Max Homa has made a surprise equipment change, opting for a prototype Cobra driver at the American Express tournament. The six-time PGA Tour winner tested the club late Sunday evening and put it into play for his 2026 season. This switch comes amid swing adjustments and a desire for higher launch.
Max Homa, entering his second season with Cobra Golf, surprised observers by debuting a prototype OPTM Max-LSK driver at the American Express event in Palm Desert. Previously, Homa had been fitted for Cobra's production OPTM-X model months ago by Tour representative Ben Schomin. However, ongoing swing changes with coach Mark Blackburn led him to stick with his familiar DS-Adapt FX Tour head through the fall, using it to track progress in delivery and launch.
Schomin explained the context: “That FX was obviously the driver that he was hitting best. So, he kind of just wanted to keep using that to prove out what he had been doing with Mark. And some of those things were related to his delivery and his launch. For him to work through it, it was easier to keep the same driver because then he was able to see exactly what was happening in his swing.”
Homa's driving performance has declined recently, falling from 25th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2022 to 164th in 2024 and 106th last year. Reuniting with Blackburn, he focused on maintaining posture and covering the ball more through impact, prompting a need for a driver that launches higher without requiring excessive lift.
The prototype, first used by Cobra staffer Gary Woodland at the PNC Championship last month, features a lower and deeper center of gravity compared to the production Max-K model. This design lowers spin and promotes a neutral-to-fade bias, allowing Homa to swing freer despite a 1 mph drop in clubhead speed over the past two seasons. Schomin noted, “Because of the CG positioning in it, it is a different feel compared to what he’s been used to. So I was a little surprised that he right away was kind of feeling pretty good with it.”
Through two rounds, Homa has hit 68 percent of fairways and averaged nearly 309 yards off the tee, showing early promise with the club. This move aligns with a broader PGA Tour trend toward higher-forgiveness drivers, as seen in recent winners favoring models like the TaylorMade Qi10 and Ping G440 LST over low-spin heads.
