Ep. 130 - Max Homa

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that's great call to action. Prove how good you can be t up the new pro V one or Probly one X on your new round, on your next round. Dang man, Oh so close? Are you Probly one or Proby one X guy? Probably one white? Um, So, before we get going, I do want to give you some bad news because I know you've had a really good week. Hey hit me okay. Um, I looked up before you got here the a on Risk Reward challenge UH for the week. It's something you and I've really talked a

lot about. Um, you dropped three spots. Um, you were tied for seventy second going into the Wells far ago you dropped for a tie for seventy five with Peter u Wine. What do you have to say about yourself about how do you be tie with Peter? One of my best friends. He obviously must be extremely disappointed as well. What's funny is you were not the only person that

texting about seriously had more people. A couple other people are like, hey, man, that a on all was fourteen and you didn't play very well, and I I knew, but uh, it's something I gotta improve on it. It's kind of nice when you when you get home from a win and and you can look at how to get better because you know you want to improve and that's obviously a glaring spot that I need to need to improve on. So it's been three days. I mean, you know, you and I were gonna talk on Monday,

and then you've got a whole bunch of stuff going on. Um, just from a guy that's a professional golfer, which of course is is the thing everybody aspires to be on a PGA tour to um, you know, a PGA Tour winner. What's the last three days been like? Um? Has it been different than you ever would have expected? Has it been somewhat similar? Has it been wild? What's it been like to kind of go through the process of what it takes when you win to kind of fulfill all

the obligations you have. Yeah, it actually is pretty different as I think the first time my agent has actually had to like do real work. You know, I don't have corporate deals. I don't have all this stuff. But you know, he had to keep me up to date, you know, put together a schedule of all these interviews. Um, you know I've I've I've done interviews obviously before, but not back to back to back. I haven't had like literal requests most of the time. I mean, you know,

I do stuff with you and railing up. Boy, it's like it's a lot more casual all of a sudden, you know, I got call in numbers and this night it was on PJ to a radio like three times. But it was a blast. It's it's a dream come true even doing all that. I mean, it's so fun. Uh. My fiance Lacey, He's asked me if I'm getting sick of talking about it, and I am absolutely not. Well, I mean, like, what's just so wild? Is you know you? I mean, people, I think for the most part know

your story. I mean, you were one of the best amateurs in the world, and then you struggled early on in your professional career and um, you know something that you I don't know how you did it. I mean I I tried to play many to our golf, and I mean I hit, I hit a moment with us that I can't do this. Um. Was there a point in your kind of journey through professional golf where you thought to yourself like I'm never going to get here, like I'm never going to get in contention at a

PGA Tour event possibly win. I mean, did you ever have those moments of doubt, because it seems like maybe you didn't. I mean, it seems how positive you've been about it. Yeah. I think. Actually, how I've kind of been trying to explain it is I had had a million of those moments, but a million very small ones and never one big one. I can't remember one time where I was seriously sitting there like I really don't think I'm gonna do this. It was more like I

don't want to do this, I can't do this. I'm over it, and then like ten seconds later I'd be like no, no, like you know, you're fine, just suck it up. Um. I think my biggest benefit and all of this, though, was that when I did come out of college, Um, you know, my first pro event was the Fries and I got ninth and played actually well, and got my web card and then got my PJA tour card, So I made a chunk of money that was sustainable. Um. And I think a lot of people

who do go straight to the many tours. I I don't get how a lot of those people can last that long, because financially it is it is scary. I was never fine. I mean it's all relative, but I wasn't financially frightened about my future. But I figured I could kind of keep putting it together at least for a little bit. Um. So I think that's what really helped me. I guess it was separate kind of my story from from a lot of others. But yeah, it's tough not to not to give up a little bit.

But at the same time, I mean, the worst year I had, I was still on the web tour, which is pretty cool. I did look at a lot of people that my friends and others that were grinding it out on the Latino tour in Canada. I don't ever want to be a baby. There There wrest situations you can be in. So I I sucked it up well. I mean, like I was going to ask you about the web tour later. I mean for people that don't understand the talent level of the current Web dot Com Tour.

You know, you were out there, you want on the tour you battle these guys. I mean, you see these commercials for the Web dot Com Tour about guys that make it to the PGA Tour and win when major championships. How close is the level of play when you compare what you went through for a number of years on the web to what you're going through now. I mean, you're you know you've played with Dustin Johnson. You play with Dustin riv You told me it was a pretty

cool experience. You obviously got a chance play with Rory uh this past week at the Wells Fargo. I mean, what's the difference, if there's any at all and kind of the play when you were out on the web versus what you see now. Yeah, that's that's a great question. I get that a lot, and I think what I usually, well, what I used to tell people is the depth is the biggest difference between the PJ and the Web Tour.

I I don't know how to quantify this, but if the cut at any given golf tournament was too under at a WEB event, I think it would be four underj Tovent. The median guy on the PJA Tour is so freaking good. People don't understand. You go look at whoever gets on the money List this year, which for the first time will not be on my radar. That guy is so freaking good it's stupid, all right. So

that's where it's a little different. But the top of the top each week on the Web Tour, I think, you know, the consistency might be are like the hardest part out there, um, but the top of the top that week, if you just could somehow supplant him in the PGA Tour event, he would be near contention. Playing with Destin and Rory there, that's a kind of a

different world, man. That was a I played with Roy on Saturday and and I got Dustin for thirty six at RIV And they were the first two people I've honestly ever played with were And it's because of length, I think. But I was seriously dumbfounder how good they were. Well, you teld me a story about Dustin. I think he was a bunk or what at fifteen at RIV and you you played the course a lot, You're like, well,

that's a out of bounds. It's literally you I aim so far off with the bunker to take it out of play, and he hit it in there and even my caddie looked at me. We were both waiting from the layup, and uh, he got in there and hits out and it goes you know, shoots straight up in the air. If anybody's played there, the bunkers like legitimately, like I would say like six ft d and he's two hundred. I think I had hit a six iron

from the fairway. Uh. And so we had about and he hits a thing and it gets onto the green inside of all of us by the way, and I walked over. We walked over and Joe Mike Cady hadn't been looking, and he's like, we're destinated. I'm like, dude, like think like fifteen ft and he goes no, and I walked over. He's like he must have ripped an eight iron to get out of there, which would been crazy.

And I went over there. I was what you hit and he said six I I literally like I don't even consider, like I don't know how to start with that shot. And so that they you know, there's that's the you know between the Web and the PJA. The PJA tores some freaking stuff that's a little different now. The Web gets some like Sam Burns last year. I keep keep waiting for him to completely break out. He's a freak. Um, But yeah, you don't have you know,

twenty of those. I think the PJA Tour is obviously closer than twenty guys that kind of drop your job a little bit. Um. You obviously we're gonna play in Texas this week and you pulled out. We were talking before we got going. You you were saying, you don't know how how some of these guys that win a lot can go back out the next week and like

be mentally into it. We were talking like after Speed one that first Masters, he played Harvard Town literally the next week, and I think through thirty six sols he was either in contention or was right. The second ridiculous. I mean, for you, if you had to be teeing it on Thursday, which is tomorrow, I mean, like, how would you be able to get your yourself mentally there? I mean, is that a thing you're pretty shocked by? With the other guys being able to do that so well,

I think it goes one of two ways. If I'm just you know, kind of guessing. Um, you either go out there free wheeling because who cares, um, and you play great, or you go out there freewheeling who cares, and you play terrible. You know, because I think the hardest part would be the preparation Tuesday Wednesday to get ready. Obviously you're saying thank you to a lot of people,

you know out there. I've been around a couple of guys who haven't won, but like my buddy Taylor Gooch had played really well in Tori and we played a practice on the next week. Everyone's congratulating him and uh, you know, so it's it's just a lot, you know, You're you're you're kind of love in life a little bit. I would say, you're a little less intense. But I can see how you could do it. But I think when you have your first one, it's a lot harder

than next week. I assume. I mean, I imagine that if I were to win another one this year, obviously I understand a little more and it wouldn't be such a h I guess, like huge deal. Um, it would still be a big deal for for myself, but I guess for the for the media, whole world or whatever. You get some guy who who hasn't done anything and all of a sudden, you know, wins a golf tournament. Uh, it's a lot more obligations for me. The next one

would feel a little bit more normal. But yes, I think the most impressive thing about all these these top guys, you know Justin Jordan and Rory Dustin that they when a tournament, it really is like all right, cool, what's next? And they keep plugging because you know, the motivation I'm sure it's hard for them at some point. Um, and also just the focus to be like, yeah, well that's just another w I'm gonna go get get another one next week. Yeah. Another obligation you had was this Monday. Um,

you you're kind of supposed to upset about it. You're supposed to caddy for this for this guy that you know, um at Phoenix Counch Club as he prepares to win the US Open, and uh, and now that's kind of gone out the window. I I'll tell you this. I had a lot of random people on Twitter throw themselves into the fray. I mean they were like, well, we'll jump in and take take the loop for Max, I

was like lightening my bag, Harry bag for you. But is it while I mean we were literally joke texting about you know, like you've got a couple of weeks ago, Um, then we'll caddy and you'll have a couple of weeks off. I mean, like I know that winning well, I don't know, but I could only imagine winning something like this is life changing. But it's also like a media changing. I mean, because you've got to change your schedule. You know, you've got to like find homes and get ready for a

major championship now. And I mean you've got to be going into it with confidence. I mean, you're playing great, great golf. I texted you the other day, I said you were number one in drugs gained for the week. You should keep doing that? Yeah, for sure? Yeah, yeah, it is funny. I am no, Lie, Shame won't believe me on this. I know, Lie. I thought about it that how I could get home and do and I swear all my life, how can you get home and

do it? But if it was anywhere but New York, because it really was far Because to be honest, I don't need to be at the golf course. The whole week. You know, I I don't really want to. It's gonna be a lot of work. I've played one major before and I remember being way too tired by Thursday because you're kind of soaking it all in. So I was like, oh, I can actually probably stay, but if I you know, if I stayed Monday, there's no there's no way to

get there fast enough. But yeah, I felt bad about well that and also missing a buyer, and I don't like being the guy that withdraws late. But honestly, um, I emailed the term of director to day and just kind of apologize and explain myself. But uh, um, it's one of those things where's I've never picked my schedule and and and it's it feels good, like it feels good to know that I'm in tournaments. I looked at the commitment sheet two days ago and it was honestly funny.

I every single tournament that there's ever been, there's a you know, you have ranked from a number of one to whatever, and if there's a hundred and twenty people out in the field, you know, I'll always be even if I'm in the tournament I'm one fifteen, I'm always looking at I looked at him, and every single one was between the number of ten and fifteen. And that was the coolest part because I'm like, all right, I can actually make some decisions for my career now, not

just go where they tell me to go. And I took advantage of that, you know, being able to skip Buyron and and get ready for my first major. I'm I'm playing well, and I know that golf course suits me. I've watched Tiger play play there enough times to know what it's about. So I'm looking forward to getting back back out there and kind of keep the ball rolling. Yeah, I mean, now your schedule foren I mean again, these are these are things that I think golf fans, I mean,

I don't understand. Is you know your three days post victory now you're I mean you you schedule change now? I mean, do you you now kind of go back through the rest of the year and go, all right, I'm probably gonna skip this week, probably an event you would have played. Maybe I'm gonna play here the event you maybe wouldn't have got into. I mean, if you looked at that yet, is that something you've kind of run through yet or no, Yeah, we did that yesterday.

I didn't really honestly, it was so crazy about winning, as I swear on my life, the only things I thought about coming down the stretch when I was like trying to keep those thoughts out where p G A uh and you know the money slash FedEx Cup, like you know, getting the playoffs stuff like that, you know, keeping my card. So uh. I never thought about the Masters. I remember my buddy John called me and the first thing you said was You're going to the Masters, And

I was like, holy cow, I forgot about that. I didn't know I was going to you know, Hawaii. And then I found out I'm getting in the w g C Memphis, and all these things are to happen, and I can't really believe it all. I just honestly thought about the p G A. So yeah, it is interesting. I went through the whole schedule yesterday and realized that

there's a couple events I'm gonna skip. Uh. The funny part about the schedule though, is since since I'm not in the you know, US Opening British Open yet, um like, there are still some events that I was already gonna play that I can keep playing, which I like because I've been there before. Um, but yeah, there's a couple of different ones, like you know, the Barracuda and Reno.

I've played that every year. I really enjoy it. But I mean, there's a w g C and I'd rather, you know, get to play for guaranteed rounds every honest little stuff like that. And honestly, the coolest part is actually, for the first time ever be able to plan for the playoffs and not go to the Web finals. That is the coolest feeling in the world, because I've done that every year for as long as I can remember, and it really really isn't fun. How many gifts did

you go through before you set along? The Jordans shrug? Okay, though this is gonna be the one, the one funny thing. But I thought about it on Friday. Did you really didn't know if I was gonna write I was gonna do this shrug or if I was gonna just write Jordan's shrug dot Jeff. I don't know why it hit me, you know, I I I've learned a cool lesson with one of my old roommates in college and now the

assistant coach at cal Mina. He uh, he had won the pack pack tens uh, you know, earlier in his in his life, and he used to tell me before I go into into rounds where I was leading um in college, he'd say, hey, let yourself drift for five ten minutes and then let it go, so like, let yourself enjoy it. So I'd sit around at night on Friday after you know, I had gotten into contention, and I was sitting there like, all right, you know, what do you do? What would you do if you win?

Are you gonna fist pump all this stuff? Like I let it dream? And then I'm like, well, I got this Twitter kind of like what are you gonna do with that? Like people are gonna be blowing you up? And I was like, all right, you know what, I'm gonna keep it super simple. It's not gonna be some corny thank you. It's just gonna be a what the heck just happened? I can't even explain it. Well, what's

funny is I was listening this on Monday. I was listening to your No Laying Up podcast from October, which is great, by the way, if you haven't listened to that when it's awesome, just because I think when you kind of like juxtaposed that to now you know when you're you know you were happy then, I mean it was a it was a big stepping stone for you. Then. Um, you mentioned the shrug in that podcast you mentioned to Jordan's I don't even remember what it was about, but

I remember I was listening to it. I was like, man, that must be like his favorite his video ever, m J transcends everything you shouldn't You should just from now on? Nbhi. Yeah, your Twitter accounts like they have a lot, so you need you need to like you need to like, uh like have some big moment where you stepped past a big name and it's the iverson Jim, Like that's the only way you communicate from now on. Um, I saw Rex Hoggard said, Uh, Tommy the sort of reached out

to you. Um, is there anybody else like big name that hits you up or since you a text or called you or anything like that? Pretty cool? I got a lot of them that shocked me. Um. Andre Iguadala, who I had met a while back, and he's actually boys with Justin Thomas, and you know I've been Andre probably know this, but I mean I was around Justin when he got Andre sin in my jersey and he tried it on and it was the funniest thing ever.

Seasons like's ankles. But he texted me I played the prom with him once and that was pretty cool just to know that he was watching. I know he loves golf. The you know, the a lot of cool ones. I mean, Aaron Rodgers messaged me. I've got to know him a bit. He's awesome, but he mess to be something that was really kind of well thought out of something, you know, kind of along the lines of, you know, two year

exemption check. Um, you know, your first win check and like, you know, knowing that all the hard work paid off, like that's priceless and getting that from I got a lot of great messages from friends, family and whatnot, and they all mean a lot to me, but sometimes when you get them from other athletes that get it a little bit more, it really hits you. You know. Justin

Thomas text me and that meant a lot. Um, there were some cool people that reached out, but the Aaron Rodgers one hit me because I'm like, this is pretty cool because he's one of my heroes. We went to same college and everything, and I love watching him, so he's he's a stud and for him to be not only watching but put some thought into two messaging me,

it was cool. So you know, like obviously, I mean, I'm not supposed to root for people, but I mean I'm you know, I mean we're pals and and I'm I'm I root for guys that I mean, you're a good guy, You're you're a nice dude. You you've worked your ass off to get there. Um. So you know, on Sunday, a couple of buddies that we had dinner with a couple of lenths go whatever. We were all kind of watching it at this MEXICANCLU food place down the street, and I I mean, I get nervous, you know,

watching somebody that I know that I want to do well. Um. And then like in my head, I'm thinking, okay, sure, like this is nerve wracking for me. But I mean, you know, you've won big events before, you've won professional events before. Um is it is it easier to do that when you throughout the years see other guys that have pulled off wins for the first time, like Adam Long what he did. I mean, we as fans are shocked that he could stand up to a Phil Nicholson, right,

But I mean he has self belief in himself. He's done all the work to get there. And then you look at you know, Mitchell who who wins that event up against brooks Kepka in big names like that. For you, I mean when you're in that instance, I can only imagine it's nerve wracking, but like there's not self doubt at all. I mean, you just you're playing well and you believe it's going to happen. Is that help? Knowing

that these guys have already done it. There's a lot of these first time winners that have kind of come through in twenty nineteen. I didn't think about it, but yeah, that that probably does help have the same though reaction that you're talking about when you're watching, Like when I'm watching Keith Adam, I seriously keep thinking, you know, if I'm in that position, I don't know if I could

take the club back. You know what, You've got Phil Mickelson breathing on in your neck, you have brooks Kepta and Ricky Faller breathing down your neck, and you step up on this not only the fifteen footer. I feel like that would might be the easiest part, because you know, you lose, you miss it, you go to a playoff, But just even hitting the ball off the tee teeing it up, those things seem crazy me. But it's so weird.

I guess this is why, honestly we do. We do this for a living, because getting that moment, and I've said it a million times since I was a kid, I'm nervous as hell going to the golf course and the golf club gets in my hands, and it's just weird. It's like, yeah, this is what we do, dude, like get out there. The biggest for me, though, and all

of it, was Saturday playing with Rory. I was honestly a hundred times more nervous, and even Sunday, I don't know what it was a lot of people is his birthday. He is obviously fantastic. He owns that golf course. And we got out there. In the first hole, I'm legitimately shaking, like I picked up my water and I thought to myself, I can't let people see this because it's bad, and I just I just looked around to the crowd and it was almost like every time somebody stopped ruting. You know,

it wasn't rooting for me. You know, a lot of people rooting for Rory, which is I totally understand why I don't care at all, um, but I like built a chip on my shoulder. I'm like, somebody told me. They're like, hey, I can't remember who it was, but somebody before the round said, hey, make him know you, like, like show him who you are. And I was like, man, that's tight. Like I'm gonna show he's gonna know who I am after today, and I the next day, same thing.

You know, we roll in. I end up having breakfast with Rory, which was awesome. He's the best dude in the world. If I'm sitting there and I'm like, I'm at breakfast with Rory, I got you know, justin Rose walk by me, and I know they all know that I'm leading. They don't know who I am, but they know that this kid is leading, you know, pass some people on some fairways or whatnot. And every time I just kept thinking to myself, I was like, these guys are gonna know who I am by the end of

this day. And it kind of helped me get that motivation said of just being like who the hell am I like, I shouldn't do this. The logic goes out the window. You know it helped a little bit, is it? Is it fun when you play with Rory and you hit a good ball and you're like, oh, for yards up there? I can't tell. I can't even explain. I watched him hit his driver a hundred percent like my hero. Well, what's funny is I have a two parts of this after the Saturday, you know, get back really late with

two delays. My I call my coach, my coach, you know, kind of hyping me up for the next day. We're talking about the stuff we need to prep for what he honestly saw my swing that we you know, might need to like watch out for when I get nervous here and there, um, stuff like that, and then game plan. I said, coach, I need two minutes to talk about good Roy Mcroys because we're talking about it all the time. I'm a huge fan of golfers. We talked about them all but I was like, I need two minutes. He

goes he last, he goes, Okay. I said, I know this is bad because I'm trying to beat the guy, but like I'm in awe of him. The first t shot he hit, I bombed one, like, I hit one really good off the first and uh, right down the middle and and the whole dog legs hard to the right. There's trees right, and you know, to cover the fairway, it's into the win on the right is probably two nineties, so if you catch one, you can kind of cover

the corner and then it slowly gets longer. He hit this ball over the right trees that honestly, if you didn't know it was him, you're like, oh, that's you know, if there was out of bounds, it's out of bounds. And he does that. We get out there, the middle of the fairway is a wedge and I've got eight iron. I'm like, dang, dude, I bomb that. But I mean he's literally taking a forty yard different line than me.

The next hole, I hit three wood. He hits driver over the trees again, and I'm walking off the tea and I look at Joe my caddy and I'm like, dude, I don't know, like do I say good shot? Like I have no idea where that is. I assume it's perfect. And so we walked over to Rory were like is that good? Like, and he goes, he goes. I don't really know. I know they took some trees out. And then the funniest one though for me, that was on

nine because I saw some people catch me looking. On nine, I threw it again and I necked it real bad. I hit up, I'm gonna put this out there. He hits it far. I hit a bad three wood and he had a great drive. Everybody. I hit off the tea first because you know, at the time, I was whooping on him. And he bombs it over these left trees that like I I played cut. I couldn't even consider going over those trees. And he just hits his high, high, high draw that is just in the air for ever.

And I remember walking off the box. I try not to like linger on the box. I tried to walk up the box and I remember I made like I just like what the hell face? And I saw like three guys started laughing, and you see his face on the God that's gonna be on TV. But he saw it. So that was bad. But that's how I felt. But like on ten, I did catch you know, I caught a couple of drives. I didn't drive it great with him. I caught a couple of drives and I was like,

within he does it every time. It's unbelievable that the sound it comes off his club faces is stupid. He is a legitimate driving machine. Um. I don't want to talk too much about like your actual round, but you know, I'm watching. I think I started the day watching and here a third hole you hit in the pine straw. I mean, I'm looking back on your round thinking that was one of the shots of your day, maybe the shots of your week, because you were in trouble a

little bit. I mean, you almost made it. I know you didn't make the putt, but that had to be one of those shots at least, you know, kind of as I'm watching you thinking what you might be thinking, I was like, man, that's one of those shots that kind of like calms you down a little bit because you had a great, great recovery. I had a good up and down on two, and that was that. That

helped a lot. But then yeah, three, three was tough too, because three is a hard ta shot, and it was cold, a lot colder, and it was really windy for our first hour. So one to three were really really hard. Honestly thinking back on it, and even at the time, I kind of thought, even on three, like if you make a bogie here, uh, it sets you back a little. But like these holes are the hardest holes right now, Like this is no big deal. But I hit a

pretty good drive on three. I don't love the t shot. Um, it's just very it's very straight, which sounds weird, but I have to kind of cut it off this tree and it just didn't quite cut enough and it hit the tree. And I looked at you know, Joe, and I was like, actually that pretty well. It just was a little late cut. He goes, yeah, He goes, you should be fine. You're gonna have a seven iron and from the left rough to a right pin, no biggie.

And we get out there and it hit. It hit the tree was in the pine shot and we were way back to two oh five or something and we didn't know the shot. It was humming off the left pins, front, right, and right. Bunker is the only place you can't be um. And I got up there and pine shot was tough for for people I haven't been there. You can't really ground your feet, you can't get a lot of speed Joe wanted me to hit a six iron and a high hook around the tree and I told him I

was I could do. I can't get enough speed on this, like I gotta hit five. And you know, he fortunately like kind of let me roll with that. But having him tell me high hook, I like more than just starting one way left. And I hit in. It was off the face. I flushed it, but it was much right of it didn't draw. You know, it's a lot of wind coming off. It didn't draw. And I'm staring at and he I can just hear him saying go, go go, and I hit it and I was like,

I hit that thing really good. I was like, if this one can just stay online, it might be pretty good. And it got up there and I couldn't believe it. That was That was a big settling point for me because I was like, that was one of the better shots I've ever hit just in general. I mean, off pine straw to a tuck pin at five ft that's pretty good. So to do it under that, I started to make me believe myself a little bit. Eighteen. I was kind of laughing a little bit. You're again, I mean,

this is reality. I mean you this is something you haven't been on your your on national television. You're you're you're gonna win. Obviously you smoked that the t shot. Of course, I know you talked about the twirl with the no lane up guys, which was which was awesome. But you were walking up and we're laughing. You're like, give Joe the putter, and I saw that gave him back the butter, and you had this grin on your face. You're like, shit, am I doing this right? You know?

It was just it was just like this funny moment because again, like what I love about it, and what I think is is so real about you is you kind of will smile about that stuff. You know, you're having a good time with it. Obviously you're having a good time. You're gonna win for goodness sake, But you kind of were doing that. And then I even heard you mentioned this. He said, Uh, you didn't know if Duffer was gonna put out Yeah, and you like didn't

really know the process of protocol. Yeah, there's no protocol. And then your reaction on on a team with the putt, I mean, do you have you ever have you ever had that big of a reaction for a victory anything like that. Before one I actually remember and I'll shout out Justin Thomas again. But we played a match his freshman year of my junior year at riverat Nationals for the team thing, and uh, they sent me out first against Justin And at the time, I honestly hated Justin Thomas.

I didn't know him. He's a great dude, but I hated him. He seemed like this guy that had been, you know, blessed with so much golf ability. And also it's just kind of like a spoiled kid. To me, this is like such an outside looking in. He never struggled. I felt like I struggled all through high school and college. So we get out there and play, and I just remember all day, I said I was not going to show a lick of emotion all day, and he was

gonna have to. He was he was going to be the one that kind of be loose and and here and there, and I end up beating him. And on seventeen it all came out of me and I made about a twelve footer to beat him, and it was one of those I didn't plan on it, but I yelled just like I yelled there and on eighteen I did not plan on it at all. I honestly plan on missing that put because I couldn't believe I would

make one more. You know, I made a million ten footers of during the week and to make one more making a perfect speed, and I didn't think about a thing. And it was weird. I fist pumped. I knew I had fist pump a little bit, because you know, you're going to celebrate something. But I yelled, man, And even as I was yelling, I was laughing at myself. I was like, what is happening? But it just came out.

It was a lot of a lot of frustration, um, but a lot of pride and uh, you just never know if you're gonna be there, man, and it happens, and your body just kind of takes over. I mean, it's a it's the weirdest feeling in the world. So we were talking earlier about you know, playing the next week and guys being content and uh, and I can only imagine for somebody like you. Um, you've been been in the lows of lows of Prestel golfer and obviously

now you're at the high highs of professional golfer. How do you reset yourself so that you're not content throughout the rest of twenty nineteen. How do you reset yourself to go into these events going forward with the same drive, determination, relentlessness to go in there and and and compete and try to win more, Because I mean, I know, I know you want more tastes of this, So how is it how how hard is it going to be to

avoid that? You know, if you shoot seventy four seventy four and week be like you already got to win this year? Yeah, I think I think that's gonna be hard, But I think that's also good because at times you can shoot seventy seventy four, leave the golf course and be just in shambles, where I've always been jealous of people that can do that and be able to reset and think my life's not over. I have some stability

because it coming off the web category. I mean, you should you miss a couple of cuts and you really don't get into anything. Now, to know that I can actually have some freedom might end up making me play better. But what I've been great at in my life with with goals and whatnot, is I haven't made goals super specific.

I had one this year that was Tour championship, which means you had a great year, and that means that you're never gonna clinch that, Like I can't clinch that all of us, and so that's gonna take a lot more work. But in general, my I wouldn't be content now that I have a taste of what winning it's like, or even just being in contention. That's all I want,

Like it's it's legitimately like a drug. Like if I go the rest of my career and never have that again, but I can keep my card every year and I'm living, you know, financially like stable and and having a great life. I'm going to be upset because that feeling Saturday Sunday was unbelievable playing with Rory Um, you know, playing in the final group with Dufner coming down eighteen. Knowing you want like that stuff is is so addicting. Like I can't imagine going out to the golf course next week

and just be like, well, whatever happens happens. I think I'm gonna have the good end of whatever happens happens because I can finally kind of look at it and just be like it's just golf. You know, it's it's not the end of the world now, And when when before, you know, when you're struggling to keep your car for the first time ever and you just remember all the bad shots you've hit, it does kind of feel like the end of the world. Going into the PJA Championship again,

you're playing well hit and well putting great. I mean you're making everything for guns. Um, that's gotta be a good feeling. But I mean even the rain delay when you came out and carry that pud you hit the putt. They had this great camera at a people. I actually did see that one, and I mean again, I mean it's hard to read putts on TV, but you hit it and we were all like, it's like Woody and me and Andrew were like like, man, that's a bumber of a horn. You know, you don't want like a

five a half. You're like, I want the t shot or I'll take like a wedge or whatever. But you're like five and a half foot or man, that's kind of a bummer and uh, and you hit it, and I kind of like from TV it looked like it went the other way. Yeah, I thought honestly thought it before I read it, or sorry, before the rain delay. Joe told me to go look at that put and he comes over. He goes and it was raining, but

he goes, what's that put? I said, right edge? And we got back out there and he goes right edge. I was like, a't right that it went that way? And when you hit it, I was like, oh, and then it just goes right like it just was like that, you know, every pot was like just like a go for going to his hole. It's like, well, I mean,

the guy's pretty locked in right now. But you know, you you go into next week and it's a p J championship in the field's gonna all the best players in the world and you're gonna have the Rory's and the Dustins, but the Tigers and the Fields and all these guys out there. Um, I mean you go into

it with confidence like I can get myself a contention again. Yeah, I'm not delusional enough at this point to think that like I'm all of a sudden, you know, in the class of Rory McRoy like and I mean this in in the in the most respect even to myself, Like what I learned this week though, is on any given week, my good golf is as good as anyone's good golf. I think that Rory's and Tigers and Justin's and Dustin's and Brooks is is better weekly, you know, And I'm

okay with that. I need to get better. I obviously haven't had the the success they've had on on a full year scale. But what I learned, and what I also really did know for most of my life, was my great golf is very very great, and I think that's cool to know. So I think that's where I'll feed off of. Obviously, we're gonna, you know, my coach, me and Joe are going to continue to try to get better and get onto Rory's level, uh and all

that to be more consistent like that. But yeah, that what I can finally really hold on too, is if I call that PJA Championship and I know that I don't need to play perfect because I didn't. And that's finally what's great is I know that I played a good I've hit the ball a lot better than I did last week, and and I haven't put it much better than that, But I mean I've put it like that before. I didn't completely black out. I played my

golf and it was just really good, solid golf. So it will be cool to go out there with a ton of confidence to know that, hey, if you got this thing rolling, like, we don't need to be shocked that we're near the lead. What's been interesting And I don't know if you felt this or not. I mean, obviously maybe it's a little bit too close to your chest, but for whatever reason, your win this week has felt like it's been more attachable. And I don't know what

I mean. I mean, if you sinse that. I mean, even like the SPP thing that he did such a great job with. Um My ups guy yesterday drove by and he knows I'm in the golf media. He drove by ESD and he was like, man, that was really cool, and he said he didn't know I know you. He was like, man, that was really cool. On Sunday, I was like, yeah, I was sweet, right, and he was like, I just you know, like I feel like and I mean,

you're so good at social media. I think it helps that with social media because will root for you because you're such a genuine dude on that platform. Don't change, by the way, don't become something like guy that just puts puts us out by the way you put you did put out like in the last three days you put out like two things that were like sponsor stuff. You're gonna be this person I'm raising money for. I'm alrighty, I got a cherry. I gotta retweet that. Yeah that

that was funny. They showed you your thing on TV versus like Sergio maybe really really weird. I feel like I should win this, sure win it. We were watching it and we were all at the same time, we're like, what did he chip in? Y made like a six ft I hit it over like a ninety foot tree and like get a nice chip up to a foot and that'll be your a that's challenge. That's the thing.

But you know, have you felt that, like have you had people reach out there, like your your story in a sense you know, inspires me, or maybe a mini tour guy that's like, man, dude, like if you can do this, like I feel like I can like put more work into my game. Have you have you seen those types of things has come your way? That's been the coolest part. What No Laying Up did that was so cool was in that in that podcast we did

after our tour championship on web. Um. You know, they took a blurb from it four minutes and it was my favorite four minutes. But they do such a good job of you know, they're some of my best friends. But they've given me a bit of a platform to be able to talk about my struggles. And I don't hide from it. I mean it happens, um and I was able to and they were able to cut four

minutes out of it. And I got a lot of responses, uh that were not golf base, like hey, dude, like if you don't you know, to their followers, if you don't listen, if you don't watch golf, this can still help you. And I got a couple of texts from people who are working their way up, you know, their their own profession and they've had struggles and they texted me and be like, hey man, that was very inspirational. And what's funny is is you know I didn't I

didn't know obviously I was gonna be here. I didn't know that this was all gonna work out. But when I'd be sitting in my hotel room on a Friday afternoon after missing my millionth cut and hating life. I sat there thinking to myself, I'm gonna be like what I him right now, Like this story I pictured, I'm like, I'm gonna be this guy. People are gonna look at me and think, man, he can do what I can

do it. I think that they're there. You know, everyone's attached themselves to you know, John Daily and more everyday golfer, Like you can kind of see yourself in him. It's so hard to do that with Justin and Rory and Tiger. I mean, like Tiger isn't a real person to me, Like I can't relate any shot I've hit even do him Like it's just differ. Everything he does is so

much better and different than all of us. But you can relate yourself to little stories here and there are people kind of, you know, making a comeback, doing little things that like you're like, oh, yeah, I I've I've had a bad day and then I overcame it or I can overcome it. People losing weight or getting in

shape and all these things. So it was cool that they cut that four minutes, and it was really cool that Scott Van Pelt thing is the coolest thing I've ever ever, that was the first one I hit me. I was like, what the heck that just happened? Like, but but it's cool because that was my goal. Man. I wanted I wanted it to be bigger than just

just the golf. I knew I had to get my golf game back, but I also thought to myself off that in this process, I'm gonna be I'm gonna be what people can look to at some point of the stories that I'm at the time looking forward to find some motivation, because you know, it's hard, you you you

don't see a lot of it. So I needed to find some people that had done something like I did and to be able to do it and help people in the future and just kind of I want everybody to be successful and I don't want anybody to ever quit. And it was cool to show that, you know, a little bit of perseverance can go a long way. Where did you get that from? Like your parents? Your mom, like your dad? Like, where did you get that from?

Where did you get that? No quip mentality? I have great parents, and you know, they were the type growing up they don't know a ton about golf. My dad got me into it, but it was one of those where like they wouldn't let me win sports. I cry, you know when you're a kid that they would tag me out when we played a little baseball games. It wouldn't let me win anything. And I was kind of an annoying kid. I would flip the board, you know,

candy land if I was losing all this stuff. But I think a part of it, obviously, besides what they taught me and instilled to me, is I think some of it might just be natural. Because I know this is the corny story ever, but my mom and dad tell me were the apartment I lived in one and I was like, from you know, birth to three years old, had a little step and they said they used to see me crawling up and down and trying to figure

out how to get up and down. And honestly, it's it's sat with me that that maybe that's that's who I am. And that's why I said to those no laying up guys. I've said before, like some people are going to be the best seven iron player in the world, so we're going to be the best driver in the world.

And I'm going to be the toughest dude you've ever met, and maybe that's my thing, because like I think Rory has been blessed with the driving ability, I think I have been blessed with a lot of self determination and um, you know that that's just kind of how I tried to, you know, make my make my day to day life be once I was struggling every day, I'm gonna be the best version of myself I can be and then see what happens in X amount of years. Did not

think it was gonna happen this fast. Is there an athlete like when you were growing up or even when you were going through kind of your low times, if you will, was there an athlete you looked at that was like that dude to somebody I can look at and be like, he accomplished this. I if I follow what he did, or if I kind of like follow his his you know, can't give up atitude. I can do the same thing as there anybody that you had

in that in the world like that. Yeah, Kobe, I know that he It's not that he struggled with like his actual game, but he had those two awful injuries.

And I watched that show. Uh, his like our episode of the Muse, A bunch of times, and I remember sitting there and I'm like getting like physically emotional things or like thinking about what he's going through because it felt like me like he sat in front of that uh, that his locker that day and he's crying, and because I could, I could, you know, it's after that, I can, I know what he's feeling. He's like, man, I even done, And also I don't want to do this again, like

I can't do this again. And I remember the second time I lost my web card. I had worked so hard the last time to get my card back, like so so hard and and mentally hard, like I can do the second do this and I lose it again and lose it in a way more like ridiculously bad fashion. And I'm sitting there thinking like I don't want to do this again, like it I really don't, So looking at him, I'm like, you know, what, what do you do? He sucked it up when the doctor next day, and

then right after that he goes physical therapies. You're picking up Marble was one by one with his feet every day for hours and hours. I'm like, this guy is obsessed with like what's going to happen the next minute? Of my life, and I'm like, I can I can do that. I can handle my brain, I can I can make myself do these things. Now I can't make myself, you know, a better golfer right away. But like we can break this down really really really small. So he

was a huge inspiration for me. His work ethic is next to none, and um like that, that's that's kind of that. That was the best I can find because honestly, what's kind of cool is there aren't a lot of stories like me. Uh you know, I think Sean Martin tweeted something today about people like nobody's made this little money. He's one hard to find stuff like that. I wanted to you know, You've got a lot more stuff on Kobe and Michael Jordan's and and Tiger Woods and all

these guys. So it was cool to kind of try to dissect what they've done. Are you a very much NBA fan or not? Really? Yeah, just a little bit. I like, you know, we're gonna be all all basketball just from now on all I'm doing well, well, Max, I appreciate it, man, Like that was it was It was it was fun to watch. Um. I mean, I you know, I could tell by social people are rooting pretty hard for you, and I think it's I think there's a reason for that. And um, do you want

to do another titleist? Read? Do you think? Are you pretty good on that? Just just give them your give him your your version of the pro v read, Hey go get a prov Yeah, Hey, hey this is what I Yeah, i'd tell people this. Hey, if it can fix my goal, you go buy a couple of sleep I mean, why not? All right, Max, I appreciate it. Yeah, thanks,