Max Homa, Viktor Hovland flame out with disastrous starts at Players Championship

Homa, who reached as high as fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking and has six PGA Tour wins to his name, has been one of the worst players on Tour since his T3 at the Masters last year. The California native recorded just one top-25 finish in his last 11 starts of 2024, and it's only gotten worse in 2025. Homa ranks 165th on Tour this season in total strokes gained, and he's heading toward his fourth straight missed cut. 

As for Hovland, he's likely to miss the cut for the fourth time in his last five worldwide starts. He ranks 152nd on Tour this season in driving distance and 138th in strokes gained from putting, which is concerning because those used to be two of his biggest strengths. Hovland was trending toward the No. 1 spot in the OWGR after winning the BMW Championship and Tour Championship in 2023, but he's taken a huge step backward since then.

This just proves how fickle the game of golf is. Homa and Hovland were two of the top players on the PGA Tour just two years ago, and now they're consistently finishing on the bottom of leaderboards. Both players are trying everything in their power to turn their careers around.

Homa switched from Titleist gear to Cobra at the beginning of the season and quit social media in March. For a player who rose to prominence from his online swing critiques, it was clearly a desperation move. As for Hovland, he's been passing around swing coaches like two-year-olds pass around a cold. Nothing seems to be working for the former World No. 3. 

Homa and Hovland were hoping for bounce-back performances at the strongest field in golf, but their games have gone from bad to worse.