Max Homa carries his own bag and falls just short of qualifying for the US Open

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Max Homa stood out more than usual Monday in a U.S. Open qualifier filled with PGA Tour players. He was the only one carrying his own bag.

Homa didn't have a caddie and didn't feel like talking about it, regardless of how much attention it was getting on social media.

He and his caddie of two months, Bill Harke, are no longer together, according to a person informed of the split who said only that Harke “lost his job.” The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because word of the separation needed to come from Homa. And Homa didn't offer much insight.

“I'm much rather talk about the golf instead of all the questions about the caddie,” Homa said. “I'm good. Just hoofed it 36.”

As for the golf?

“It's going to probably be heartbreaking, but it's all right,” Homa said. “I haven’t carried my bag 36 holes in a while so I'm a little tired.”

He wound up hoofing it 38 holes. Homa's three-putt for par on his 36th hole at Kinsale put him in a five-man playoff for the final spot to get to the U.S. Open. Cameron Young won it with a 12-foot birdie. Homa then lost a playoff for an alternate spot on the next hole.

When asked about his attitude, Homa dropped one clue about the split.

“It seems to be better than when someone is standing next to me for some reason,” he said. “I might need to walk by myself more. Maybe I just looked at it as a nice, peaceful walk. Probably got to battle some demons and have no one to lean on. Maybe that helps a little bit. There's no one ... everything is me. The battle helped that a little bit."

The qualifier at Kinsale offered six spots to the U.S. Open at Oakmont next week. Homa was around the bubble most of the day. He left a chip in the rough on his ninth hole of the second round and made double bogey, followed that with a bogey and then responded with two straight birdies.

He looked to be safe with a second shot into 25 feet on the par-5 ninth hole, his last one. But the uphill putt turned around the hole and came back some 6 feet, and he three-putted for par to finish at 5-under 139.

Homa didn't imagine being in this position a year ago when he was No. 10 in the world. But he has changed equipment and changed coaches. He split with his caddie of six years right before the Masters. And then he had no caddie at all.

Homa said he never felt the fatigue because he was around the cutoff line all day, pushing forward. After he three-putted his final hole was when it started to hit him.

He said not having anyone to consult over a shot led him to be a little more conservative, not a bad tactic on a course he doesn't know all too well.

Asked one last time about the caddie situation, Homa whispered, “I wanted to carry for 36 holes. Everyone is going to ask me that.”

Homa is not entirely out of the U.S. Open. He is playing the Canadian Open this week, though he likely would have to win to get into the top 60 and qualify.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Max Homa stops to sign an autograph after his U.S. Open qualifier carrying his own bag after a split with his caddie, on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Doug Ferguson)

Max Homa lines up his putt on the 13th green during the second round of the Memorial golf tournament, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

BAGHDAD (AP) — The result of last month’s parliamentary elections in Iraq was ratified by the Supreme Federal Court on Sunday, confirming that the party of caretaker prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani won the largest number of seats — but not enough to assure him a second term.

The court confirmed that the voting process met all constitutional and legal requirements and had no irregularities affecting its validity.

The Independent High Electoral Commission submitted the final results of the legislative elections to the Supreme Federal Court on Monday for official certification after resolving 853 complaints submitted regarding the election results.

Al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition won 46 seats in the 329-seat parliament. However, in past elections in Iraq, the bloc taking the largest number of seats has often been unable to impose its preferred candidate.

The coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won 29 seats, the Sadiqoun Bloc, which is led by the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali, won 28 seats, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, one of the two main Kurdish parties in the country, won 27 seats.

The Taqaddum (Progress) party of ousted former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also won 27 seats, setting the stage for a contest over the speaker's role.

By convention, the prime minister of Iraq is always Shiite, the president a Kurd, and the parliament speaker Sunni.

Overall, Shiite alliances and lists secured 187 seats, Sunni groups 77 seats, Kurdish groups 56 seats, in addition to 9 seats reserved for members of minority groups.

Al-Sudani came to power in 2022 with the backing of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed Shiite parties, but it is not clear whether the coalition will align behind him a second time.

With no single bloc able to form a government alone, political leaders have launched negotiations to build a ruling coalition.

—-

Martany reported from Irbil, Iraq.

FILE - Voters gather to cast their vote at a ballot station in the country's parliamentary election in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)

FILE - Iraqi voters gather to cast their vote at a ballot station in the country's parliamentary election in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)

FILE - Election workers count ballots as they close a polling station, during the parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

FILE - Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)