Max Homa to be mic’d up during third round from Torrey Pines

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Max Homa plays golf for a living, but he also is a fan of the game. His passion for the sport has him constantly considering ways to enhance the enjoyment of those who share his affection.

That’s proven by his interaction with fans on social media, and on Friday it will result in an unprecedented moment for a PGA TOUR broadcast.

During Friday’s third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, the five-time PGA TOUR winner is scheduled to take part in an interview with CBS’ broadcast booth while playing the 13th hole of Torrey Pines’ South Course.

Homa and the TOUR have been collaborating on ways to enhance the TOUR’s telecasts. Friday’s interview was inspired in part after Homa was shown a clip of Trea Turner, who played shortstop last season for Homa’s beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, wearing a mic during a regular-season game in 2022. Homa enjoyed the in-game access to one of the game’s best players and wants to bring the same insights to a PGA TOUR telecast.

Friday’s interview won’t just be with one of the game’s most popular and engaging but also a contender in the tournament. Homa will do so while also contending for his sixth PGA TOUR title. He will begin the third round in fourth place and will play in Friday’s third-to-last group.

“I think that would enhance the broadcast for fans to learn, ‘Why is the 13th hole hard? Why was that a great shot to 12 feet?’ Things like that,” Homa said. “I think mic’d up is good, hoping to use it in a way that fans can gain knowledge about the hole that’s coming up for the leaders, or learn more about the high-end golf stuff.

“I love this game, and I want more people to get to enjoy it. So if we can make that easier to do, I think that would go a long way.”

Homa will be mic’d up as he plays 13 and will answer questions from the CBS broadcasters in the booth, including Jim Nantz, who is on-site at the AFC Championship, and Trevor Immelman, who is making his debut as the network’s lead analyst.

Homa hails from Valencia, California, less than three hours from Torrey Pines. He remembers attending the Farmers Insurance Open as a high schooler and watching the event on television. His on-air interview Friday will occur on one of the most memorable holes on Torrey Pines’ South Course.

“I like being able to go for that green,” Homa said Thursday. “It’s a fun, wild, demanding second shot.”

Now fans will get to learn more about what makes that shot so compelling. The 13th green is elevated high above the fairway, with a stairway of bunkers built into the hill leading to the putting surface.

Homa said earlier this week on the No Laying Up podcast that he has been in talks with the TOUR executive team on ways he could participate in efforts to innovate the TOUR’s telecasts. Friday is the firstfruits of those conversations as the TOUR continues to innovate its telecasts.

“We are entertainers,” Homa said. “If I was the best golfer in the world, and nobody watched me, I’d just be a guy at the bar telling everybody I was the best golfer in the world. We need to be watched to do that.

“Stuff like this could go a long way. I’m a fan of the idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works.”