Justin Thomas has a 5-word message for Max Homa’s ‘disappointing finish’ at the John Deere Classic

Max Homa secured his highest finish of the 2025 season with a tie for fifth place at the John Deere Classic, closing out the tournament just two shots behind the playoff that determined the champion between Brian Campbell and Emiliano Grillo. Though the result marked a significant step forward, it came with a feeling of unfulfilled potential.

Later that day, Homa posted on Instagram, sharing images from his week at TPC Deere Run. In his caption, he wrote:

“Disappointing finish but a huge thx to the @johndeereclassic for an amazing week. The fans were unbelievable! I think I lost 15 pounds of water weight so thankful for that as well #golf #pvo”

A few hours after Max Homa made the post, Justin Thomas shared how proud he was of his finish. He commented:

“Good you needed it tubby”

Max Homa made a rather funny reply to Justin Thomas’s comment. He said:

“@justinthomas34 thx for holding me accountable”.

Justin Thomas comments on Max Homa's post - Source: via @maxhoma on Instagram

Beginning the final round only one stroke behind Davis Thompson, the 54-hole leader, Homa surged into an early lead with three birdies across his opening four holes. However, his round leveled off afterward, as he completed the remaining 14 holes at one over par, though he did register birdies on both par-3s on the back nine.

Max Homa ran into trouble over the final stretch, playing the last 14 holes at one-over-par, even though he picked up birdies on both par-3s on the back nine. Those birdies kept him within reach of the leaders heading into the final holes. At the par-5 17th, a tee shot into the right rough forced him to lay up.

He narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt, settling for par. On the 18th, needing to hole out from 145 yards to tie the lead at 18-under, Homa’s approach was on target but stopped nine feet beyond the flag. He finished with a two-putt par.

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Max Homa’s John Deere Classic finish changed a lot of things for him

Max Homa showed marked improvement at the John Deere Classic, finishing the week ranked sixth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 15th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. These numbers reflected significant progress, considering he entered the tournament ranked 127th and 169th in those respective categories for the season.

Before arriving in the Quad Cities, Homa had recorded just one top-25 finish in 2025, a tie for 12th at the Masters, and was placed 122nd in the FedExCup standings. Only the top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in early August advance to the opening round of the playoffs.

Homa's T5 finish at TPC Deere Run moved him up to 98th in the standings and helped him reach a potential turning point.