PGA Tour star issues statement on wife as he chases after £1.1m payday
Max Homa is determined to pocket the £1.1million prize from the 3M Open, motivated by his wife's impending due date. The 34-year-old golfer wrapped up the first round of the event with a score of 5-under.
He's currently six shots behind leader Adam Svensson but remains in the hunt for his first PGA Tour victory since the Farmers Insurance Open in 2023. Despite a season that has seen him slip to 105th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), Homa 's focus is less on his form and more on ensuring he's back in time for the arrival of his second child.
On Thursday, Homa shared that his wife, Lacey, is due in a fortnight, confessing that his drive to clinch the 3M Open – which would swell his career earnings past £31m – is fuelled by his desire to be by her side.
"I need to win. I really need to win [because] my wife's pregnant and I need to go home," Homa disclosed during a press conference on Thursday. "We have like two weeks left. So it's a little extra stressful.
"But I think the only way that you can go out and win a golf tournament is by not exactly trying to win the golf tournament," reports the Mirror US. Despite a challenging season, Homa did deliver an outstanding display at the John Deere Classic earlier this month where he secured a joint-fifth finish with a 16-under total.
At the 3M Open, he's going head-to-head with close friend Rickie Fowler, who holds a slight advantage after carding 6-under in the opening round. Discussing his prospects for victory in Minnesota, Homa revealed: "I know what I need to do. I need to play unbelievable. So fortunately, my games felt awesome the last month or so.
"I don't know how you just make yourself win. I'm just trying to kind of keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens on a Sunday." Despite the looming deadline of his wife's pregnancy, Homa is set to compete at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro next week.
He disclosed that his wife had encouraged him to continue playing but confessed to the mental torment he experienced after realising he'd missed two calls from her when checking his phone.
He continued: "My wife told me to play. Yeah, just every day I finish a day of golf, I look at my phone and see if I'm flying home, so, we'll see. It's a good problem to have.
"Dude, I'm freaking out. I'm ready to have the baby and then get settled. I know it'll be chaos, but I want to make sure I'm there." Homa also spoke to GolfWeek about who he believes ranks above others when it comes to celebrity golf.
The fairways are no strangers to sports legends and A-listers alike, with NBA greats Steph Curry and Charles Barkley known for their love of the greens. Even Wrexham's co-owner Rob McElhenney enjoys a swing or two, and Homa, chummy with the 'Always Sunny' mastermind, has dished out his thoughts.
When pressed for his pick of the best, Homa confessed: "I mean, Aaron [Rodgers] is really good. I've never played with Steph. He's impressive.
"On the spot I'm blanking. I know there is more. But somebody who is really good, Alfonso Ribeiro is a phenomenal golfer."
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