Max Homa, the PGA Tour’s resident Twitter fun guy, had a new story to tell on social media after arriving in Michigan for 2022 Rocket Classic Mortgage.
He and his wife, Lacey, like to eat at The Henry hotel in Dearborn, but their latest trip to the hotel and restaurant could have ended in an arrest. Lacey is pregnant with her first child, and Max knew that his “pregnancy brain” had been activated when he entered the establishment looking for water.
He walked straight to The Henry’s fridge and grabbed a bottle of water without paying for it, but luckily he remembered where it was before he left the store.
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“I was like, ‘Okay, I think I might need to apologize to someone.’ We’ll figure it out,” Max said of the manslaughter. “But yeah, it’s been fun. Yesterday was the first baby date I missed. But the rest has been great to watch, and seeing that part of life is a reminder that golf isn’t everything. There are many things that will make you happier and have a lot more fun.”
Amid LIV Golf’s controversial rise to prominence, the Homa must remain focused on more enjoyable matters, like becoming a new parent. He too got soaked playing Tiger Woods at the British Open two weeks ago and enjoyed a detroit tigers game for the second year in a row on Tuesday.
Homa, No. 11 in the FedEx Cup standings, did not initially plan to play the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the third time in four years. But his hopes of cracking the top 10 before the FedEx St. Jude Championships prompted him to travel to Detroit. Before Michigan, however, he enjoyed watching one of golf’s best as he chased down leaders Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith at St. Andrews.
“The thing I’ll probably remember the most was the 18th hole walk, just because it was such a historic moment,” Homa said of being grouped with Woods at The Open. “One of those things that I feel like people will say, ‘I’ll never forget where I was when…’ and, like, I was there. So I thought it was fine. And it was great to see the fans show him the utmost respect that he has earned.”
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The die-hard Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and a part-time supporter of the Detroit Lions since his friend Jared Goff was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in January 2021, reveled in the energy during the Tigers’ 10-inning, 6-inning loss. -4 against the San Diego Padres: “The energy is good. I mean, they haven’t been very good for a while, but they’ve got Miguel Cabrera, so it was great to hear everyone freak out when he got up to bat. … I have to go support against the Padres, so it’s always a pleasure to have a dog in the fight.”
Fowler Discusses DeChambeau Exit, LIV Golf
Rocket Mortgage ambassador Rickie Fowler was impressed with the growth of the tournament over four years.
“It just keeps getting better every year,” Fowler said of the competition. “Guys hear about the golf course; it’s different than what we normally play, in a way. We don’t play a lot of old-school Donald Ross golf courses, so the guys enjoy it. It’s a fun place to play. Rocket has done a great job putting together a good event.”
While Fowler remains linked to Rocket Mortgage, the company fired Bryson DeChambeau after signing with LIV Golf, reportedly for more than $100 million.
“Everyone can make their own decision,” Fowler said. “It’s an individual sport, so I have no feelings one way or the other if the guys go or don’t go.”
Regarding his own future, Fowler doubled down on debunking any speculation about his departure from the PGA Tour.
“I’ve been honest with everyone from the Tour to the media, even talking to the LIV guys,” Fowler said. “There have been many rumors. Nothing has been true.”
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Cantlay, debutant in Detroit: No plans LIV
Patrick Cantlay, No. 4 in the world rankings and No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings, was one of the first additions to the Rocket Mortgage Classic field after the initial nine engagements on June 22.
The 2021 FedEx Cup winner will be challenged in his first tournament at Detroit Golf Club by the likes of World No. 13 Will Zalatoris and World No. 16 Tony Finau as he begins his postseason push.
“It’s right in the busiest part of the year, so I’m going to take some time off after the Tour Championship, but until the Tour Championship it’s all about golf,” Cantlay said. “I think it will be maybe six of the eight weeks for me, which is a lot for me, but it’s 90 degrees and it’s humid at my house in Florida, so it’s a time of year where you just play a lot of golf and I’m excited to be here this week.”
As one of the best remaining golfers on the PGA Tour, Cantlay has been surrounded by speculation about LIV Golf. He refuted rumors that he plans to leave for the Saudi-backed rival after this season.
“I don’t have any plans at this point to leave after the FedEx Cup,” he said.
I love scouting for the Presidents Cup
While Davis Love III will play the Rocket Mortgage Classic this weekend, the 2022 US Presidents Cup team captain is also looking for players like Zalatoris and Homa who could be on his team at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September. .
In addition, Love has already named Zach Johnson, another Rocket Mortgage Classic participant and captain of next year’s US Ryder Cup team, and Fred Couples as his captain’s assistants. But he has two more slots to fill. While he is still evaluating for those spots, he noted that Tiger Woods is likely to help out in some way.
“What we learned in 2014-15, when the PGA of America put us a little bit more in charge of making those kinds of decisions, is that someone has to be the leader,” Love said. “And obviously Tiger’s strategy, understanding the history of the game and the history of the Ryder Cups, if he wanted to know what we did statistically, he could call my stats team or he could call Tiger, because he knows.
““Remember when this game was going on and we played the alternate shot first instead of the best ball?” All those kinds of things he really remembers, so that’s going to be a big help.”
Contact Mason Young: [email protected] Follow him on Twitter: @Mason_Young_0