Injury Helps Max Homa To Bogey-free Round At Bank Of Utah Championship

Three holes into his nan 2nd information of nan Bank of Utah Championship, Max Homa felt nan pain. 

The six-time PGA Tour victor has a “pretty good-sized” bony spur astatine nan apical of his ankle. And it began to swell while stepping down nan elevation connected nan 12th fairway astatine Black Desert Resort. By nan extremity of nan hole, it was “very, very tender.”

Yet, nan wounded mightiness person helped Homa.

“In immoderate measurement like, I mean, yesterday I played truthful good and I conscionable get successful my ain measurement truthful much,” Homa said aft a second-round, bogey-free 66. “It honestly helps to get wounded astatine times because I don’t retrieve reasoning astir my play swing, I don’t retrieve reasoning astir really thing much. Just get it through.”

After 36 holes, nan 34-year-old sits astatine six nether par, 4 strokes disconnected nan solo lead of Michael Brennan, a sponsor’s exemption.

“Hopefully, I tin get this point figured out,” Homa said. “Just was like, not very nosy walking. Over nan shot it’s fine. Through nan deed is not great, but it’s manageable.”

A apical 10 subordinate successful nan world 2 years ago, Homa has plummeted extracurricular nan apical 100 successful nan world ranking. This year, he has 1 apical 10 successful 23 starts. Still, he has afloat position successful 2026 owed to his past victories, but is trying to decorativeness wrong nan apical 100 successful nan FedEx Cup standings because of pridefulness (he’s presently No. 100). 

Did withdrawing ever transverse his mind?

“For a moment, only conscionable because if it doesn’t get better, I conscionable couldn’t spot myself doing this for 2 much days,” he said. “But, yeah, astir apt not. I conscionable can’t. I don’t want to do that. I emotion being here. I really for illustration really my play crippled feels. 

“It's my past arena of nan twelvemonth and it’s conscionable annoying to walk, truthful I tin woody pinch that.”

And erstwhile nan symptom gets bad, putting it successful position allows him to push through. 

“I kept reasoning astir my woman had a horrendous commencement pinch our first boy and she had major, awesome surgery,” Homa said, “and location is conscionable nary measurement I could kick astir a wounded ankle while I walked. That 1 really—she gets maine done a lot. She couldn’t look astatine maine nan same.

“Yeah, this is nothing. It’s conscionable much of a pain.”