Max Homa Enjoys Best Golf Weekend in Years as John Deere Runnerup

Back in 2022-23, Max Homa was one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour.

He won twice on the tour that season, had 12 top-10 finishes and pocketed nearly $2.2 million for a runner-up finish at the Genesis Invitational. He climbed as high as No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

But life on the tour has often been a struggle for Homa in the intervening years. The 25-year-old Cal graduate hasn’t won since capturing the Farmers Insurance Open in January of 2023.

His world ranking plummeted to No. 170 at one point during 2025 and he entered last weekend’s John Deere Classic at No. 112.

Over four days at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, however, Homa enjoyed a weekend unlike any he’s experienced in quite some time.

He assembled rounds of 67-66-68-64 to finish at 19 under and alone in second place, one stroke back of Chris Gotterup. Homa took home $959,200 and zoomed 39 places up to No. 73 in the world rankings.

Homa’s final round included eight birdies against just one bogey and was highlighted by a stretch on the back nine where he had had birdies on five of six holes from No. 12 through 17.

Gotterup, who is ranked No. 7 in the world, never gave Homa a realistic chance to catch him, carding nine birdies without a bogey over his final round of 62.

“Yeah, no, thanks. I don’t think you tip your cap. I had a good chance to catch him. He just played better," Homa said. "He’s a phenomenal golfer. I obviously tip my cap in reality, but that’s not exactly how I felt out there.”

But Homa was a picture of consistency for most of the tournament. Over 72 holes, he posted 24 birdies and just five bogeys. With a birdie on No. 18, he could have forced a playoff. But he settled for par.

“It was nice, honestly, to have him go out there and post a number and get going because my goal to start Sunday was to get to 20, and he got there quicker than I thought. So that was just nice to see," Homa said.

So, is he back to his 2023 form?

Well, it’s a bit premature to make that declaration after just one excellent tournament. He tied for ninth place at the Masters in April, but was not eligible to play the U.S. Open earlier this month and has missed the cut in four of 16 events he played.

A six-time winner on the PGA Tour but still without a championship in one of the four majors, Homa will get the chance to test himself a week from now when he faces the best when he plays the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

The Open will be held for the 11th time at Royal Birkdale, where past winners include Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Tom Watson (1983) and Jordan Spieth (2017).

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