Max Homa Comes Clean on Past Tensions With Justin Thomas: ‘Hated Each Other’

Over the years, we have witnessed Max Homa and Justin Thomas share laughs, playful jabs, and camaraderie. Whether it’s social media banter or cheering each other on. But Max Homa recently revealed that their relationship before was anything but friendly.

On a recent episode of the We Need A Fourth podcast that dropped on December 8, Homa opened up about his college days. The hosts asked him if there was a group of guys who were at the top of the leaderboard at the time, and Homa instantly mentioned Justin Thomas.

“Yeah, Justin, I didn’t know Justin Thomas. Jordan was obviously also way up there. I never got to know [Jordan] until after we turned pro, but Justin, I got close with. Justin was one of the guys I seemed to get paired with a decent amount at the end of my career… We actually hated each other in college, man. Hated,” Homa shared, laughing.

Homa may have hated Thomas; it could be his low self-esteem issues during college. Back in 2021, he confessed on the Golf’s Subpar podcast that he dealt with lower self-esteem when it came to golf. We know what their friendship is like today, but the question arises: how did they get here?

“But finally, right after my senior year, over the summer of amateur tournaments, we both got stuck at a table after everybody got up, and we had been drinking, or I had been drinking. I think Justin was 20, but we got to be friendly…” Homa added. It was after that that the two bonded really well and never looked back.

He admitted that even though he and Thomas were in different colleges (Homa went to the University of California, Berkeley, while Thomas went to the University of Alabama), the comparisons were unavoidable.

“So it caught late, so now all of a sudden I got catapulted into this category, leaving college with like Justin Thomas, and to me, Justin, my whole time in college, and even before he was in college, he was the dude, right. So I didn’t really feel like I belonged there,” Homa said, reflecting on how those feelings may have fueled the tension between them.

Yet, even amid rivalry and self-doubt, their relationship evolved. Now, the two call each other the best of friends, often exchanging playful jabs on social media and supporting each other through the highs and lows of life.

Inside Max Homa and Justin Thomas’ Relationship Now

Max Homa and Justin Thomas’ friendship is full of playful banter, and there have been several instances where Homa has roasted Thomas, often targeting him in good fun. During the 2023 Nedbank Challenge in Africa, Thomas posted a simple Instagram caption that included the word “thus,” which Homa couldn’t resist trolling.

He joked about Thomas’s college degree, quipping, “Guy’s saying ‘thus’ like he graduated college or something,” poking fun at the fact of whether JT even went to college. But their teasing isn’t just about college days.

At the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic press conference, when JT asked Homa who his favorite pairing from the previous week was, Homa named him but added, “He makes me feel tall. And funny.” Thomas, quick on the comeback, joked, “Well, that’s the end of the question,” muttering under his breath, “That backfired.”

Beyond the jokes, their friendship runs deep, especially in tougher times. It was especially evident this season, where Homa struggled a lot with his performance. He missed playing both the US Open and The Open and ultimately finished 105th in the FedEx Cup standings. In fact, he dropped so low that he had to take part in some fall events to make up for it.

And through all that struggle, he credited JT for being a constant source of support. Speaking ahead of the John Deere Classic, Homa said, “Justin Thomas has been like the greatest friend you could ever ask for through all of this.”  Their friendship, built on teasing and mutual respect, clearly extends beyond the course.