AUGUSTA, Ga. — Of course Scottie Scheffler should win the Masters again on Sunday.
He is the best player in the world. Ranked 1st. Augusta National Champion’s Locker He already has a green jacket and locker in his room.
Schaeffler has that pedigree.
But Max Homa has passion.
Scheffler enters Sunday’s final round at 7 under, one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa at 6 under and two strokes ahead of Homa at 5 under.
Homa, a 33-year-old Californian, is one of the most popular players on social media and also happens to be a very good golfer, but he doesn’t have Scheffler’s resume.
Scheffler is very stoic, but whether he’s the No. 1 player in the world or the 61st-ranked player and whether he’s in the lead heading into the final round, preparing to play 18 holes of garbage time on Sunday. I don’t even know if I’m doing it. , Homa wears it all on his sleeve.
Mr. Scheffler probably doesn’t even know how to access social media apps on his phone, and Mr. Homa is offering random followers a breakdown of his social media swings for free.
If Scheffler wins a second green jacket, all rights will go to Scheffler. He is a great player who is fascinated and unaffected by everything that is happening around him. And that’s amazing in a world where we’re all constantly distracted.
If Homa wins, it’s hard to imagine a more popular winner because his transparency and vulnerability make him relatable to the public.
Homa knew after his round that this would be the first time in his career that he would truly compete in a major, and when asked how he felt going into Saturday, he said, “I felt grateful and grateful to be able to do it.” “I came here with a feeling,” he said. “I’d be happy if you let me do it. [Sunday]. I remind myself that I am a dog and I am ready for this moment.
“When I catch myself thinking about what could go wrong, I let myself dream about what could go right. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I didn’t know what would happen today. I didn’t get a birdie today. If you are told that [he didn’t]you would have thought it had blown up.
“You’re just going with the flow. Once I play, I’m very present.”
Homa talked about the “lots of firsts” he encountered this week, including playing with Tiger Woods the first two days and playing in the final group on Saturday of the major.
He’s not afraid to get nervous on Sunday.
“Just because I was nervous didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything,” Homa said. “I got an incredibly hard cut.” [No.] It went up and down to 1. I was really nervous about number 18 and put it in the middle. [with a par save from the greenside bunker, where he was short-sided].
“Just because you’re nervous and uncomfortable doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. I feel like I’ve shown myself that. Even if you’re nervous, [Sunday]just accept it a little bit.
Homa will be paired in the penultimate group with 24-year-old Ludwig Aberg, who will be playing in his first major tournament. He will be chasing the final pair, Scheffler and Morikawa.
It was a remarkable week for Homa. He was paired with his golf idol Woods for the first two rounds. He played Saturday in the most intense cauldron of pressure of his career thus far. And now he has a real chance to win his first major championship.
Homa, ranked No. 11 in the world, has won six PGA Tour events, including the 2021 Genesis Invitational for Woods. But his performance in major tournaments has been strangely abysmal.
Entering this week, he has played in 16 majors, missed out on eight of them, tied for 10th once at the 2023 British Open and tied for 13th at the 2022 PGA Championship. Recorded once. Aside from these finishes, Homa’s best result was no higher than his tie for 43rd place.
In his past four Masters appearances, Homa missed the cut in 2020 and 2021, tied for 48th in 2022 and tied for 43rd last year.
But Woods also believes in Homa.
“He’s got all the talent in the world,” Woods said. “I had the opportunity to play with him at the British Open in St. Andrews.” [last year]and [with] His ball flight is as solid as when he hits it, so it’s only a matter of time before he starts winning a lot. ”
From Woods’ lips to Homa’s ears.
Homa said he will “learn tomorrow” how to handle the pressure of competing in a major on Sunday.
“I did pretty well on Sunday,” he said. “I’ve won seven tournaments around the world in the last few years, so I understand how everything works.”
When asked what he learned about himself on Saturday, Homa replied: So I’ll take it. ”
God speed for good guys.
