Max Homa turns to Tiger Woods’ former caddie as he hires third looper in two months

Max Homa carrying his own bag at U.S. Open qualifying was a striking sight, and it has since been confirmed that he has made another caddie change with a new looper starting at the Canadian Open

Max Homa has hired Tiger Woods’ former caddie(Image: Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Max Homa has moved on to his third caddie in two months after he carried his own bag during U.S. Open final qualifying on Monday, hiring one of Tiger Woods’ former loopers.

Homa was among a host of big names in the field at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club in Columbus, Ohio, where six spots in next week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont were up for grabs. It was a “heartbreaking” day for Homa, who put himself in a position to qualify despite not having a caddie.

However, he three-putted his final hole of regulation to finish in a tie for sixth place at five-under-par, sending him into a five-for-one playoff that also included PGA Tour stars Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young. Young would emerge successful with a birdie on the first extra hole.

The disappointment continued a turbulent run for Homa, who has suffered a dramatic loss of form over the past 12 months. The six-time PGA Tour winner has dropped from No. 5 to 90th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

That downward spiral prompted a split from longtime caddie Joe Greiner ahead of The Masters in April, with Homa later revealing that it was Greiner’s decision to walk away.

The veteran looper has since steered Justin Thomas to victory in the RBC Heritage as a stand-in before joining forces permanently with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.

Bennett caddied for Woods at the majors last year(Image: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Homa turned to experienced caddie Bill Harke after Greiner’s decision to walk away, but their working arrangement has lasted just two months. Adam Schupak of Golfweek reports that Lance Bennett has been hired as Homa’s new caddie, starting at the Canadian Open this week.

Bennett has previously worked with Matt Kuchar, Sungjae Im, and Davis Riley, and he most recently carried the clubs for rising star Michael Thorbjornsen, who has since teamed up with Morikawa’s former caddie JJ Jakovac. Bennett has also worked with Tiger Woods, caddying for him in the majors last year.

“I’m much rather talk about the golf instead of all the questions about the caddie,” Homa told reporters in Columbus when asked about the situation. “I’m good. Just hoofed it 36.”

Discussing his agonizing near miss in the playoff, he added: “It’s going to probably be heartbreaking, but it’s all right. I haven’t carried my bag 36 holes in a while, so I’m a little tired.”

“It seems to be better than when someone is standing next to me for some reason. I might need to walk by myself more. Maybe I just looked at it as a nice, peaceful walk.

“Probably got to battle some demons and have no one to lean on. Maybe that helps a little bit. There’s no one … everything is me. The battle helped a little bit.”

Homa enjoyed a decent week at The Masters in his first week working with Harke, finishing in a tie for 12th. However, disappointing performances have followed in the four events since, with a best finish of T30 coming at the Truist Championship.