Has Cobra lost its sting? Max Homa explains the real reason for loss of form

Matt Cooper 13 Feb 2025

It’s a story as old as professional golf itself.

Golfer rises through the ranks.

Golfer becomes world class.

Golfer becomes marketable.

Golfer’s equipment contract is up.

Golfer signs up with a new brand.

Golfer loses form.

Max Homa fits this bill. Fits it very neatly, in fact.

The 34-year-old Californian never hid from the fact that he found it difficult to establish himself at the highest level.

Even when he landed a first PGA Tour win in 2019 he had another loss of form ahead of him before he truly settled at the top of the sport.

But settle he did, landing another five wins in American in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and adding the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Challenge at the end of 2023, too.

Add in an incredibly popular social media profile and Homa was suddenly bankable.

But despite a major championship career best third place in the Masters last April his form hit a downturn shortly after.

He hasn’t finished in the top 10 since May and in 2025 he has withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open following a 77, failed to break the top 50 in the no cut AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a first round 76 contributed to a missed cut in the Phoenix Open.

Might a clue to his problems have come in his decision to join Cobra Puma Golf at the start of this year?

Homa had risen through the ranks with Titleist but in January he signed a multi-year deal to play Cobra’s new DS Adapt LS driver, Cobra’s fairway woods, King MB irons and King wedges.

His bag is Cobra branded, his shoes Puma’s Elevate 2 Tour and he also – separately – signed a new clothing deal with LuluLemon.

Only his Titleist Pro V1 and Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 Mallet remained.

“I am super excited to join the Cobra Puma Golf team,” he said at the time. “Gear that’s on the cutting edge of technology.”

Homa explains oddity

However, those three limp efforts since have had observers putting two and two together. They think the answer is quite obviously four but Homa is not so sure.

Ahead of the Genesis Invitational (an event he has won at Riviera), played this week back at Torrey Pines (where he withdrew last month, but a course he has also won on), Homa said: “I know I’m moving in the right direction. I’ve just had some really bad weeks.”

He doesn’t like folk doing what he considers to be dodgy mathematics when they look from the sidelines.

“I think something that really bothers me about how poorly I played is that I’m not giving or showing how great the Cobra stuff is, to be quite honest.

“It’s my fault. There’s no club issue. There’s been no swing where I make a good one and I think to myself, I wonder if that would have flown better with a different golf club.”

All in all, he’s keeping it simple and says: “Golf just doesn’t like me right now.”