Homa Happily Returns to the John Deere Classic
By Doug Milne
When Max Homa positioned himself front and center before the John Deere Classic media on Wednesday, it was prior to his third start in the event and first since 2017.
“I’ve always really liked this golf course, so it feels weird it’s been this long,” he said. “But I’m happy to be back. The course is in amazing shape, and obviously, there are great people here. It’s fun to come to a place I haven’t been to for a while, get to meet a lot of those people and feel the love and support here.”
While his trademark dry sense of humor remains well intact and entertaining as ever, the 34-year-old is, in large part, now regarded for his philosophical outlook regarding self-preservation.
“I haven’t played well this year or lately,” Homa admitted. “Pieces of my game feel awesome, just not overall sharp enough.”
A six-time PGA TOUR champion, Homa’s most recent victory came at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open. In 15 starts this season, he has made eight cuts, with a T12 at the Masters Tournament his lone top-20 showing.
While lackluster performances are discouraging to all mere mortals, uphill battles also provide an opportunity to strengthen one’s mind and resolve.
“It’s probably an important thing to keep in the back of your mind, but I don’t think anybody out here is just sitting here saying, ‘Oh, it’ll eventually click’,” Homa said. “The balance is trying to recognize progress even if it’s not as fast as you would want it to be. I try to look at little wins here and there. Whether it’s a good driving week, good round or something like that, I try looking at that as progress.”
Between his on-course performance, which has resulted in those six wins, and engaging character, Homa has been – and remains – a fan favorite. As much as anything, knowing of that allegiance has helped him stay grateful, encouraged and focused on the bigger, more genuine picture.
“One of those things I’ve been super lucky with (are the fans), especially kids,” he said. “It puts things in perspective. I haven’t had a very fun year and a half, but when you get a bunch of kids coming up excited to get your name on their hat, it makes you feel good inside. Even if you made a bogey, it’s something that gives a nice reality check.”
While kids chirping at every turn for an autograph and/or photo won’t always turn a game around, Homa is both flattered by and appreciative for it. He’s also grateful for the human side of even the game’s heaviest hitters he considers friends.
“Justin Thomas has been like the greatest friend you could ever ask for through all of this,” Homa said. He talks to me all the time. On his off weeks he’ll check in on me just to see how it’s all going. (Same) with Collin Morikawa. I have the utmost respect for him. I owe him a ton just for the fact that he really cares. That has been really helpful. I’m lucky I’ve got an amazing wife, but it is nice to hear it from people who play the game.”
As much good as that positive reinforcement does for him, while it isn’t a PGA TOUR player’s only motivating factor, Homa admits that – as entertainers – part of his job is putting on a good show.
“I don’t worry about it, but it has been a bummer to come to some cool places where you feel a lot of support and not be there for four days,” he said. “You want to play well and put on a great show in front of a lot of people. So, it would be nice to do that and excel in front of people that buy a ticket and come out to watch you hit a golf ball around.”
Now as a Tour veteran who has been through his share of highs and lows over the course of his storied career, thoughts of stepping away from the game now and then, even if for just a week or two, cross his mind now and then.
“It’s hard to really get away from the game in the middle of a season,” he explained. “We don’t have loads of time off. I thought about skipping a bunch of events in the beginning of the summer, but I just don’t think I have that in me.”
While grateful for it, Homa also admits that a lack of anonymity can also prove difficult.
“That’s obviously a great thing, and I am really lucky,” he said. “It’s just hard to go do much. I used to really like going to sports bars and watching games with my friends, but that’s just not exactly a safe haven anymore.”
Everywhere he goes, Homa explained, someone wants to talk to him about golf.
For years, that communication was made convenient to Homa via social media. The explosion of general negativity Homa experienced among many in cyberspace, however, resulted in Homa putting that flag back in the hole and abandoning the social media medium.
“The reason for that was just the vitriol you read online,” he admitted. “It has become a safe haven for people who are angry. It is quite absurd how comfortable people feel writing awful things.”
He does, however, miss the connection with the fans social media helped with.
“There is a lot of love in there, too. I would love to connect with people, but I’d love to do it in person,” he said. “I have yet to meet somebody in person that has anything even remotely mean to say.”
Whether to help fill that void or just give him a fresh perspective on life and the lives of those he loves around him, Max has increased his focus on, well, anything but golf.
“I’ve been looking up new hobbies, so hopefully I’ll get into something,” he said. “I’m going to try to make some things up, have some hobbies and do things not golf that bring me joy.”
According to Homa, with professional golf, so much is tied into results. For him, going down that path is, at best, a slippery slope.
“I want to find something fun that I feel like I can get better at,” he said. “I was thinking about getting into cooking. When you have a two-and-a-half-year-old, you make a lot more meals than for just me. I’d like to get better at that and treat my wife to something other than typical home-cooked meal. I can grill a little, and I make a decent sauce for pasta. But I’m not great at it. Fortunately, my son eats chicken tenders, so he probably thinks I’m a great cook.”