Max Homa, who missed out on 10 birdies in the 2020 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, said that the course “kicked my butt.”
Homa kicked his butt on Friday. He carded 10 birds in the second round, which is a Tour career-high, on his way to an 8-under-62 course record.
Homa replied, “I knew that I was earning a lot.” “I heard him say that he was getting tired of changing the numbers so often on the scoreboard because Pat (Cantlay), too, made a lot. It was a very crazy day.
Crazy good. His 36-hole score of 10-under-130 was enough to give him a two stroke lead over Chris Kirk. On a hot, sunny day with temperatures barely above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, his 62 was two strokes higher than Jon Rahm’s 64 at 2020 BMW. It was also one stroke better than Vijay Singh’s 62 at the 2003 U.S. Open and Rickie Foller’s 62 at the 2007 Fighting Illini Invitational. Homa claimed he knew about the course record, because he saw on the electronic scoreboard Kirk challenging the mark. Homa settled for 66 but the message planted the seed.
He said, “I had to give it some thought.”
Homa made putts of 135 feet and hit 16 out of 18 greens. His 4.32 strokes gained was the best of the season. He credited his driving as the key to his success.
Course record 62 at Olympia Fields for by @maxhoma23. pic.twitter.com/c5wdCd5qoq
Adam Schupak (@AdamSchupak 18 August 2023
“I felt that I could attack all day.” He said that the greens were still soft and so he felt he could be aggressive if he wanted to. If a more conservative approach was preferred, ‘I was able just to play the middle of the putting green. “I believe that when you are in the fairway on this course, it is much easier than other courses.”
Homa is also considering securing a place on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team as well as making an impression on U.S. Captain Zach Johnson, in case he requires a pick. The top six players in the rankings automatically qualify for the team and Homa entered the week ranked 6th.
“I told Zach that I kissed him last year, but he said, “Well, I would like to not pick you,” and I replied. “All right, here’s my commitment, I’ll do my best to get an auto.” That would be awesome. It’s kind of been my goal ever since the Playoffs began, to make it into the top six.”
