Max Homa criticised for being rude after ‘absurd’ incident during TGL finals

Jupiter Links narrowly lost the first match to Los Angeles. That prompted Woods to bring himself into the team alongside Max Homa and Tom Kim.

Unfortunately, they ended up suffering a heavy loss. That led to a strange moment involving Homa in the moments after their defeat was confirmed.

Max Homa faces strong criticism after the finals of TGL

Marty Smith approached the 35-year-old to ask about the result. Homa responded briefly before awkwardly suggesting that he was not going to say anything more.

Clearly, it is good for TGL to see that the players do care so much about losing. However, it seems that some people have been left baffled by how Homa responded.

Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard insisted that it was incredibly poor from Homa to behave in that manner given the environment they were in.

“Had he done this after blowing The Masters the way he did, I would have 100 per cent understood. That’s a heartbreaking loss. Not even The Masters, if you do this after losing any event, I can see why you’re bummed, ‘you’re not going to get a lot out of me right now’. I would have totally understood that reaction,” he said.

“This is entertainment. This goes back to the original conversations that you and I had about TGL. The bells and whistles, the technology, the SoFi Center, all of it was going to be a draw. The names, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, was going to be a draw. But for this to be sustainable long-term, it has to be personality driven.

“Over the last two seasons, there have been some personalities that probably surprised us along the way. I think Ludvig proved that he has a cool personality when he’s on the golf course. Tom Kim may not be your brand of vodka, but I find him entertaining to watch in this particular element. I don’t find Max Homa entertaining at all in this.

“We talk all the time about how much personality he shows on social media, and yet, you never see any of it when he’s actually on the course. And this was a perfect example of how you’re an entertainer in this particular instance, you’re not a competitor. You can’t get in front of Marty Smith and hit him with a big, fat slap fish across the face with, ‘I’m not happy, that’s all you’re going to get out of me’. We needed more out of Max Homa, and all of the players.”

Homa backed to regret his reaction to the TGL final

Ultimately, no one reaches the PGA Tour, or the highest level in any other sport for that matter, unless they have a competitive edge that sets them apart from other extremely talented individuals.

Jupiter’s hopes unravelled in quite spectacular fashion. For Homa and Kim, it would have been particularly disappointing to not have that moment to celebrate with Tiger Woods.

However, few are going to remember which team won TGL in 2026 by the time the new season arrives. And speaking on the same podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that Homa may be disappointed with how he reacted in time.

“I guess you could make the argument that this underscores the point that these guys really care once the competition starts, and they don’t like to lose. That said, I still think Max Homa took it too far. The reaction was almost morose. I thought it just came off as rude when everyone was giddy. It was just a little bit absurd and a little bit silly in that moment,” he said.

It is hard to criticise sportspeople for caring too much about winning. However, there is a valid point to be made that some of those involved with TGL did not invest enough in making it entertaining for the audience or offering something different to a normal PGA Tour event.

TGL needs its players to hook viewers in and make them care about the rollercoaster of the season. It matters that much more when they then cannot find the words to speak about losing out in the final.