Max Homa searched for answers all year long. He changed drivers. He rebuilt his swing.
And now he’s on his third caddy in less than a year.
Homa will tee up this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth with Peter Papageorge on the bag. According to Golfweek, he was the friend Homa called when he was in a pinch after missing the cut at the PGA Championship and breaking up with Lance Bennett.
advertisement
The answer may not be in the bag or who’s carrying it, but Homa looks like a player in desperate need of something new.
Homa, once ranked as high as No. 5 in the world, entered this week at No. 123 and No. 74 in the FedEx Cup standings, with one top-10 finish in 13 starts. He left Titleist and went to Cobra. He left swing coach Mark Blackburn for John Scott Lattan and then returned to Blackburn.
The caddy change is the most personal part.
His longest-lasting partnership was the one that hurt the most to lose. He and Joe Greiner grew up on the same golf course outside Los Angeles. Homa was 6 years old when we met at Vista Valencia. They turned professional together in 2013, broke up, but got back together in 2019. Together they won all six of Homa’s PGA Tour titles. They competed together in the Ryder Cup with two teams in the Presidents Cup.
advertisement
Greiner was the one who ended it last spring. Homa was upset.
“It sucked because it wasn’t my choice,” Homa said at the time. “But we always had an arrangement where we were friends first and our friendship was more important than work.”
Homa turned to Bill Haak. Then he turned to Bennett, who carried Tiger Woods’ bag on a limited basis in 2024. Now it’s Pappa George.
How much does a caddy on the PGA Tour make?
There are no formal contracts between players and caddies, and no union that guarantees or sets minimum salaries.
Caddies have a trade association called the Professional Tour Caddy Association, but they act as independent contractors who sign up for tours. They have no collective bargaining rights. All transactions are private and are negotiated between the caddy and the player or his/her representative.
advertisement
Most caddies make around $1,500 to $3,000 a week, plus 5% of the player’s earnings, 7% for top 10s, and 10% for wins. Caddies like Ted Scott, who carries Scottie Scheffler’s bag, are estimated to have cleared more than $5 million in 2024, based on the golfer’s winnings.
How long does the relationship between caddy and golfer last?
Relationships are everything to a successful golfer. Phil Mickleson and Jim “Bones” McKay have played together over 25 years and over 600 tournaments. They won five majors and appeared in the Ryder Cup 11 times. Mike “Fluff” Cowan has been Jim Furyk’s caddy since 1999.
After leaving Homa, Greiner helped end Justin Thomas’ three-year winning streak.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Max Homa keeps changing caddies, but no answers
