For Max Homa, the pressure on the course this week at the 3M Open might actually pale in comparison to the pressure building back at home.
After a clean, 5-under opening round at TPC Twin Cities, Homa admitted he’s not just chasing birdies—he’s racing the calendar.
With his wife Lacey due to give birth to their second child in just two weeks, the 34-year-old finds himself in a full sprint, trying to balance fatherhood, FedEx Cup hopes, and a season that hasn’t quite delivered what he wanted on the leaderboard.
“I need to win. I really need to win cuz my wife’s pregnant and I need to go home,” Homa said with a laugh in Thursday’s press conference. You could hear the honesty behind the humor.
Homa Hoping to Qualify For FedEx Cup
Homa enters this week ranked No. 102 in the FedEx Cup standings. He needs a spectacular showing in Minnesota—and next week in Greensboro—to jump inside the top 70 and qualify for the playoffs. And yet, he knows that pressing too hard can backfire.
“I think the only way that you can go out and win a golf tournament is by not exactly trying to win the golf tournament,” Homa said, showing some classic golfer zen while living anything but a stress-free week.
The good news? He looked the part on Thursday. His bogey-free round mirrored the tone of the day for many low scorers on a soft course, and his swing looked in rhythm, built off the positive strides he’s felt over the last month. “I know what I need to do. I need to play unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, his close friend Rickie Fowler, also in the field, edged him by one with a 6-under round. The two are sharing more than just fairways this week—Fowler’s also there for support, and you can bet Lacey’s rooting hard from home, hoping the baby holds off until Homa has at least one Sunday run left in him.
If not? Well, as Homa said, “I’m just trying to kind of keep doing what I’m doing and see what happens on a Sunday.”
One thing’s clear: whether it’s a trophy or a newborn—or maybe both—something life-changing is coming for Max Homa.
