When pain becomes your best swing thought—and somehow shoots 66.

Max Homa limped his way to a bogey-free 66 on Friday at the Bank of Utah Championship, and according to him, the bone spur screaming in his right ankle might’ve been exactly what he needed. “I just get in my own way so much; it honestly helps to get hurt at times because I don’t remember thinking about my golf swing,” Homa said after sitting at 6-under through two rounds at Black Desert Resort.

The Moment It All Went Sideways

Starting on the 10th tee, Homa felt the pain hit while walking down a short decline on the 12th hole. The bone spur—which he described as “pretty good-sized”—sits on top of his right ankle and had been relatively quiet until Friday. By his sixth hole of the day, the swelling was undeniable. He called for medical help, got taped up with KT Tape, and took anti-inflammatory meds just to keep moving.

The WD That Never Happened

For a brief moment, Homa considered withdrawing. But only for a moment. “I just can’t. I don’t want to do that. I love being here. I really like how my golf game feels. It’s my last event of the year, and it’s just annoying to walk, so I can deal with that.” He’d already planned to have the bone spur surgically removed during the offseason, making the flare-up feel like cruel timing on a tough-to-walk course.

What Lacey Went Through Put It All in Perspective

Homa credits his wife Lacey for keeping him grounded when the pain tried to derail him. “I kept thinking about my wife—she had a horrendous birth with our first son and she had major, major surgery, and there is just no way I could complain about a hurt ankle while I walked.” Sometimes the toughest mental game isn’t about golf at all—it’s about keeping your struggles in perspective.

Chasing Form After Two Years

The 34-year-old has been in a documented drought since his two wins in the 2022-23 season. He’s posted just one top-10 in 2025—a T5 at the John Deere Classic back in July. But something’s been building during the FedExCup Fall. A T19 at Procore, a T18 at Sanderson Farms, and now this gutsy performance in Utah. “It’s been trending for sure the last couple months,” Homa said. “I just want to keep improving for myself.”

When Distraction Becomes Strategy

Here’s the wildest part of Homa’s Friday: the pain might’ve actually freed him up. No swing thoughts. No overthinking. Just survival mode disguised as a clean scorecard. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a golfer is forgetting they’re a golfer—even if it takes a bone spur to get there.