TROON, Scotland -- Max Homa watched the 30-foot birdie putt drop in the cup and let out a huge roar, his biggest celebration since his strong Ryder Cup debut last year at Marco Simone.
The occasion? Two more days at The Open. And while he was still 13 shots behind, it was a big moment to at least have something goes his way for the first time since April.
"Just been really not playing very well, and golf has not been very fun," Homa said.
He was among those in contention on the back nine at the Masters in April, and the Californian looked to be on the verge to taking another big step in his career. He has had only one top 10 since then, In the majors, he was middle-of-the-pack at the PGA Championship and he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
"I've been doing a poor job mentally," Homa said. "I just felt like today for one of the first times maybe ever I just never really flinched, never blinked. I played 16 really good holes and just made two really bad swings."
Those bad swings cost him in a big way -- a double bogey on the par-3 fifth hole, a tee shot out of play on the tough 12th that led to triple bogey. It looked certain to be a weekend off until two birdies on the last three holes, none bigger than the 18th.
"Maybe I'm just proud of myself," he said. "This is my favorite tournament in the world. So to have the chance to potentially play two more days, I don't know, I had an out-of-body experience. I didn't really expect to yell like I won a golf tournament.
"It just felt really good. I felt like I fought all day."