NORTH BERWICK ā Max Homa canāt get enough of links golf, especially when it comes to North Berwick.
Never mind that the four-time PGA Tour winner had to grind his way through 18 holes in the wind to make the cut in the Scottish Open. He then headed up the coast to North Berwick, a 190-year-old club along the Firth of Forth known for its fabled āRedanā hole at the par-3 15th.
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āI saw the video years ago. It was of North Berwick and I was like, āThis is the coolest golf course in the world.ā And all of a sudden it became my favorite I had never played,ā Homa said Saturday, after going a mere 18 holes at The Renaissance Club with a bogey-free 66.
To listen to Homa is to wonder whether the links course on the East Lothian coast appealed to him as much as the first co-sanctioned PGA Tour event on the European tour, seen as an ideal tune-up for the British Open next week at St. Andrews.
Muirfield, regarded as the purest of the links on the Open rotation, is adjacent to The Renaissance Club. Homa was supposed to go there on Tuesday with his caddie, Joe Greiner, except they were in Ireland at the start of the week and Greinerās clubs were delayed by more than a few days.
When he got the invitation from North Berwick, the most logical day was Friday afternoon after his second round.
āThatās what made yesterday become like a must, because Iām not having a tee time at North Berwick and Muirfield and saying ānoā to both,ā he said. āI got North Berwick out of the way, and hopefully play Muirfield the next time we come by.ā
Homa was caught in the tough side of the draw at the Scottish Open, facing 30 mph (50 kph) wind on Thursday afternoon and robust wind Friday morning. He had rounds of 71-71 to make the cut with one shot to spare, and then came 18 holes of sheer fun and no stress, though it was no less tiring.
He played with Greiner, the assistant and swing coach Mark Blackburn, and they apparently had plenty of company as people from around North Berwick came out to watch.
āThe people around here I find tremendously nice, and kept doubling back and taking pictures,ā he said. āYou could tell the golf community around here is tight. It was a cool day.
āIt was definitely one of the best golf experiences Iāve ever had.ā
This isnāt the first time Homa has finished a round on the PGA Tour and then played golf for fun, except itās usually in the California desert, itās never a full 18 holes, and heās driving a cart. This time he was one of the regulars, pushing a trolley that carried his clubs. Thatās how the game is played on links.
Homa was asked if he had any other links on his bucket list, and he immediately thought of one.
āSt. Andrews is way up there,ā he said. āSo Iām looking forward to next week.ā
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