Going into last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Max Homa was ranked 10th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
But he is nowhere close to being a top 10 player now, thanks to a year long slump that has seen him plummet out of major championship conversation.
Homa arrived at this week’s Memorial Tournament as the 87th ranked player in the OWGR — a low point that he has not reached since the fall of 2020. He was 98th in the world after missing the cut at The Masters that year, held in November due to COVID-19. But he was never a top player — nor a household name — before then.
He struggled to gain traction as a pro in his years after college, vacillating between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours throughout the 2010s. But he finally found his groove in the summer of 2020, peaking at 68th in the world after tying for third at the 3M Open.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images/Michael Reaves/Getty Images
He then qualified for his first U.S. Open, held at Winged Foot that September, thanks to his top-75 ranking in the OWGR. But Homa missed the cut that week.
Fast forward to 2025, and Homa finds himself on the outside looking in, similar to where he was in early 2020. Because of his poor form over the past 12 months, Homa’s only path into this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont is now via final qualifying. He will jockey for a spot at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club on Monday in Columbus, the day after the final round of this week’s Memorial Tournament concludes.
Final qualifying, known as ‘Golf’s Longest Day,’ is a marathon: 36-hole stroke play events held across 10 venues across the country. Over 900 players, including Homa, will vie for a handful spots in this year’s U.S. Open field. Those who qualify typically finish anywhere between 5-under and 8-under over the course of 26 holes.
But Homa, who has played in each of the five last U.S. Opens, has taken a surprising approach as it relates to Monday’s qualifier. He delved into it after Thursday’s opening round at the Memorial Tournament, where he carded a solid 2-under 70, the same score that World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler posted.
“Was it an eye opener? I guess it wasn’t an eye opener, it was just a bummer,” Homa said of having to go through final qualifying for this year’s U.S. Open.
“Just because you don’t start the year whatever I was in the world and think you’re going to fall that far. But just, that’s golf, so you just keep plugging along. I worried about [not making it into the majors] probably too much early in the skid, and then stopped worrying about it late.”
Homa has been quite open about his struggles all while keeping a positive mindset about his game and life overall. He’s a new father, a reality that has become more important than anything else.
“I never play well in the U.S. Open anyway, so at that point I probably would have missed the cut,” he said with a smile.
“If I don’t get in it’s all good,” Homa added.
“I just wanted to play because now that I’m a dad I would like to win or something on a Father’s Day. But if not I’ll just hang out with my son and it will be a great day.”
It is not often you hear a professional golfer appear indifferent about a major championship.
Though, Homa was optimistic during his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday at the Memorial.
“It’s not been fun, but I do see fun days ahead, which gives me, you know, just makes it a little bit lighter, I guess,” Homa said.
“I guess a lot of weeks early in the year I felt like, If I don’t play well this week, like then what. The last few weeks have felt more like, ‘Okay, if I don’t play well this week it will be another week.’ So I think that’s been a big change.”
Maybe his changed approach pays off this week with a strong finish at the Memorial. Could Homa then parlay that with a terrific day on Monday, and make it into the U.S. Open the hard way? Who knows. Anything in golf is possible, including the rises and falls of any given player. Nobody could have forseen Homa’s rapid descent coming one year ago; then again, nobody knows where he will be in 2026.
Maybe he does return to form and find himself in the top 10 again.
More Golf: Justin Thomas’ Perfect Advice for Lexi Thompson at US Women’s Open