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.

Rory McIlroy suffers fluke injury during Europe’s celebration

It’s a nice idea, one Max Homa, an L.A. 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 U.S. hopes alive late Sunday afternoon. But Homa he realized he didn’t quite have that Kobe-esque “dawg” in him on Tuesday morning, when he woke up at 4 a.m. 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:

In fairness, PGA Tour pros don’t really get a proper offseason, so you’ve got to rest during the “mini” offseasons when you can. Then again, if you believe all the Kobe stories, he didn’t give himself an “offseason” either. Built different. 

Brooks Koepka, another golfer who admires Kobe, chimed in a few hours later:

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’. 

Paul Azinger floats potentially electric captain’s matchup at Bethpage Black in 2025

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com