Strong Masters finish giving Max Homa confidence for RBC Heritage

Max Homa is as confident as ever heading into this week's RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Homa tied for third at the Masters on Sunday, his best finish in a major championship. It was just the second time he landed in the top 10 at a major, also doing so at The Open Championship in 2023.

Prior to his strong showing at Augusta, Homa had failed to make the cut in eight of his 17 appearances at majors, but his latest performance on one of golf's biggest stages has him feeling good as he prepares to tee off at Harbour Town Golf Links.

"I guess it reinforces that my golf game is good enough. I think most anybody who plays a major, it is. But until you get to feel that, you don't know," Homa said. "I did absolutely nothing special on the weekend and had a very good chance, minus a bad bounce on the 12th. So that's kind of what I've taken going into the other ones, that I didn't have any magic on the weekend.

"I didn't chip in. I didn't make a putt outside of 12 feet for two days, and standing on 12 tee, I'm about to be one back of Scottie (Scheffler), best player in the world and one of the best players I think we'll ever see. So I think that just physically I take that with me, that my physical golf game is good enough."

Getting his emotions under control was something that Homa was able to do at the Masters, and he's hoping to stay cool, calm and collected at the RBC Heritage.

"I guess now maybe a little bit of the monkey is off the back," Homa said. "It just comes down to the mental for me. I didn't change anything about my golf game last week. I just really changed my head and got out of my own way and just played some golf."

Homa realizes even his best effort might not be enough with the way Scheffler has been playing. Now the winner of two green jackets in three years thanks to his victory on Sunday, Scheffler has finished atop the leaderboard in three of his past four starts.

His lone "blemish" during that stretch was a T2 at the Texas Children's Houston Open.

"The Rorys of the world, the Tigers, the Jordans, these guys have done this for a while, but the way Scottie -- I played with him two (times) -- I played with him in the Masters and the U.S. Open. I think it was last year on Thursday and Friday, and he hit it unbelievable," Homa said. "I just kept thinking to myself, man, must be nice, that's just incredible, and then he's done it for a year.

"Those are like great weeks that you like harken back to. He does this every week."

Still, Homa is looking forward to building off his best finish of the season.

"I love this golf course," Homa said of Harbour Town. "It's a shame this is only my third time here. The golf course is so unique. ... Playing different golf courses is one of my favorite parts about getting to travel around on Tour. This is definitely a treat for all of us."