How good is it to see Max Homa back in contention to win on the PGA Tour.
Homa is without a win on the PGA Tour since January 2023, but that could all change at the John Deere Classic this week.
The resurgent Homa will be in the second-to-last group on Saturday at the John Deere Classic, and he currently sits just one shot adrift of the leader, Doug Ghim.
The man from Burbank, California, has been desperately low on confidence since the start of last season really.
And things have got progressively worse for him over the past year or so.
He has missed seven cuts from 16 events this season, but that number would be significantly higher if the Signature Events that he has played in had halfway cuts.
However, in spite of all his struggles since 2024, he has a genuine chance to win this week, and what a huge turnaround in form he has displayed at TPC Deere Run.
Max Homa says one part of his game has been ‘awesome’ at the John Deere
The 34-year-old will be incredibly excited about what lies in store for him over the next couple of days.
Homa will undoubtedly have some nerves as well. He hasn’t played well in so long, so he will be wondering whether his swing will hold up under pressure over the weekend.
The good news is that his move through the ball looks a lot better than it has done over the past 18 months.
Homa responded when asked what has pleased him in particular about his play in Silvis, Illinois, this week.
He said: “I thought everything was good. Rolled it well. Hit the irons awesome. Wedged it well. Drove it well.
“So I didn’t like — again, similar to yesterday, just nothing sticks out. Just was really good golf kind of through the bag. Yeah, those are my favorite kind of days.“
But do the stats back up what Homa said about his iron play? Let’s take a look…
Max Homa’s approach to green stats at the John Deere vs 2025 as a whole
Homa has performed exceptionally well throughout the first two rounds of the John Deere Classic.
Here is how his iron stats look after two days at TPC Deere Run.
| Stat | John Deere rank | 2025 rank |
| Strokes gained approach | 15th | 169th |
| Greens in regulation | T-13th | 159th |
| Proximity to the hole | 34′ 9 | 39′ 8 |
When looking at those numbers, it is easy to see why he has struggled so badly this season, and why he is one shot of the lead after two rounds this week.
The 34-year-old has hit his approach shots five feet closer to the hole this week on average, compared with the rest of his season.
The worst part of his game this season, statistically speaking, has been his iron play. So to see him take the flagsticks out with his approaches this week has been incredible to watch.
The really encouraging thing for Homa is that he has driven the ball superbly and putted exceptionally at the John Deere Classic this week as well.
If he manages to compile two rounds in the mid-60s this weekend, he may well find himself back in the winners’ circle come Sunday evening.
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