​Each of the four major championships carries its own distinct character, and that is what makes them so remarkable. These are the planet’s four biggest golf tournaments, each delivering its own flavor and its own unique set of challenges. Your preference hinges entirely on how you like to view the sport and what you seek from it.
The US Open tests players with a brutal, unrelenting standard. If you relish watching competitors pushed to the very edge, this is likely your favorite major. The Masters, by contrast, is Augusta National in its purest form—tradition embodied by meticulously manicured turf and every hole presenting a painter’s-eye view. It’s a place where there’s no running, no distractions, and no phones, only the timeless drama of classical golf. Then there’s The Open Championship, the year’s final major and the oldest of the four. It offers a quintessential old-school links challenge in which the opponent is often not just the field but the weather and the capricious course conditions as much as anything else.
So which major does Max Homa prefer? He named his favorite after an unexpected invitation to The Open, a moment that underscored his personal connection to the event.
Homa had not anticipated earning a spot in The Open Championship field. Until last week, he wasn’t in the lineup, but a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic elevated him from 74th to 73rd in the Official World Golf Rankings, which was enough to earn entry to Royal Birkdale. The surprise arrival in the field caught him as off guard as anyone. “Got a call Monday. We asked about it Sunday night. I think back in the day—or at least how I remembered it at the Deere—the highest finisher not already in the field got a spot,” he recalled. “They don’t have that anymore, but I suppose the World Ranking got me in or something like that. So I got a call Monday.”
What followed was a moment of initial panic. He confessed that the prospect of heading overseas on short notice was daunting: “I had a bit of a panic. We had obviously zero thought of going over there. I won’t see my family now for a few weeks, but that was a bit of a scramble. My wife’s a superstar and told me to head on over. Yeah, hopefully they come out to Minnesota so I can see my kids.”
Homa spoke at length about what The Open means to him. He described it as his favorite event of the year and shared why the week in Britain holds a special place in his heart. “The Open’s my favorite event of the year. I love the golf over there. The fans are truly incredible, and they’re so knowledgeable. There’s just something about the walk up 18 at The Open that is unlike anything I’ve experienced.” He continued, reflecting on previous Open Weeks: “Last year I was playing in Tahoe, and I woke up every morning just to watch because I think it’s the coolest golf tournament. It was a shame that there was no bad weather while you were watching from a bed.”
This year, looking at the forecast, the potential weather looks favorable, and he’s hoping for a similar week. “We’re looking at pretty good weather, so I’m kind of praying for a week like that. It’s just a fun event, and I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s definitely going to be a bit of a scramble week. I didn’t have the greatest flight out of here Sunday night, but once we’re there, I think that week I’ll smile and enjoy myself more than any other week.”
Homa may feel the Open is his favorite, perhaps even more than any other event on the calendar, but his record there has not matched the level of success he’s enjoyed in other venues across four appearances. The Open has tested him in ways no other major has, providing memorable moments even as it has posed considerable challenges.