In PGA, the most vulnerable golf stars open in an unusual challenge

Charlotte, NC-You may feel the press of the press chamber while Max Homa arrived after shooting a second round 64 Friday at the Championship PGA.

On a day filled with permanent questions and answers, short extinguishing and unbearable clichés, the world somehow knew Homa’s oppressor would be the opposite before opening his mouth. After the Homa began, he spoke for half an hour, and the transcription of his answers finally filled five full pages. The topics of the discussion included the traditionally untouched terrain of caddy breakdowns, golf and the constant nature, again of a complete adjustment of the oscillation.

In 30 minutes, Homa welcomed the world in its process, covering the more professional territory than most players in the field in PGA this week will cover within a year, perhaps even a life. And more impressive than all? No one was surprised. Seconds after the goal of the day in a large championship, the dizzying group of Homa’s self-effectiveness had difficulty raised an eyebrow.

That was, until the 20th minute of his oppressor, when a reporter asked an innocent question that resulted in strangely revealing: Does Homa help his weakness helps his golf?

“No, maybe it doesn’t help me at all if I’m honest,” Homa said in a characteristic death. “I don’t know, I grew up a fan of sports, as are many, and I always found it really trying like a fan to get a little mirror. As I said, we are fun, and without fans, we would be just playing golf with some friends.”

Homa’s prestige hastened with his usual rhythm of the soul after this response, but his words continued. Golf is a sport with mental pain, and those who love it know that the most interesting stories occur in six inches between the ears. Tangible questions tend to promote tangible answers, but have we ever thought about the cost of getting them?

In Quail Hollow and every golf tour this year, it is clear that many of Homa’s counterparts have made the calculation. Many star players enjoy discovering very little of themselves in their commitments with the press, believing that there Deity at discretion. Enough is quite difficult to navigate in an uncomfortable sport when they look at the whole world, they look, but it is much harder when the world knows exactly what you are thinking.

For many years, Rory Mcilroy was the poster of this debate. Mcilroy’s repentance for unusual self-effective responses turned it into a loving media with a sponsorship laundry list, but his willingness to “go there” despite repeated failures contributor BY failures. (It’Sura unclear if Rory mcilroy’s The annoying victory in Augusta ended that debate, or simply confirmed it.)

Like much more in Golf, the answer to this question is unknown. Performance is inseparable to personality. But she says something that Mcilroy and Homa have been thinking about the benefits of getting out of attention. In the depths of his large championship drought in 2022, Mcilroy spent several months experimenting with ready-to-zero media in big weeks. As Homa climbed an ugly spiral shaky in early 2025, he questioned the merits of his exposure to the media.

“Yes, I just try to be myself,” Homa said. “Sometimes I wish I would probably keep some things, but at the end of the day we owe a lot to many fans. It’s not so hard to be transparent. It doesn’t hurt me in any way.”

Few know a media confidence crisis better than Bryson Dechambeau. US Open Champion – and Golf Youtube Megastar – underwent a prolonged media absence in 2021 after public fillings for his treatment of controversy with Brooks Koepka, sponsors of his home and home tournament. For months Dechambeau sat at the press conference and bypass the media availability, apparently believing that it was better to avoid speaking at all than to do so and put his foot in his mouth.

Dechambeau’s public image was at its lowest level when it began posting on YouTube in early 2022, but the rehabilitation of the last few years has been nothing less than extraordinary. He entered the PGA Championship in Quail not only as one of the two or three most important superstars in the field, but also as one of the main betting favorites.

If Mcilroy and Homa count as agnostics of vulnerability (or at least in weakness-question), Dechambeau qualifies as a evangelist born again. His opening has been more than one component in his growth from most of the extraordinary to deceive Everyman – has been the promoter behind him.

“I think it’s important the way it is presented,” Dechambeau said on Friday. “Coming from a position of light. Sometimes opening can be scary. I praise the Max that is that way, and I think people have to respect it for it. I was a lot like it early.”

During his press conference on Friday, Bryson seemed surprised from the outside when he heard the acceptance of Homa’s insecurity. (“Oh, really?” He said. “I wouldn’t know at all.”) Still, Dechambeau said, his exposure is more calculated than it seems. Deceased New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger, golf showman believes in the virtue of an open mind … just not so open his brain falling out.

“I’m a little more focused on what I will say, what I aim to say now,” he said. “But I think it’s great. The more players we may have that are the most open here, I think this will only benefit the golf game.”

In PGA, there is little doubt that the sport benefits from the relativity of his stars. Thousands packed the cords to see Dechambeau and Homa dip in low -ranking score on Friday morning, while Mcilroy’s “Super Group” with Xander Schauffle and Scottie Scheffler was so filled with land traffic to stop an afternoon 90 degrees. That central part of Live Golf – intimacy with star players – was reinforced only by audience connection already deceased

But while Dechambeau approached the end of an extremely short oppressor on Friday afternoon, he reminded us of the relationship between vulnerability and golf should not be causal. After a few minutes of Peved’s self -esteem after a second good but not excellent round, a reporter prompted Dechambeau for the opening traps and golf stars, and his mood was relieved.

“I think after seeing how well we can actually do for the game and what we are trying to do for the game, I hope people can see it for the light it is,” Dechambeau said. “I praise the Max I did it. For me, yes, you can say that there have been times when I was very open. Now it is a matter of telling me only more about who I am.”

Dechambeau smiled as he finished his response. It was a beautiful feeling and would not cost anything.