Golf Channel pundit Rex Hoggard has been discussing Max Homa’s surprise inclusion in Jim Furyk’s Presidents Cup team.
The 12-man American side was confirmed on Tuesday ahead of the event at Royal Montreal Golf Club, which starts on September 26.
Furyk played it safe, with his picks the next-best American players who missed out on automatic qualification.
Homa’s inclusion has been criticised due to the 33-year-old’s poor recent form, and Hoggard has claimed he’s shocked the six-time PGA Tour winner even wants to participate.
Rex Hoggard stunned by Max Homa’s desire to play the Presidents Cup
Speaking on the Golf Channel, Hoggard shared his surprise at Homa even wanting to participate, considering his recent PGA Tour woes.
“I am actually shocked that Max would even want to do this,” Hoggard explained. “Because the body language for the last two weeks of the season he played was that I don’t want to see a golf club for a couple of months. Not weeks! Months!”
“Now you are going to put him in a position of being under the most pressure he has faced all year long, and you are demanding one thing out of his game that he has not had this season, which is his driver, and you are going to plop him down and say good luck.”
Hoggard added: “You can’t play him in alternate shot, so your only chance here is to play him in fourball; I don’t even know if that’s a good idea!”
Jim Furyk shares reason behind Max Homa’s Presidents Cup pick
Furyk, however, shares a very different view from Hoggard. The 54-year-old is eager to tap into Homa’s match-play experience when the event gets underway in just a matter of weeks.
“I look at Max’s attributes and look at how he’s played the last two years,” Furyk explained. “Undefeated record in Charlotte, our best record last year in Rome, and I think then you go to a lot of the intangibles, as well, as far as — I guess when I say an emotional leader, I also look at kind of the glue, a guy that pulls the team room together.”
Furyk added: “That doesn’t mean he’s the most popular. It just means it comes very naturally to Max, whether it’s his social media presence, the way he interacts with fans, or his take on things, all golf-related. He has a way of drawing folks into him.”
Only time will tell if this was an inspired move. But, if it backfires, there’s no doubt critics will be waiting to immediately jump on Furyk’s decision-making.
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