Max Homa earns first top-10 finish in a major at The Open Championship

The question was buzzing around the golf world for some time – mostly on Twitter – and Max Homa didn’t shy away from it.

When would the six-time PGA TOUR winner earn his first top-10 finish in a major championship?

“Everybody knows my major record sucks,” said Homa from The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club earlier this week. “I think I’m not myself when I play them. Then I go to regular TOUR events, and I feel like I free up and I play great.”

In perhaps an indication of the power of transparency, Homa rectified that record at the 151st Open.

Homa, 32, delivered a closing 2-under 69 in deteriorating conditions at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, moving up seven spots for a T10 finish at 4 under at The Open. In his 17th major start, Homa now scrubs one of the lone blemishes on his career resume – he had notched just one top-30 finish in 16 prior major-championship starts, a sharp contrast from his lofty standing as a top 10-ranked player in the world.

After making two birdies and seven pars on his front nine Sunday, Homa’s critical moment came at the par-4 14th hole, striping a 192-yard approach to 6 feet for birdie on the day’s fifth toughest hole. It allowed him to withstand a bogey at 16, and two closing pars proved just enough to tie local favorites Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Jordan for 10th place at Royal Liverpool.

Homa did it, after all.

“Finally played well in a major. Feels good,” Homa said afterward. “Today was a battle. I thought 2 under (today) was great, so I’m very proud of the week.”

Homa might not have been a local favorite at Royal Liverpool, but he has grown into a fan favorite across the golf world, and his excitement afterward was met with shared jubilation.

“First top ten in a major (finally) and it came at my favorite one,” Homa tweeted afterward, the message surpassing 8,000 likes within 90 minutes. “Awesome course requiring the most proper of #golf, as always. Thx everyone for the kind messages. Onward! #pvo”

Wife Lacey shared a picture of Homa posing with his index finger raised as well, signifying a mission accomplished. Although the celebration for a top-10 finish might be a tad overblown – it’s not his ultimate goal, of course – Homa is very much in on the shtick. It’s an entertainment industry, and the Los Angeles native leans into the idea that fans connect with honesty, transparency and cognizance of the journey. For a player like Homa who has navigated his share of ups and downs – he’s a three-time Korn Ferry Tour graduate, as he lost his TOUR card twice – the open give-and-take resonates even more so.

Homa’s common #pvo hashtag stands for “positive vibes only,” which recently came to a head after he missed the cut at his hometown U.S. Open in gripping fashion, carding rounds of 68-76 at Los Angeles Country Club to finish two outside the number. He then missed the cut by a stroke at the following week’s Travelers Championship despite feeling like he played OK.

Homa decided it was time to adjust something. To that end, he inscribed a motivational message on his glove after missing the cut at the Travelers Championship. He wouldn’t share the specifics – "It has a bad word in it” – but it correlated with an uptick in play, as he notched back-to-back top-25s leading into The Open.

“Just stop caring so much and let myself just be myself,” Homa said of the message. “Sometimes you just need a reminder that it’s going to be all right. Just go play golf.”

He shared these thoughts after an opening-round 68 at Royal Liverpool, followed by rounds of 73-70 before a closing 2-under 69 that was bettered by just six players, on a day where nobody bettered 67.

“It's nice to play the last one like this,” Homa said Sunday. “If L.A. was the last one, this would have been a hard one to swallow, but getting to end on kind of my high note was a good feeling going into whatever long break … I'm sure (friend and broadcaster) Shane Bacon knows how long it is until the next major. It's nice to take that into those next bundle of days.”

For the record – 263 days until the next major. Homa will be ready. #pvo