2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic: Max Homa's Twitter tales, Tiger Woods and Detroit Tigers
Max Homa, PGA Tour Twitter’s resident funny guy, had a new story to tell on social media after arriving in Michigan for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
He and his wife, Lacey, like to eat at The Henry hotel in Dearborn, but their latest trip to the hotel and restaurant could’ve ended with an arrest. Lacey is pregnant with their first child, and Max knew her “pregnancy brain” had kicked in when she went into the establishment looking for water.
She walked straight to The Henry’s fridge and took a water bottle without paying for it, but, luckily, she remembered where she was before leaving the premises.
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“I was like, ‘All right, I guess I might need to apologize to somebody.’ We’ll figure it out,” Max said of the unwitting theft. “But yeah, it’s been fun. Yesterday was the first baby appointment I’ve missed. But the rest has been really cool to see, and seeing that part of life, it’s a reminder that golf isn’t everything. There’s a lot of things that will make you happier and have a lot more fun.”
Today at breakfast she went inside to grab a water cup. She came out laughing as she tells me she went straight to their refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and proceeded to walk back outside. Fortunately she caught herself before we were arrested
— max homa (@maxhoma23) July 24, 2022
Amid LIV Golf's controversial rise to prominence, Homa’s one to remain focused on more pleasant matters, like becoming a first-time dad. He also soaked up playing with Tiger Woods at The British Open two weeks ago and took in a Detroit Tigers game for the second straight year on Tuesday.
Homa, No. 11 in the FedEx Cup standings, didn’t initially plan to play the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the third time in four years. But his hopes of pushing into the top 10 ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship made for a trip to Detroit. Before Michigan, though, he enjoyed eyeing one of golf’s greatest while chasing down leaders Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith at St. Andrews.
“The thing I'll remember the most probably was the 18th (hole) walk, just because it was a historic moment,” Homa said of being grouped with Woods at The Open. “One of those things I feel like people will say, ‘I'll never forget where I was when…’ and, like, I was there. So I thought that was neat. And it was cool to see the fans just show him the utmost respect that he has earned.”
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The die-hard Los Angeles Dodgers fan — and part-time Detroit Lions supporter since his friend Jared Goff was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in January 2021 — enthused about the energy during the Tigers’ 10-inning, 6-4 loss to the San Diego Padres: “The energy is good. I mean, they haven't been very great for a bit, but they’ve got Miguel Cabrera, so it was cool to hear everybody go nuts when he got up to bat. … I got to go to root against the Padres, so that's always a joy to have a dog in the fight.”
Fowler talks DeChambeau exit, LIV Golf
Rickie Fowler, a Rocket Mortgage ambassador, has been impressed with the tournament's growth over four years.
"It's continued to get better every year," Fowler said about the competition. "Guys hear about the golf course; it's different than what we typically play, in a way. We don't get to play many old-school Donald Ross golf courses, so guys enjoy it. It's a fun place to play. Rocket has done a great job of running a good event."
While Fowler remains yoked to Rocket Mortgage, Bryson DeChambeau was cut by the company after signing with LIV Golf, reportedly for over $100 million.
"Everyone gets to make their own decision," Fowler said. "It's an individual sport, so I have no feelings one way or another if guys leave or don't leave."
Regarding his own future, Fowler doubled down on discrediting any speculation about him leaving the PGA Tour.
"I've been straightforward with everyone from the Tour, to media, even talks with the guys at LIV," Fowler said. "There's been plenty of rumors that have come out. Nothing's been true."
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Detroit 1st-timer Cantlay: No LIV plans
Patrick Cantlay, No. 4 in the world rankings and No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings, was one of the first additions to the Rocket Mortgage Classic field following the initial nine commitments on June 22.
The 2021 FedEx Cup winner will be challenged in his first tournament at Detroit Golf Club by the likes of world No. 13 Will Zalatoris and No. 16 Tony Finau as he begins his postseason push.
"It's right in the busy part of the year, and so I'll take some time off after the Tour Championship, but up until the Tour Championship it's all golf," Cantlay said. "I think it will be maybe six out of eight weeks for me, which is a lot for me, but it's 90 degrees and humid at home in Florida, so it's a time of the year where you just play a lot of golf, and I'm excited to be here this week."
As one of the PGA Tour's top remaining golfers, Cantlay has been surrounded with LIV Golf conjecture. He refuted rumors that he plans to leave for the Saudi Arabian-backed rival following this season.
"I don't have any plans at the moment to leave after the FedEx Cup," he said.
Love scouting for Presidents Cup
While Davis Love III will be playing the Rocket Mortgage Classic this weekend, the captain of the U.S.'s 2022 Presidents Cup squad is also scouting players such as Zalatoris and Homa who might be on his squad at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September.
Additionally, Love has already named Zach Johnson, another Rocket Mortgage Classic participant and captain of the U.S.'s Ryder Cup squad next year, and Fred Couples as his captain's assistants. But he has two more slots to fill. While he's still evaluating for those spots, he noted Tiger Woods is likely to help in some capacity.
"What we learned back in the 2014-15 time, when the PGA of America put us a little bit more in charge of making those kind of decisions, is that somebody needs to be the leader," Love said. "And obviously Tiger's strategy, understanding the history of the game and the history of Ryder Cups, if I wanted to find out what we did statistically, I could either call my stats team, or I could call Tiger, because he knows.
"'Remember when this match was happening and we went alternate shot first instead of best ball?' All those kind of things he really remembers, so he's going to be a big help."
Contact Mason Young: MEYoung@freepress.com Follow him on Twitter: @Mason_Young_0
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Max Homa talks Tiger Woods, Detroit Tigers at Rocket Mortgage Classic
