Each of the four major championships has its own identity.
That’s what makes them so special. The four biggest golf tournaments on the planet bring their own flavor and their own challenge. Which one you prefer depends entirely on how you like to view the sport.
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The US Open is a brutal test. If you like to see players challenged to the max, then that’s probably your favorite.
The Masters is Augusta National. It’s tradition, perfectly manicured grass, every hole a painting. No running, no phones.
And the Open Championship, the year’s final major, is the oldest of the lot. An old school links test, where the opponent is the weather and the course conditions as much as it is the other golfers in the field.
But which does Max Homa prefer? He named his favorite of the four major championships after receiving a surprise invitation to The Open.
Photo by Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Max Homa says The Open is his favorite event of the year
Homa wasn’t expecting to be in the Open Championship field. Until last week, he wasn’t in, but a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic moved him from th in the Official World Golf Rankings to 73rd.
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That was enough to get him into the field at Royal Birkdale, but Homa was as surprised to hear that as anyone. He said, “Got a call Monday. We asked about it Sunday night. I think back in the day or at least how I remembered it at the Deere, the highest finisher not in got a spot.
“They don’t have that anymore, but I guess the World Ranking got me in or something like that. So I got a call Monday.
“I had a bit of a panic. We had obviously zero thought of going over there. I won’t see my family now for a few weeks but that was a bit of a scramble, but my wife’s a superstar and told me to head on over. Yeah, hopefully they come out to Minnesota so I can see my kids.”
Homa went on to describe just how special The Open is to him, as he continued, “The Open’s my favorite event of the year. I love the golf over there. The fans are truly incredible, they’re so knowledgeable. There’s just something about the walk up 18 at Opens is unlike anything I’ve done.
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“So last year I was playing at Tahoe, and I woke up every morning to watch because I just think it’s the coolest golf tournament. It was a shame that there was no bad weather as you’re watching from a bed.
“This year, now we look, and it does look like pretty good weather, so I’m kind of praying that we get a similar week. It’s just a fun event, I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s definitely going to be a bit of a scramble week. Don’t have the greatest flight in the world out of here Sunday night, but once we’re there, I think that week I smile and enjoy myself the most of all weeks.”
Max Homa’s record at The Open
Homa might enjoy The Open more than any other event of the year, but he has not exactly had incredible success at the tournament in his four appearances.
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His best outing was in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, where he secured his only top 10 at the event in his career. He finished nine shots behind the winner, Brian Harman.
But Homa missed the cut at St Andrews in 2022, finished T40 in 2021, and T43 in 2024. Links golf hasn’t been a friend to Homa over the years.
He didn’t qualify for last year’s Open at Royal Portrush, so maybe a year off from the event is what he needed to replicate his successes from 2023.
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