PGA Tour fan favorite Max Homa is in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career, having missed the cut in seven of the 16 tournaments he has played and with just one top 25 under his belt. That has caused him to fall to 122nd in the FedEx Cup rankings, putting him in danger of losing his card for 2026.
However, the tide might be turning for Homa, and the first round of the John Deere Classic could be a good start.
The six-time PGA Tour winner fired an 8-under 63 this Thursday at TPC Deere Run to start the event in full speed. The score is even more relevant when you consider that it’s Homa’s best round on the PGA Tour in two years.
The 34-year-old nearly kept his card clean for the round, carding nine bogey-free birdies over the first 17 holes. Unfortunately, his ball went into a bunker on the 18th hole and he then missed a 13-foot putt for par and made his solo bogey of the day.
Still, it’s a result worth celebrating. Homa hasn’t shot a score of 63 or better since the 2023 BMW Championship, when he carded a second-round 62.
This season, the only result close to Thursday’s was the 64 he shot in the second round of the PGA Championship. Homa has only shot 13 other scores in the 60s so far this season (47 rounds played through the Rocket Classic).
Max Homa: “A hot putter helps”
After her first-round performance, Homa assessed the aspects of her game that allowed her to achieve this excellent result:
“Obviously having a hot putter helps. Even with that, I did a lot to shoot a low number. Yeah, did feel like a good opening round,” he said.
“I played well. Holed a lot of putts, but still didn’t feel like I did one thing that carried me.”
“It felt like everything was really good. Kept it in front of me. Was rarely in a bad spot, whether it’s off the tee or around the greens.”
Homa’s game performed very well overall, but his putting stood out. He gained 3.20 strokes with his putting performance and needed just 1.40 putts per hole (25 putts) to complete the round.
This is Homa’s third start at the John Deere Classic, a tournament he hasn’t played since 2017. His best finish at the TPC Deere Run is tied for 35th in 2015.
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