"You want to putt it like him" - Jordan Spieth praises Max Homa ahead of the Valspar Championship

Jordan Spieth was all praise for Max Homa prior to the Valspar Championship. During the pre-tournament press conference, Spieth said that Homa didn't have any visible weaknesses.

"I'm not even sure what his weaknesses may have been when he was struggling," said Spieth. "But I've played quite a bit with him in the last couple years and paired with him quite a bit and it's really fun to watch him play the game. He's a really easy person to play with because you want to swing it like him. You want to putt it like him."

The 29-year-old also praised Homa's relationship with his caddie Joe Greiner. He called him an 'incredible caddie' with a huge IQ.

"As a golfer, you kind of listen to what they're saying and it's kind of fun to listen in. So they have just got -- it's a really good situation going on."

He mentioned that they've known each other for some time although they haven't been close for a long time. However, in the past year or so, their relationship has grown closer as they have played together more often, which allowed him to spend time with Homa as well as his wife, Lacey, and their new baby, Cam.

"And I'm always rooting for him [Homa]. He's so likeable," added Spieth. "Obviously his social presence has made him super likeable. He's a fan favorite too. But that's who he is in person, so it's really cool and easy to root for him."

Homa first earned his PGA Tour card for the 2014-15 season but eventually lost it after a poor outing this season. He regained the card for the 2016-17 season, but after making just two cuts in 17 starts, he lost the Tour membership again. Homa regained his PGA Tour card for the third time after the 2018 Web.com Tour season.

Homa has already won two events this year and is currently World No. 8. Spieth was asked about Max Homa's journey from losing the Tour card twice to becoming one of the top 10 players in the world right now.

The two-time Major champion replied that Homa wasn't the first to make an incredible comeback nor will he be the last and it was just the nature of the sport.

He said:

"It can bring you down and it can bring you super, super high. He's somebody who is willing to ride out the down because he knew his potential and then went and worked for it. So that's what makes it such a cool story. You just have to be willing to risk it like that for it to pay off."

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Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas star in the Valspar Championship field

Jordan Spieth drives during the 2023 Players Championship

Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Matt Fitzpatrick will be among the biggest names to feature in the 144-player field at the 2023 Valspar Championship that is set to start on Thursday, March 16, at the Copperhead Course.

The purse size of the tournament is $8.1 million including a winner's share of $1.458 million. Sam Burns will be looking to keep his successful run at the Copperhead Course, having won it in 2021 and 2022.