"I don't need to be as perfect as I'm making up in my head"- Max Homa on not letting pressure get better of him ahead of the 2023 Masters
Max Homa will appear for the fourth time at the 2023 Masters, which starts on Thursday, April 6. Shockingly, the World No. 5 has a shocking record at Augusta National with just one cut that he made last April, finishing T-48.
This year, however, Homa is in some form and has a better chance than his previous attempts at the Masters. In his recent interview with the Masters, Homa admitted the pressure of doing better at the first major of the year.
"You could try to downplay it as much as you want and say it's just another golf tournament, and then the moment you get on the grounds, you realize that it's not gonna be hard-pressed to say there's a better place to win than here.
"We as players put so much pressure on ourselves week in, week out that I can't imagine I feel more pressure from other people than I do myself," Homa said. "Last year, the year before here, I'm trying so hard to be so perfect that if you had a couple of bad shots, you start to get anxious. I don't need to be as perfect as I'm making up in my head. I can just go play golf, and if I play solid, I'll be somewhere in the mix."
Homa has been really solid this calendar year with five top-10 finishes in seven starts, which includes a win and four top-six finishes. His win came at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. The 32-year-old also finished runner-up at the Genesis Invitational this February. His consistency brought him to World No. 5 in the golf rankings.
Homa said it was nice to enter the 2023 Masters in good form and he would like to change his poor record at the Majors.
"It's really nice to come into this event playing great, knowing my game is there, and I don't need to do a whole lot to find it. So for me, if someone does say, 'Oh, he doesn't play well in Majors,' that's a resume killer.
It's like, okay, well, I haven't had all of this before, so I'm looking forward to this entire year of Majors, but obviously especially this one. I have that kind of emotion of yeah, finally, like about time I'm doing what I feel like I'm supposed to be doing. Whether that's delusional or not, don't care."
"Little bit more pressure"- Max Homa on comparison of Masters with other three majors
There's no doubt that the Masters is one of the most prestigious tournaments in professional golf. With all the history, tradition, and legacy behind the tournament, every player wishes to win the tournament at least once in his career. So what makes the Masters different than other majors?
Homa believes that the pressure to do well at Augusta National is more than any of the other three majors. He was quoted by the Masters:
"The biggest difference between this event and the other three Majors is I just think that there's a little bit more pressure. There's a ton more eyeballs from not just the normal golf fan. I just think that a lot of that is a big part of why it's so difficult to win here."