“That was a very different feeling”: Max Homa talks about his Singles winning putt in the Ryder Cup
Most golfers dream of making a putt to win a tournament, and that was true of Max Homa. If they have goals of playing in the Ryder Cup, then their dream is to nail the shot that clinches victory for their country. Instead, Homa found himself in the opposite situation. To keep the Americans alive, he had to nail a crucial shot.
This came after taking a drop, so the pressure was on. Homa had to nail the shot or the Ryder Cup would end then and there. To stave off elimination is not the dream most golfers have, and it's not what Homa had in mind either.
Homa revealed:
"I have never dreamt of making a putt to not lose the Ryder Cup. That was a very different feeling. I had such a good week personally on the golf course that I knew I would be labeled a choker and it just didn't feel like a fair thing. I remember I really turned my brain on, 'You want this, this is a very cool opportunity.'"
He continued:
"I lost full control of my body, I can't believe watching it that you can't see my legs shaking. I couldn't feel anything, like my legs were full blown vibrating like I had 50 phones tied to my leg and everyone was calling me. It was wild. I watched it, like I said last night, I just don't know how I made it, and that motherf****r was right in the g*d d**n middle!"
Homa nailed the shot and it kept his team alive. Unfortunately, that only lasted a short amount of time. The Europeans clinched their victory shortly thereafter despite his theatrics.
Max Homa dragged Team USA to relevancy
Max Homa was excellent all week. While Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler were benched and Rickie Fowler couldn't earn a single point, Homa earned 3.5 points to keep the United States afloat for as long as he could.
This came after a stunning decision to take a drop penalty rather than play a bad lie. He needed to par to stay alive, and taking a stroke there could have been catastrophic.
The decision to do it is one he credits his caddie for:
"Oh, it wasn't me, it was all Joe. Joe Greiner is the brains. I just swing it. I don't know how it didn't get into the bunker. It was an awful break and I was frustrated. My head was spinning. He said: 'we're going to take an unplayable here, chip it down to ten feet and you're going to make it'."
It was Max Homa's first action in the Ryder Cup. He was a rookie, one that outplayed almost everyone on either side not named Rory McIlroy. His teammates did not pick up the slack, so Homa was really the only reason the team was still alive when he had to then keep them afloat once more.