"I really need to win" - Max Homa reveals personal reason behind eyeing a victory at the 3M Open

Max Homa is pushing hard at the 2025 3M Open, and it’s more than just points on the line; he’s chasing a win for a personal reason.

The American golfer, who hasn’t won since the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open, is currently tied for ninth after carding a 5-under 66 in the opening round at TPC Twin Cities. This marks his 19th start of the season, and so far, his only top-10 finish came at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for fifth.

Max Homa, ranked 102nd in the FedEx Cup standings and 105th in the Official World Golf Ranking, is battling to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He's missed seven cuts this year and even had to withdraw from the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open due to illness. With time running out, he’s been playing every week in hopes of making a late surge.

Speaking after his round on Thursday, the 34-year-old opened up about his mindset and the pressure he’s under, not just as a golfer, but as a soon-to-be father of two.

“Yeah, it’s really hard to compartmentalize that. Yeah, I need to win. I really need to win because my wife’s pregnant and I need to go home. We have like two weeks left,” Homa said (via The Golfing Gazette).

"It’s a little extra stressful, but I think the only way that you can go out and win a golf tournament is by not exactly trying to win a golf tournament. So it’s a weird headspace. But I know what I need to do, I need to play unbelievable," he added.

While he admitted to struggling with confidence recently, Max Homa shared that his game has felt strong over the last month.

"I don’t know how you just make yourself win. I’m just trying to keep doing what I’m doing and see what happens on a Sunday.”

When asked about his plans for the Wyndham Championship next week, Max Homa revealed that he's currently still scheduled to play.

“My wife told me to play, so it’s scheduled the Monday after the Wyndham. Yeah, just every day I finish a day of golf I look at my phone and see if I’m flying home so we’ll see. It’s a good problem to have.“

Max Homa and his wife Lacey tied the knot in November 2019. They welcomed their first child, a son named Cam, in October 2022 and are now expecting their second child in the coming weeks.

How did Max Homa perform in the first round?

Max Homa had a solid start at the 3M Open, carding a bogey-free 5-under 66 in the opening round. He began on the back nine, where he made birdies on the 12th, 14th and 17th holes to go 3-under at the turn.

On the front nine, Homa added two more birdies on the 7th and 9th to finish with another 33, ending the day at 5-under overall.

Here is his hole-by-hole scorecard from Round 1:

Back Nine (Started on Hole 10):