Most tour pros target the events where scores go low, and birdies flow. Max Homa has spent his career doing the opposite, until TPC Deere Run started changing his mind.

"I never really had played well at a place where you got to go deep to win or to contend," he said at the post-round press conference, per a transcript by ASAP Sports. "I usually avoid places where the scores are 20-under, but it suits my game really nicely."

However, things were different this time. Homa finished solo second at the 2026 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, on Sunday, July 5. He closed with a 7-under 64, eight birdies, one bogey, to finish at 19-under 265.

Chris Gotterup shot a final-round 62 to beat Homa by one shot. Even though Homa did not win, it was his best finish since The Genesis Invitational in 2023.

He pointed to his green-reading as a specific advantage at TPC Deere Run. The back nine on Sunday was the clearest evidence yet. 

Homa made four consecutive birdies on holes 12 through 15 to surge into contention. He made the turn at 14-under, five off the lead, then birdied four straight to get within one of Gotterup. A birdie at 17 got him to 19-under. He needed one more on 18. It didn't come.

"Not one swing. I just played solid, I guess," he said of what got him going.

Homa came into the tournament after two straight top-25 finishes. His best result of the season before this was a tie for ninth at the Masters.

He opened with rounds of 67-68-68 before Sunday's 64. The finish moved him from outside the top 50 in the FedExCup to No. 49.

Max Homa Said the Crowd and Course at Silvis Are Unlike Anything Else on His Schedule.

Homa has now recorded two strong finishes at TPC Deere Run. "This crowd is just incredible," he said. "They're so kind to me, and it's so fun. I love the golf course."

Gotterup's closing 62 denied Homa a first win since the 2023 season. He acknowledged it straightforwardly. Homa said he had a good chance to catch Gotterup but admitted his opponent

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

Homa's best finish in more than three years came at a course he openly admitted he'd normally skip. The Genesis Scottish Open is next on the schedule for players heading to Europe.

Do you think Max Homa can win again on the PGA Tour before the end of the 2026 season? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar