Max Homa has a Great Source of Motivation to Win This Week’s 3M Open

Max Homa finally showed some signs of resurgence a few weeks back at the John Deere Classic. Sure, he didn’t capitalize on a great chance to win for the first time since the ‘23 Farmers Insurance Open, but a tie for fifth is still pretty damn good.

And that good play continued on Thursday in Blaine, Minnesota, during the first round of the 3M Open, where Homa fired a bogey-free 5-under 66. Of course, it’s a lot easier to play golf when you hit all 18 greens.

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“I played awesome, probably the worst I could have shot,” Homa admitted. “Hit it so well. Rolled it fine, just couldn't really make a lot of putts. It was nice to lip one in on the last. Yeah, just a really good round of golf.”

Sitting at 102nd in the FedEx Cup Playoffs points list, Homa needs a late-season surge to make it into the field for the FedEx St. Jude Championship—the top 70 earn a spot at TPC Southwind. And he has a pretty awesome source of motivation at TPC Twin Cities.

“I need to win. I really need to win because my wife's pregnant and I need to go home,” he said. “We have like two weeks left. 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 a golf tournament. So it's a weird headspace."

“But I know what I need to do, I need to play unbelievable. Fortunately, my game's felt awesome the last month or so, so yeah, just got to, I don't know, I don't know how you just make yourself win. I'm just trying to keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens on a Sunday.”

Homa added that he checks his phone every time he finishes with golf to see if he needs to fly home to see the birth of baby No. 2, but said it’s a “good problem to have.”

Winning on Sunday would be the ultimate mic drop—and I’m sure every PGA TOUR fan would love to see it.