Ryder Cup star Max Homa is just one shot off the lead heading into the final round of the John Deere Classic, as he looks to end his two-year wait for a PGA Tour title
Tom Blow Deputy Sports Editor
15:05 ET, 06 Jul 2025
Max Homa is chasing his seventh PGA Tour win(Image: Getty Images)
Max Homa has opened up about his recent struggles on the PGA Tour, describing his 2025 experience as “boring” due to a lack of momentum.
However, a change in fortune might just be on the horizon. Homa has become a fan favorite around the globe with his six PGA Tour victories and solid performance at the 2023 Ryder Cup, not to mention tying for third at last year’s Masters.
Despite formerly ranking as the world No. 5, Homa has struggled of late. The 34-year-old golfer has seen his position drop to No. 99 in the Official World Golf Ranking and failed to make it into this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, missing out on a major for the first time in more than half a decade.
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Craving a turnaround in form, Homa is now on the verge of possibly clinching his first win in two years at the John Deere Classic, trailing by just one stroke under 14-under-par before the final round commences.
Davis Thompson holds the current lead at 15-under-par, while David Lipsky, Emiliano Grillo, and Ben Campbell are all tied with Homa for second place. Speaking to the media after his Saturday round, when questioned about being back in contention, Homa said: “Yeah, just fun.
“Golf has just been very boring for me this year. I haven’t had a whole lot of stress, and you want to be stressed out. So I look forward to the butterflies in the morning; I look forward to the first tee shot. It’s just nice to get to feel that again. It’s been a while.”
Homa is trying to regain his best form(Image: Getty Images)
Homa has been pulling out all the stops to jumpstart his career, even parting ways with his long-time caddie, Joe Greiner, in April.
When quizzed about whether clinching a win at TPC Deere Run on Sunday would serve as validation for all the effort he’s poured in away from the spotlight, Homa replied: “Yeah, it would be awesome.
“I don’t really use results to determine how I look at my progress. I know I’m doing a lot of great stuff. My whole team, JSR, Jason, Lance, everybody has been putting in tireless effort for it.
“Whether we play great or whether we play terrible tomorrow, I think taking what we’ve been doing this week and using that to go forward, I have a long career, so I plan to be in this position a lot more. Yeah, it would be lovely to win, but that’s not exactly on my mind at the moment.”
Even without a victory, landing a spot in the top 10 would be a massive boost for Homa’s confidence and ranking. Incredibly, since last year’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, the Ryder Cup star hasn’t managed to secure a top-10 finish in any ranking event.
That’s a streak of 28 tournaments without breaking into the top 10, causing him to tumble from ninth in the rankings to hovering just inside the top 100. Homa will be eager to see if his performance at the John Deere Classic marks the beginning of a resurgence.
Homa also expressed appreciation for the warm reception he’s enjoyed at TPC Deere Run, saying: “It’s the best. I’m just the luckiest guy.
“Getting to come to a place — I’m from nowhere near here. I didn’t venture out here very much. To get to walk around and have all these kids and people cheering me on is just the coolest thing in the world.”
