool,” the six-time PGA Tour winner explained.
When will your friends say, “You play golf?” You just show them a video like, “Look at this, you motherfucker.” Tell Me That’s Not Cool
Golf had seen its fair share of entertainment events before Woods came along.
And none were as good as the king Arnold Palmer himself. Then there was Chi Chi Rodriguez and, later, Marlboro and Jack Daniels-drinking John Daly.
But Woods propelled golf into a territory of the modern era that no one before him had the ambition to conquer.
From his baggy red Sunday tees to his Tiger head gear, to his raised fists and club movements, the Hall of Famer has arguably elevated the sport to a level many never thought possible, not to mention the athleticism that Tiger Woods has brought to golf.
The trend, if you can call it that, was started by Greg Norman. “Golf was a stupid sport,” Max Homa said, which may offend some, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. Of course, Homa got to know Woods better after turning pro, and he had the chance to be paired with the 15-time major champion at the Masters.
Max Homa is a Tiger Woods fanboy, and he doesn’t hide it
Back in April, after pairing up with Woods for the first two rounds, Homa said, “It was awesome. It really is a dream to get to play with him here.
I said, I always wanted to see him hit the wrecking ball here, and I got to be right next to him. It was really cool.” And here’s what he said at the 2022 British Open. It reminds him of 1997.
“The funny thing is, maybe these memories are starting to form at age 6, and it’s a great thing to start doing,” he added. It’s pretty amusing that Woods, who has always given nicknames to his fellow pros (remember when he called Jordan Spieth “Spity”?), has given Homa two nicknames.
The first song, “Homie,” was super cool for a six-time PGA Tour winner, and the next one, “Maxie,” is what Koma feared most. He talked about the case and said: “We got a card on Friday morning, and the tiger had my card. I said,” Oh, I had the biggest card. ” I had to do it. “” “
Homa will appear this week at the Zozozososo Championship in Japan. Woods, meanwhile, is on a postseason break recovering from back surgery.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner will likely play in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, then the Hero World Challenge in December.
On the other hand, Woods’ TGL will start on January 7th. Obviously, the old world N ° 1 is taking care of it. Homa is notably a member of Jupiter Links Golf Club, Woods’ TGL team.