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No sport in the world is as precise as golf. PGA Tour players can immediately tell the difference between a Titleist Pro V1 and a Titleist Pro V1x just by hitting the ball, and a one-degree change to a specific club can change the course of a golfer’s entire career.

That’s been the case for Max Homa, who switched from a nine-degree driver to a 10-degree version of the same club last year. Since then, he’s won three times, has become one of the best off-the-tee players on the PGA Tour, and is now on the verge of becoming a top-10 player in the world.

Max Homa made a 1-degree change to his driver last year

Max Homa poses with the winner's trophy.
Max Homa celebrates with the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course | Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

Before 2022, Homa had won three total events in his first five full-time seasons on the PGA Tour. The California product has been a top-100 player in the Official World Golf Ranking for three years now, but he wasn’t considered an elite golfer.

That changed in 2022 when Homa notched career-highs in wins (two), top-25 finishes (15), and made cuts (21 in 24 starts). Not so coincidentally, he made a few equipment changes in January of 2022 that kick-started his career season.

One of those changes was switching from a nine-degree Titleist TSi3 driver to a 10-degree version of the same club. The new driver allowed Homa to strike the golf ball with higher launch, less spin, and more ball speed, according to the PGA Tour.

Now, a one-degree change doesn’t sound like much, but it’s made a world of difference for Homa in his quest to become one of the best golfers in the world.

Max Homa is now on the verge of becoming a top-10 player in the world

Homa switched to his new driver last January ahead of the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Since then, he’s won three times in 25 official starts and jumped from No. 35 in the OWGR to No. 16. He’s going to leap even higher when the new rankings come out this week after his comeback victory at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open.

Since switching drivers, Homa has gained strokes off the tee in all but two of his 25 official starts. Through five starts this season, the 32-year-old ranks 23rd on Tour in driving accuracy (66.2%). He ranked 130th on Tour in that category two years ago.

Homa has always been a stellar iron player, and now that he’s driving it farther and more accurately than ever before, the sky is the limit for the soon-to-be top-10 player in the world. And he has a one-degree change to thank.

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.