Despite boost from Max Homa's return, Jupiter Links falls again in TGL action

USA Today

26-02-2025

Despite boost from Max Homa's return, Jupiter Links falls again in TGL action
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Tiger Woods makes TGL debut, hits first tee shot with Jupiter Links GC
Golf legend Tiger Woods and his team Jupiter Links GC competed in their debut match at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Max Homa, once ranked 8th in the world, has struggled recently, with only one top-20 finish in his last 17 starts.
Homa returned to TGL after a knee injury, hoping to spark his game, but his team, Jupiter Links, lost to the undefeated Bay Club.
Despite the loss, Homa found some positives in his performance, saying he made some good swings and enjoyed competing.
Homa's main goal for the rest of the year is to regain his winning form and prove his dedication to the sport.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The last time Max Homa came to Palm Beach County, he was the eighth-ranked player in the world and had 11 top-20 finishes in his last 13 starts.
Mad Max was the King of social media with his witty responses and unique sense of humor, not to mention his status as one of the world's best golfers.
His success and popularity was why he was chosen to play in The Match at The Park alongside Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang in a prime-time contest on TNT.
That was a year ago Thursday, but it likely seems like a lifetime ago for Homa. Even when he finished third in the Masters six weeks later, his game was about to bottom out.
The Homa who showed up Tuesday night at SoFi Center for the TGL's Jupiter Links Golf's match against The Bay Golf Club still had his beard and shaggy hair falling out of the back of his hat, but his game is MIA. And we don't mean in Miami.
Homa has had one top-20 finish in his last 17 starts, three missed cuts, a coaching change and has fallen to No. 70 in the world rankings. The last of his six PGA Tour wins came more than two years ago, at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open.
'Golf doesn't like me at the moment,' Homa said two weeks ago. 'I played well at Augusta and thought 'OK, I kind of got it' and I've really never hit the ball well since then.'
Welcome to our world.
Max Homa missed last two TGL matches with a knee injury
Homa was hoping his return to TGL, after missing Jupiter Links' last two matches with a knee injury, would resuscitate his game. Jupiter Links needed a lift, with no Tiger Woods and four teams ahead of them in the six-team standings. No such luck as the Bay Club (4-0-0) remained undefeated with a 6-3 win to place Jupiter Links' playoff hopes in dire straits.
Who would have thought the teams headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy, the driving forces behind TGL, would both miss the postseason? It's more than likely.
Homa gave his team an opportunity early when he hit his tee shot on the par-3 third hole to 9 feet, but Tom Kim missed the putt and Jupiter Links (1-3-0) fell behind 1-0 after Min Woo Lee's birdie.
'It's kind of hard to watch on TV,' Homa said on ESPN's telecast. 'It's good to be back with my buds.'
It got even more difficult when Lee, all 6-foot and 165 pounds, set a TGL record with ball speed of 192 mph on the fourth hole. Lee would be right at home on I-95.
The beauty of TGL, especially in alternate shot, is you're one swing away from a smile. Sure enough, after Kevin Kisner, shanked his shot on the fifth hole, Homa hit a delicate chip 44 yards to 5 feet, leading to Kim's birdie to tie the match at 1-all.
After Lee's chip-in on the sixth hole – yes, he called Dr. Chipinski, putting his index finger and pinky to his ear – gave the Bay a 2-1 lead, Homa made a clutch 4-foot par putt to keep Jupiter Links from falling behind 4-1. The score seemed headed to that number on No. 8 until Lee's chip had a violent lip-out.
Dr. Chipinski was unavailable.
It didn't matter, however, when Lowery made a 6-foot eagle putt on the ninth hole, thanks to Lee's brilliant shot from the rough and Wyndham Clark's call to throw the hammer twice. It was 5-1, the Bay Club, headed to singles.
Homa had a chance to earn a point, but he missed a 15-foot birdie on No. 12. That ended Jupiter Links' hopes of winning, but his season won't be measured by what happened on a Tuesday night in late February. Homa has to continue to rebuild his game where it counts – on the golf course.
'If I had played well tonight, it wasn't like I was going to go home and celebrate,' Homa said. 'And if I played poorly, I wasn't going to go home and mope. I felt like I made some good swings tonight. It was just fun to go out there and compete.'
Asked what he wants to accomplish the rest of the year, his answer was simple.
'I want to win,' he said. 'I work hard enough to win. I care about being great. And I'd like to show that.'