Max Homa has a very real chance of winning on the PGA Tour for the first time since January 2023 at the John Deere Classic on Sunday.
Homa is currently sitting just one shot off the lead with 18 holes to play at the John Deere Classic after shooting a third round of three-under par 68.
The 34-year-old has really been in the golfing doldrums over the past 18 months, but his faith in his own ability and his work ethic has never wavered.
Homa’s iron play has been exceptionally good during the John Deere Classic so far, and if he putts well on Sunday, he will have a great chance of winning.
He is ranked 17th in strokes gained approach this week – a huge improvement on his season-long ranking of 169th in that category.
There is obviously still a long way to go but the Californian’s swing is looking very good right now.
Homa found something on the range before the John Deere Classic began, and it seems like whatever he found could be a game-changer for him.
Max Homa admits to being shocked on day three of the John Deere Classic
Homa was visibly delighted after tapping in for par on his final hole of the day on Saturday at TPC Deere Run.
He addressed the media after his round, and responded when asked how important his birdie on the long par-three 12th was, having bogeyed his previous hole.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Homa said: “Yeah, it was more just mental. If you space these two bad swings out on 10 and 11 I really don’t think I had missed golf shot prior to that. Kind of shocked the system a little bit.
“It was nice to stand over the shot on 12 and not think much of it and just get back to work, because they came out of left field. I told myself if I played 18 holes and made two bad swings for a whole day I think I would be happy. That was the mindset I was trying to use.“
What a great way to react to making a couple of poor swings in a row.
Had he not been as positive as he was after his bogey on the 11th, his round could have ended up very differently.
Max Homa has missed being ‘stressed out’
Homa is right in the hunt to win the John Deere Classic with just one round remaining.
After his round at TPC Deere Run on Saturday, the six-time PGA Tour winner was asked what it’s like to be back in the mix on a weekend.
He 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.“
The man from Burbank, California, will certainly be feeling the stress on Sunday in Silvis, Illinois, but that’s clearly what he has missed over the past year or so.
A win for Homa at the John Deere Classic on Sunday would completely transform his season, and it would give him a renewed sense of hope ahead of a crucial two months’ golf ahead of him.
Whatever happens on Sunday, he is highly likely to make huge strides in both the Official World Golf Rankings and the FedEx Cup points list.