Cal Sports Report

Max Homa One Stroke Back Heading into Final Round at John Deere

The 34-year-old Cal grad, without a victory in 2 1/2 years, is tied for second through 54 holes
Jeff Faraudo|
Max Homa
Max Homa | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Max Homa delivered a third consecutive strong day at the John Deere Classic and enters Sunday’s final round tied for second place, just one stroke off the lead.

At stake for the 34-year-old Cal grad at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, is the chance to claim his first PGA Tour victory since January 2023.

Homa shot a 3-under 68 in the third round and is at minus-14 through 54 holes. He is one stroke back of Davis Thompson, the defending champion, who carded a 67 and is atop the leaderboard at 15 under.

Thompson made a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to take the lead.

After carding a first-round 63, Homa posted a 68 for the second day in a row. He has 18 birdies and just four bogeys through three rounds.

"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,” said Homa, once a top-10 player whose struggles have dropped him to No. 99 in the world rankings. “So I look forward to the butterflies in the morning; I look forward to the first tee shof. It's just nice to get to feel that again. It's been a while."

Homa sank a birdie putt on No. 14.

Homa is joined in second place by Americans Brian Campbell and David Lipsky and Argentinian Emiliano Grillo. Campbell joined the group by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.

That foursome is two strokes clear of four players who share sixth place.

Second-round lead Doug Ghim, who had a 62 on Thursday and posted eagles each of the first two days, ballooned to a 3-over 74 and dropped to a tie for 21st place at minus-9.

Scores were more tame Saturday, with no golfer shooting better than 66. The first two days of the tournament brought 22 rounds of 65 of lower.

Most of the world’s top golfers skipped the John Deere, trekking to Europe to prep for The Open in Northern Ireland in two weeks. 

 

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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics. 

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