Homa Carried His Bag for 36 Holes, and It Did Not End Well originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
POWELL, Ohio — The U.S. Open is a demanding test, but Max Homa made it even more challenging by carrying his own bag for the 36-hole qualifier at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club outside of Columbus, Ohio.
To add insult to injury, the six-time PGA Tour winner carried his own bag, not just the 36 holes of the qualifier, but also an additional two holes in a five-for-one playoff for the final spot.
Homa was not interested in talking about why he decided to carry his own bag, but it was also clear that he had learned the value of a caddie.
“I haven’t carried my bag 36 holes in a while, so I’m a little tired,” Homa said. “When I missed the putt on the 18th around the last hole, it all kind of hit me. My legs are a little bit tired, but it’s all right.”
That last putt was a 25-footer for eagle, but instead Homa tapped in for par after a three-putt on the par-5.
Yet Homa seemed to enjoy not having a voice in his ear as he walked with a carry bag on a perfect weather day.
“It seems to be better than when someone’s sitting next to me, for some reason,” Homa said of the difference without a caddie. “So, I might need to just walk by myself more. I don’t know. Maybe I just looked at it as a nice, peaceful day by myself. Probably got to battle some demons and just have nobody to lean on.”
Homa split with longtime caddie Joe Greiner in March, at Greiner’s request.
Veteran caddie Bill Harke was added to Homa’s team and was on Homa’s bag this past weekend at the Memorial. Homa’s first-round 68 was by far his best, and he followed it up with 79-75-77 and a T51 finish.
Reading between the lines, Homa and Harke are no longer a team.
“I usually pull my own clubs for the most part anyway,” Homa said of the lack of indecision. “It was a little hard in the beginning, not playing the golf course before the pins were super tricky. So, like not knowing the leaves, the second round was a lot easier.”
Homa missed a short putt for par on the first playoff hole and on the second four-putted, three of which were intentional. He will not be at Oakmont next week.
Giving Homa one last chance to confirm the caddie split, Homa was still unwilling to clear up the confusion.
“I wanted to carry for 36 holes,” was the final word for now on Homa and his caddie.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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