Caddie's reaction to PGA Champ star's meltdown as he launches club says it all
Max Homa endured a frustrating final round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, with the American launching his club down the fairway at one point
Max Homa couldn't hide his annoyance as he faltered during the final round of the PGA Championship. The 34-year-old was spotted throwing his club down the fairway after slotting a double bogey at Quail Hollow.
Homa, who has had a challenging year on the PGA Tour, started the final round at level-par for the tournament but quickly found himself over par following a difficult start to the fourth day. The US Ryder Cup star made two pars before a double bogey at the third.
After hitting his tee shot far left, Homa was forced to lay up before his third shot missed on the right-hand side of the green. Clearly displeased, he then threw his wedge in frustration, before grudgingly going to repair his divot.
The American was teaming up with his new caddie, Bill Harke after a surprising split with his long-time partner, Joe Grenier, last month. Harke didn't seem too impressed with Homa's behaviour on the third, walking straight past the thrown club, leaving the player to retrieve it.
Further trouble awaited Homa at the green before he finally walked away with a double bogey six. Despite the frustrations, there have been plenty of positives for Homa throughout the week. After a tough start on day one, the world No. 78 fought his way into contention on Friday, shooting an impressive seven-under-par 64.
He couldn't capitalise on his momentum, however, as he followed up his 64 with a disappointing five-over 76, dropping out of the race. Homa's recent improving form follows a surprising caddie switch, placing his faith in experienced bagman Harke for the rest of the season.
Before this week's tournament, Homa reached out to iconic PGA Tour caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, who suggested Harke to the ex-world No. 5. "I didn't really know who to go to because I never thought about it. Obviously caught me by surprise a little bit," he admitted.
The move marked a significant shift for Homa, who had previously teamed up with close pal Grenier. Consequently, he shared with his wife Lacey that adjusting to a new caddie felt akin to embarking on a new relationship.
"Bill has been awesome. It's really hard to change caddies," Homa told Mirror US when queried if a fresh perspective had aided his game.
"I was talking to my wife about that last night. You're in like a full relationship day one. You're out there with him, the first day is probably eight hours. It's not exactly a normal first date. So it can be tricky. Joe and I worked for so long and so well together that it's never going to be exactly like that. We've been trying to kind of find our own groove.
"Bill is really amazing at the psychology of golf and talking to me and keeping me positive when I start to go a little dark. Especially at Augusta this year, he was amazing. I had two rounds where it was because of him what we did.
"Now that I'm playing a bit better the last two weeks, it's trying to find our rhythm on like clubs and this and that. Yeah, it's a learning curve, but I've really enjoyed being around him. He's a Bay Area sports fan, which is hard, but that's probably his worst quality."
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