01차분함 속에 다지는 우승 집념
미국프로골프(PGA) 투어 간판스타 맥스 호마가 2023년 이후 끊긴 우승 소식을 다시 전하기 위해 침착한 행보를 이어가고 있다. 긴 우승 가뭄 속에서도 조급해하거나 패닉에 빠지지 않고 차분하게 기회를 기다리는 모습이다.
호마는 최근 인터뷰와 경기 운용을 통해 결과에 연연하기보다는 인내심을 가지고 자신만의 경기력을 회복하는 데 집중하겠다는 뜻을 밝혔다. 2023년 마지막 승리 이후 정상에서 다소 멀어졌지만, 냉정함을 유지하며 꾸준히 컨디션을 끌어올리고 있다.
우승에 대한 열망 속에서도 흔들리지 않는 호마의 철저한 멘탈 관리가 결실을 볼 수 있을지 관심이 쏠린다. 인내를 무기로 다듬고 있는 그가 언제쯤 다시 승수의 물꼬를 틀 수 있을지 골프 팬들의 기대를 모으고 있다.
02Original (English) — PGA TOUR
The last three seasons haven’t quite gone Max Homa's way. But even as the results have become harder to come by, the six-time PGA Tour winner isn’t about to panic.
The Cal product hasn’t won on Tour since the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open and has recorded just seven top-10 finishes since the start of the 2024 season. After establishing himself as one of the game’s most consistent performers earlier this decade, Homa has spent much of the last three years searching for the form that once made him a fixture near the top of leaderboards.
Through two rounds at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan, however, Homa is showing signs of the confidence that carried him to a career-high No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2023. At 9 under, he enters the weekend just two shots behind co-leaders Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell, putting himself in position to end his nearly three-year winless stretch.
But to stay in contention Friday, Homa had to stay patient and trust his game.
After opening with a relatively stress-free 6-under 65 on Thursday, Homa followed with a 68 in the second round. Starting on the 10th tee at Yokohama Country Club, he played his first four holes in even par before reaching the par-4 14th, where his round nearly unraveled.
Homa pushed his drive right into the rough between two bunkers before blocking his second shot farther right and into the trees. Forced to take a penalty drop, he eventually walked away with a double bogey, turning what had been a steady round into a test of his composure.
For a player who has spent the past three seasons trying to rediscover his best golf, the setback could have led to further frustration. Instead, Homa stayed level and refused to let one bad hole dictate the rest of his day.
“I just liked that I hung in there. I didn't panic. I had a really weird 40 minutes out there around 14, but just happy I didn't try to reinvent the wheel or anything,” Homa said. “I don't know, just toughed it out, so that was good.”
His response started on the very next hole. Homa made a crucial par on the 15th, then added three more pars to make the turn at 2-over 37. He had steadied himself after the double bogey, but his best golf was still to come.
After a par at the first, Homa caught fire, stringing together five consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-6. He played his final nine holes in 5-under 31 to post a 3-under 68 and move to 9 under for the tournament.
Yet the birdie run wasn't what stood out most to Homa. Instead, he pointed to the par on No. 15, when he still felt the effects of the trouble that had unfolded one hole earlier.
“The par I made on 15 was great. I was a little bit rattled coming off 14,” Homa said. “I hit a horrible tee shot on a pretty easy hole, hit what I thought was a great second shot, got the flyer wrong and just again didn't panic, hit a good chip up there, made a 10-, 12-footer. Just little things like that, that one stuck out.”
For Homa, that ability to stay patient could be just as important as the birdies themselves. While his recent results may have fallen short of the standard he established earlier in his career, Friday offered a reminder that he doesn't need to overhaul his game every time adversity strikes. Sometimes, the key is simply trusting the process and letting the results follow.