ORLANDO, Fla. – In addition to a career resurgence that included a breakthrough win last year, Max Homa has gained some recent social-media notoriety for roasting the golf swings of many of his followers on Twitter. After his worst shot of the week was caught on TV at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he’s not afraid to get some of that criticism in return.
Homa was the low man of the day Saturday at Bay Hill, shooting a 2-under 70 amid brutal conditions, but he encountered some difficulty Sunday on the par-5 sixth hole. Homa’s approach flew the green, and his subsequent attempt at a heroic flop shot instead went careening sideways into a greenside TV tower.
No camera tower is safe. pic.twitter.com/pUcxAoCzOC
— Skratch (@Skratch) March 8, 2020
“I had a horrendous lie. Didn’t even know if I pitched it left if I could keep it in a decent spot,” Homa told GolfChannel.com. “I figured if it came out bad, it would go in the bunker. Never really thought it was going to grab my club and make me shank it. Hadn’t done that in a while.”
While the lie had Homa guessing, the placement of the TV tower proved fortuitous. Instead of “flying into the water,” according to Homa’s estimate, his ball instead bounced off the tower and into the hazard but stopped in front of some rocks. He was able to play it, ended up hitting the pin with his next shot and tapped in for a bogey-6 that could have been much worse.
“I think (playing partner) Sam Burns said it best, he goes, ‘Tap that thing in and get the heck off this hole,’” Homa said. “I guess it was a bad lie, so that was a bad break, and then a great break off the sideboard. So we’ll call it even.”
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Full-field scores | Full coverage
Homa ultimately signed for a 4-over 76 on another difficult day, turning a near missed cut into a top-25 finish. While he expects to get some light-hearted feedback from his televised shank, he’s more than prepared to scroll through his incoming mentions after standing up to one of the toughest tests all year on Tour.
“If they want to give me heat, they can come play this golf course and they won’t break 130,” Homa said. “The last two days, I played awesome to shoot whatever it was, 2 over. So I challenge anybody to give me heat on just about anything with this golf course.”