If there were ever a time to go full Kobe Bryant, it would be right now for every member of the losing United States Ryder Cup team. Get right back in the gym, or on the range. Use the latest loss on European soil as motivation. Rise and grind. No days off. Mamba mentality.
It’s a nice idea, one Max Homa, an LA native who grew up on Kobe and the Lakers, could totally get behind. It’s one of the many traits Homa admired about Bryant, a five-time NBA champion who built his reputation on being a tireless worker who hated losing more than he loved winning.
There’s clearly a bit of that in Homa, who was the top player on the American team in Italy and made a clutch putt on the 18th hole to keep US hopes alive late on Sunday afternoon. But Homa realised he didn’t quite have that Kobe-esque “dawg” in him on Tuesday morning, when he woke up at 4am and thought about how Bryant would be up at that hour getting after it after a crushing loss. As for Homa, well, he just kept on scrolling:
First day of the off-season at home and I woke up at 4am. I’ve read so many stories like this about Kobe and his dedication when no one was watching and he had every excuse to take a break. It’s one of many things I admired about him. I scrolled on my phone for 2 hours
— max homa (@Maxhoma) October 3, 2023
In fairness, PGA Tour pros don’t really get a proper off-season, so you’ve got to rest during the “mini” off-seasons when you can. Then again, if you believe all the Kobe stories, he didn’t give himself an “off-season” either. Built different.
Brooks Koepka, another golfer who admires Kobe, chimed in a few hours later:
my hero
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) October 3, 2023
Can’t blame these two. They’ve got the time difference thing to still bounce back from, plus they’ve both got young ones at home now. Kobe wouldn’t have made such excuses. Just sayin’.
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