Max Homa is one of the best golfers in the world. He’s also really good at Twitter, as he’s become well known for hilariously roasting amateurs and videos of their golf swings.
He’s also great at making fun of himself, which makes him so easy to like.
Well, he played in the Masters this week and before his final round on Sunday he made a prediction on Twitter, saying he was going shoot under par on Sunday.
Did he then go low on Sunday? No. No he didn’t. He shot a 6-over, 78 to finish at 14-over for the tournament.
Immediately after his round he took a second to roast himself on Twitter for that prediction:
AUGUSTA, Ga. – There are plenty of storylines worth watching this week at the Masters.
Can Rory McIlroy finally complete the final leg of his career grand slam? Will Cameron Smith achieve the rare Players Championship-Masters double? Oh yeah, and then there’s Tiger Woods, the five-time Masters champion who has been working towards a potential return the last two days out at Augusta National Golf Club a year after a single-car crash nearly took his life and severely damaged his right leg (amputation was discussed).
Woods has been the talk of the town since he arrived on the property, with plenty of PGA Tour pros weighing in on his presence at the year’s first men’s major.
The Masters lights up the golf world every April, its spiritual setting warming hearts around the globe. Among the awakening are the players who take to the architectural gem framed by an explosion of colors. To the man, they love to talk about the unparalleled tournament between the Georgia Pines at Augusta National Golf Club.
The gathering every spring is matchless, from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt competition through the ceremony at Butler Cabin.
Ahead of the 86th Masters, Golfweek conducted its annual survey, this year getting takes on many things Masters from 25 players, nine of whom have won a green jacket, 12 major champions in all.
“The toughest hole for me is No. 5. It’s pretty long, and when that green is firm and you’re coming up there with a 4-iron, it’s pretty tough.” – Abraham Ancer
“Five. They made changes and it’s worse.” – Matt Fitzpatrick
“Four or five, I can’t make up my mind. I wouldn’t mind playing three and skipping right over to No. 6.” – Justin Rose
“Number two is a tough one for me to visit. Just a tricky drive. It’s a bit of a dogleg left, and the bunkers are so well placed for me off the tee that they tend to swallow up my golf balls. It’s a much harder hole for me than it is for others.” – Matt Kuchar
“Seventeen. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the fairway or the trees, I make a mess of the hole. I just scramble too much on that hole.” – 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed
“I think there is a great flow to the course, difficult holes, getable holes, so if you really changed one it would damper my feeling of Augusta National.” – Xander Schauffele
“Four and seven. I think they’re the two hardest holes on the golf course for me. They’re hard for everyone, but they’re really hard for me.” – Marc Leishman
“Five is the freaking hardest hole. But I love it. But it’s just so long.” – Max Homa
“I think five is not as good a hole now versus before the changes. The green was designed for a 7-iron and we don’t really see that anymore. It was such a fun hole before the changes, so I could do without five.” – 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth
“No. 11. I got really lucky the storm came a few years ago, four or five years ago, and knocked out some of the tops of the trees on 11. With those tall trees, I couldn’t aim it over the edge of the trees and cut it back. Now I can. Doesn’t mean I do it. It just means I have the ability to because trees are missing.” – Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson
“No. 4. It’s just so long and then you’re hitting to such a small target. And if you get in the wrong spot, it’s almost impossible to make par.” – Kevin Kisner
“Since they lengthened No. 5. It’s sneaky the hardest hole in the course, given the green is so difficult. I think I played into the wind a couple times last year and I was hitting 5-iron into the green. Because the greens are firm and some of those pins are tucked, there’s really no place to hit it.” – Harris English
What is your favorite hole?
“I like No. 3. It epitomizes what Mackenzie and Jones did to design their greens, their magnificent greens. There’s a humpback green there. Hitting it short, the ball comes back to you. It you hit it long the ball goes into deep depression. You have to be careful there.” – Two-time Masters champion Tom Watson
“Probably 12. It’s just so cool, memorable. It’s just so amazing because anything can happen there.” – Abraham Ancer
“The 11th. Hopefully you’ve had a nice drive down there and you come to the top of the hill and you look down and Amen Corner just unfolds in front of you. It’s just knowing that some of the greatest yardage in the world of golf are in front of you. And 11, it’s a great hole, but it is such a difficult.” – Graeme McDowell
“Seven. I just love how tight it is. I like how the drive sets up, how the approach sets up.” – Matt Fitzpatrick
“I think 13. It’s an iconic hole and it can give you anything from a 7 to a 3. And it owes me a green jacket.” – Justin Rose
Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith cross over Rae’s Creek near the 13th hole during a practice round for the 2021 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
“The 72nd with a one-shot lead like I had in 2018.” – 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed
“Once you get to 10 and you enter Amen Corner, that stretch gives you such an exhilarating feel. It’s something you’re not really scared of, but you’re sort of anxious to get to and see how you can do, especially with roars and oohs and aahs ahead of you. You want to make some roars for yourself.” – Xander Schauffele
“I love 16. It’s such a cool par-3, really exciting. Doesn’t need to be super long. It’s not more than a mid-iron. And you can make a 1 and you can make a 4 in a matter of feet.” – 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth
“I have to say 12. Once you start walking down the 10th hole, you know what you’re facing – 11, 12 and 13. And out of those three holes, 12 has a unique charm. Very narrow green, the water, the bunkers, the flowers. The tee box is full of people behind you. I think the green is the most isolated area of the whole golf course. There is nobody there. It is quite beautiful.” – Two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal
“Twelve. It’s one of my favorite holes in the world. And I made a 10 there once.” – Kevin Na
“I think 12. Just because of those right pins, they look like they’re no big deal. But there’s so much strategy involved. Lee Trevino and Lanny Wadkins told me to check the wind and the trees behind 11. If the wind is back into, you try to keep your tee shots low below the trees on 12. And there’s so much more. And I’ve got wedge in my hand. I’m standing there thinking about three or four different things and the right pins look like nothing, but you just can’t go at them.” – Will Zalatoris
“No. 12 is just a great par 3. It entices you to be aggressive, but you need to be so precise. You need to think about so much and you have a short iron in your hand. Just a great, great hole.” – Brandt Snedeker
“Visually, I really like No. 16. OK, No. 12, if I was looking at a picture or had a painting of it, I’d go No. 12. But No. 16 is my favorite, just how it sets up for me.” – Harris English
“Twelve. It’s the easiest hole on the golf course when there’s no wind, and it’s the hardest hole on the golf course when there is wind. And the setting can’t be beat.” – Marc Leishman
“My favorite hole is whichever one I made an eagle on. I would have to say 13. It’s fun. I can shape the tee shot around the corner. And then it’s a chance for an eagle and to get the crowd roar. And you’ve seen so many hero shots there.” – Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson
With four straight top 20s entering the week, can Max Homa work his way through group 8?
Can you smell that? How ’bout feel it? Yes, the first men’s major championship of the year is within shouting distance, and it’s going to be hard to wait another two weeks for the Masters.
But before the players take that special drive down Magnolia Lane, it’s time to head to Austin, Texas, for the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Several of the game’s biggest names, including Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns, and recent Players champion Cameron Smith, are not in the field this week. However, after a layoff stemming back to the Farmers Insurance Open, Bryson DeChambeau is one of the 64 names in this week’s March Madness type bracket.
Strokes Gained: Approach: Pete Dye design? It’s probably good to start with iron play.
Putting: Bermuda: There’s a reason why Kevin Kisner seems to reach the final four of this event every year. When you can consistently make putts that your opponent thinks you’re gonna miss, it’s demoralizing.
Data Golf Information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. Harbour Town Golf Links (home of the RBC Heritage), 2. Colonial Country Club (home of the Charles Schwab), 3. Sea Island GC (Plantation)
Trending: 1. Justin Thomas (last three starts: 6, T-33, T-3), 2. Scottie Scheffler (T-7, 1, T-55), 3. Matt Fitzpatrick (T-9, MC, T-5)
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Jon Rahm (5.1 percent), 2. Justin Thomas (4.8 percent), 3. Viktor Hovland (3.5 percent)
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Viktor Hovland – Top 10: Miss
Louis Oosthuizen – Top 20: Miss
Matthew Fitzpatrick – Top 20: Cash (+170)
Shane Lowry – Top 20: Cash (+130)
Jason Kokrak – Top 20: Miss
Russell Knox – Top 20: Miss
Kevin Kisner – Top 20: Miss
Down two units on positions plays, six units on outrights at Valspar.
Up 16.69 units on position plays, and up 31.5 units on outright plays in 2022.
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Bay Hill bites back with dry greens, windy challenges as Talor Gooch, Billy Horschel share third-round lead.
ORLANDO – Graeme McDowell stiffed his approach at 18, tapped in for birdie and signed for 3-under 69 at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill and Lodge for one of just seven rounds in the 60s on the third day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But that doesn’t mean the former U.S. Open champ wasn’t spent after a trying day on the course.
“It’s a stressful golf course with a lot of shots that stress you out,” he said.
McDowell, who lives in the City Beautiful, planned to kick up his feet, check out the remainder of the broadcast, fire up the grill and watch the rest of the field get roasted by baked-out greens.
“I might have to drink a little less wine than I was going to,” said McDowell, who teed off more than three hours ahead of the leaders Saturday. “It’s very difficult out there and not getting any easier.”
By the end of the day, McDowell stood tied for sixth at 3 under. The wind blew and scores soared. Just ask rookie Hayden Buckley, who skied to an 84 and ditched his putter outside scoring and left his caddie to retrieve it. At least he finished the round with his short stick. Australian Matt Jones heaved his into a lake in frustration.
“It’s just on a knife edge,” said Rory McIlroy, who struggled to 76 and was tied with McDowell after three rounds. “The last few years, we sort of know what to expect coming here. It just seems to be this way over the weekend. It’s just hard. It’s hard not to get frustrated.”
McDowell described the greens as icy and the rough as U.S. Open length. Add in the crosswinds and it was a recipe for disaster.
“If you don’t hit the fairway, it’s almost impossible to hit a green,” McIlroy said.
Billy Horschel was one of the few, the proud to shoot in red figures, sinking a 30-foot birdie putt from just off the green – after taking a fortunate free drop from the rough because of a sprinkler head – at 18 to post 1-under 71 and share the 54-hole lead at 7-under 209 with Talor Gooch. Those who embraced the challenge, such as Horschel, seemed to fare better.
“This is awesome golf. It’s testing and it wears you down,” he said. “I can’t even say we all enjoy it all the time, but we do enjoy because it does reward fairly good golf shots on a regular basis. It rewards people who think their way through a shot and how it needs to be played to really turn out properly.”
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“It was not fun, but it’s the right test,” said Max Homa, who made a hole-in-one at the 14th en route to a 73 and attested to Scottie Scheffler tying for low round of the day with 68. “I played with a guy who’s one of the best players in the world, and he played a really good round of golf and made it look pretty easy.
“If you’re out of position, you have no chance, but you put yourself out of position. So I think it’s quality that’s going to separate the field into who played really well, who played well, who played OK and who didn’t play well. I think that’s the way golf should be.”
To his point, only 16 of the 78 players that made the cut were in red figures after three rounds. For a time it looked as if Viktor Hovland might run away with the tournament. The 24-year-old Norwegian holed out for eagle from 38 yards in a greenside bunker at the par-5 sixth hole to offset a shaky bogey-bogey start to his third round.
“I kind of thought I was in no-man’s-land, just try to chunk it out there and give myself a putt at it. Came out really soft and landed in the first cut and just died and went in,” he said. “That was really nice for at least the next few holes, and I was really in a good rhythm until some bad shots on the back nine.”
He was 10 under for the tournament and leading Gooch by four strokes at the turn after a birdie at No. 8. That happened to be his final birdie of the day, and he sprinkled four bogeys on his inward card including at the final two holes to shoot 75 and trail the co-leaders by a shot.
When asked if he enjoys playing a tournament where single digits could very well be enough to win Sunday and earn his first victory on U.S. soil, Hovland said, “To be honest, not really. I think now it’s maybe on the border where everything kind of becomes a scrambling competition. As I’ve said before, that’s not really the strength of my game. But what I think is cool at least is I’m able to be in contention in a tournament under these conditions that don’t really play into my hands.”
Horschel, who was born and raised in Grant-Valkaria, Florida, about 90 minutes from Bay Hill, said he expected Sunday to be an emotional day, especially if he were to slip into the winner’s red alpaca sweater.
“It would be very special. You said I grew up an hour from here, came here as a kid, caddied in the Pro-Am multiple times. A lot of family and friend support around here,” he said. “Then you add on Arnold Palmer’s name to it. It would be something very special that at the end of my career I could say that was a special victory.”
Max Homa picked a fine time to sink his first ace on the PGA Tour. After a turbulent stretch that saw Homa post a double bogey, then a birdie, then a bogey, the three-time PGA Tour winner rolled in his tee shot on the 14th hole during Saturday’s third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
With a stiff breeze in his face, Homa stepped to the tee box with the stick 163 yards away and hit one that landed softly on the front of the green, rolled toward the flag and nestled into the cup.
The California native followed with a little dance and a smile before his caddie, Joe Greiner, came in for a hug.
The wild ride continued after 14 — Homa birdied No. 16 then posted bogeys on 17 and 18 to finish the day with a 73. He sits at 1 over for the tournament.
In honor of the ace, Mastercard will donate $200,000 to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Also, those who were watching in the Palmer Patio certainly were happy to see the ball roll in. The tournament’s chief sponsor will provide tournament fans who purchased tickets to that area on the 14th hole for Saturday’s round with two grounds passes to the 2023 event.
Although it’s Homa’s first hole-in-one on Tour, it was the sixth ace on No. 14 in tournament history, including two last season — one from Kris Ventura and another from Jazz Janewattananond.
Here’s a look at the hole via drone from our videographer, Gabe Gudgel:
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It’s time for one of the best weeks on the PGA Tour schedule.
To start, this is one of the best weeks on the PGA Tour. Bay Hill, a loaded field, and a week to honor one of the most influential figures in all of sports history — Mr. Arnold Palmer. The King paved the way for golf to become what it is today, and this week the best players in the world travel to his Orlando, Florida, gem for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
Bryson DeChambeau, who was set to enter the week as the defending champion, withdrew from the field Monday citing an injury. World No. 1 Jon Rahm is making his first appearance at the API and enters as the betting favorite at +750.
Golf course
Bay Hill Club and Lodge
Par 72, 7,466 yards, Bermuda grass
A tee box on the range is reserved containing a golf bag and umbrella for Arnold Palmer during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Weather
Day
Temperature
Conditions
Percent chance of rain
Wind & Direction
Tuesday
78
Partly Cloudy
4 percent
12 MPH (NNE)
Wednesday
81
Mostly Sunny
6 percent
9 MPH (NE)
Thursday
84
Partly Cloudy
10 percent
8 MPH (ENE)
Friday
83
Sunny
9 percent
12 MPH (ENE)
Saturday
84
Mostly Sunny
7 percent
14 MPH (ESE)
Sunday
87
Mostly Sunny
8 percent
13 MPH (ESE)
Key statistics
Strokes Gained: Approach: The wind is projected to be in the mid-teens come the weekend making great iron play even more futile. We’ll be targeting lots of great ball-strikers this week.
Approach shots from 200-yards plus: Here’s the reasoning:
Bay Hill has yielded more approach shots from 200 yards away or further than any course on the PGA Tour since 2016.
Bryson DeChambeau led the PGA Tour in average proximity from 200+ yards away last season. He of course won this tournament in 2021.
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. PGA West (Nicklaus Course), 2. The Old White TPC, 3. Annandale GC
+4.65 units on position plays, and -3 units on outrights at Honda Classic.
+18.04 units on position plays in 2022. +14.5 units on outright plays in 2022.
Will Zalatoris – Top 20 (+135)
Will Zalatoris reacts after missing a putt on the first green during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Course. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
After nearly capturing his first PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines a little over a month ago, Zalatoris followed that up with another solid performance at the Genesis Invitational tying for 26th.
Zalatoris leads the Tour in SG: Approach and SG: Tee to Green this season while hitting 74.6 percent of greens (ninth on Tour). Length shouldn’t be a problem for the Wake Forest product this week as he ranks inside the Top 20 in that category.
Willy Z tied for 10th at Bay Hill last season.
Max Homa – Top 20 (+190)
Max Homa plays his shot on the first fairway during the third round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Homa has finished T-14 (WMPO) and T-10 (Genesis) in his last two starts. He’s played in the Arnold Palmer twice, tying for 24th in 2020 and 10th in 2021.
A proven winner on the PGA Tour still getting these kinds of odds for a Top 20? Yeah, we’re gonna take that every time.
Rory McIlroy – Top 10 (+140)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland holds the trophy after his two-shot victory during the final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 18, 2018, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Is this course history is any good?: T-10 (2021), T-5 (2020), T-6 (2019), 1 (2018), T-4 (2017), T-27 (2016), and T-11 (2015). Think that’s OK.
McIlroy has just one start on the PGA Tour under his belt in 2022, a T-10 performance at Riviera. On top of form and course history, he was first in greens in regulation from 200+ at the Genesis.
Long iron play has never been the problem for the four-time major winner, we’ll see if his short irons are up to the task.
Other names I’m considering for the card
Matt Fitzpatrick: Last 3 APIs: T-10, T-9, 2. He withdrew from the Genesis due to a stomach bug, but it’s been long enough that I don’t think that will have a huge impact. Last 2 starts on Tour: T-10 (WMPO), T-6 (Pebble).
Viktor Hovland: Doesn’t have a great track record at the Arnold Palmer, as he lacks a Top 40 finish on the resume. He missed the cut at the WMPO but bounced back nicely with a T-4 at the Genesis.
Jason Day: The Aussie won this event in 2016 and has had three T-31 or better finishes since (T-31 last season). He had a chance to win at Torrey earlier this season and was playing nicely at Pebble before stumbling home on Sunday and signing for T-24.
*Full betting card will be on my Twitter sometime Wednesday, March 2nd.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – After Joaquin Niemann cleaned up for birdie at the 236-yard par-3 fourth hole at Riviera Country Club, he turned to his caddie and said, “That’s got to be the first time I’ve ever made birdie on this hole and it may be the last time too.”
It was that type of day for Niemann, the 23-year-old Chile native who drilled a 4-iron to 4 feet at the fourth en route to making birdie at half the holes at Riviera, his favorite course, to shoot 8-under 63 and grab the opening-round lead at the Genesis Invitational.
“It’s one of my best days on the golf course, especially at a place like this with this history,” said Niemann, who entered the week ranked No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Niemann started on the back nine with birdies on three of the first four holes to start his round. That included his lone bogey of the day at No. 12, but it was a birdie-fest from there as Niemann’s iron play was sensational. One hole after his sizzling 4-iron set up a birdie at the fourth hole, he nearly jarred a 9-iron from 161 yards, which stopped inside 3 feet for another kick-in birdie. Niemann led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-green, gaining nearly seven strokes on the field. It’s the most in any round at Riviera since ShotLink tracking started in 2004. But as he put it, “everything was good today.”
Niemann’s 63 tied the lowest opening round in tournament history, and staked him to a three-stroke lead over a quartet of golfers, including last week’s winner Scottie Scheffler, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth and defending champion Max Homa.
After a sluggish start, Homa ignited his round with an eagle at the par-4, 10th hole, draining a putt from 79 feet off the green, and came home in 31 on the second nine.
“I never thought about making a 2,” Homa said. “That was fun.”
Despite his love of this course and event, Homa has been trying to downplay its importance. He told his instructor, Mark Blackburn, “I could shoot 100 over this week and I still won last year.”
That mindset has him in the mix yet again. Cameron Young, a 24-year-old rookie out of Wake Forest, was the fourth player to return a score of 66 on Thursday. Young played here in the 2017 U.S. Amateur and also got a round in on Monday playing in the Collegiate Showcase.
“Put in a lot of work the last three days on the putting green, hours and hours with (coach) Cameron (McCormick) to try and really get comfortable stroking it,” Spieth explained. “It was nice to kind of feel like that hard work paid off by getting a break there on the first couple holes. I was able to kind of putt pretty confidently from there.”
Scheffler enjoyed one of the perks of being a tournament winner with a better tee time this week after claiming the WM Phoenix Open.
“I definitely got a different pairing, finally got out of the first‑off group, so that was nice,” Scheffler said. “I didn’t feel much different. I think it took me a little while to kind of get going. Early pro‑am yesterday, early round today, coming off last week, I didn’t really get as much rest as I wanted to.
“But I’ll get some rest this afternoon.”
Among a large group at 67 were No. 2 Collin Morikawa, No. 8 Justin Thomas and No. 11 Cameron Smith. World No. 1 Jon Rahm shot 69, as did No. 7 and Olympic gold-medalist Xander Schauffele.
But no one had a day that compared to Niemann.
“It was one of those days where everything goes your way and that doesn’t happen too often,” he said. “You always work to have days like this but you also know you’re not ever going to have these days four days in a row. It’s a good way to start. I’ve got to get ready for everything and try to play the best I can play.”
A good number of the top players have been outspoken against rival golf leagues.
Over the last year rumors have continued to spread about rival golf leagues that may challenge the PGA Tour and change the professional golf landscape as we know it.
Despite the $135 million offer reports and non-disclosure agreements, no players have officially committed to leave the Tour just yet. But on the other hand, players like Tiger Woods, an 82-time winner on Tour, and three-time winner and rising star Max Homa, have been outspoken in their support of the PGA Tour.
So if you’re wondering who may be running for the greener pastures of guaranteed paydays, it’s safe to assume it won’t be one of these Tour players.
