Max Homa notched a season-best finish at the John Deere Classic, but he wasn’t all smiles as he exited the scoring area Sunday at TPC Deere Run. In a way, an opportunity had passed him by – and he knew it.

“Super disappointing,” Homa said, before adding, “but game felt good, so that’s nice.”

Homa shared fifth place at the John Deere Classic, two strokes back of a Brian Campbell-Emiliano Grillo playoff (won by Campbell), but it was a Sunday marred by what-could-have-been. After opening the day in a share of second place, just one back of 54-hole leader Davis Thompson, Homa surged into the lead with three birdies in his first four holes. The six-time PGA TOUR winner was in a rhythm, channeling the final-round nerves of steel that had lifted him into golf superstardom – a platform he still holds, for better or worse, in the face of a slump that has lingered for some time.

Was he, suddenly, back?

Things got dicey from there, though, as Homa played his final 14 holes in 1-over – despite birdies on both back-nine par 3s. Those birdies kept him on the precipice of contention to the final two holes, but he was doomed by a par at the short par-5 17th; his tee shot drifted into the right rough, he had to lay up, and he burned the edge on a 10-foot birdie try. Needing to hole his 145-yard approach at the par-4 18th hole to match the playoff score of 18-under, Homa flagged it, but it settled 9 feet past the hole and he two-putted for a closing par.

“Made a lot of good swings, so could have made some better, I guess, decisions, but for the most part executed about how I wanted to,” Homa added. “Game feels good.”

As Homa said, the game felt good, and it showed. He finished the week at sixth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 15th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, after entering the week at No. 127 and No. 169 in those categories, respectively, on the season. He arrived in the Quad Cities with just one top-25 finish this season (a T12 at the Masters), and he stood a distant No. 122 on the season-long FedExCup standings – with just the top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in early August qualifying for the first leg of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs.

Homa moved to No. 98 on the FedExCup standings with his T5 at the John Deere, and he still has plenty of work ahead to clinch a FedExCup Playoffs berth. But in addition to the money and points, there are intangible reasons for encouragement in the weeks ahead. For better or worse, Homa’s recent struggles have been well chronicled in the golf media and well recognized by fans. Unlike his early-career struggles (he made just two cuts in the 2017 PGA TOUR season), he can no longer figure things out in near-anonymity. Several accomplished players from previous eras have struggled to regain peak form after hitting this type of wall, results-wise, but Homa has a secret weapon – he has fought through it before. Hence, he expects to come out on the other side and be stronger for it. It’s part of why his journey has inspired so many in the game, both players and fans alike: He’s tough, and he’s proud of his toughness.

After winning his sixth and most recent PGA TOUR title at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open, Homa was asked how he stayed positive in the face of prolonged struggles at various points in his career. He identified an intangible quality – hope – that can be difficult to cultivate but, when channeled properly, can become a superpower.

“You're just hopeful,” Homa said at the time. “I hope that I haven't seen my best day yet, my favorite day yet. I'm sure there will be many other great, great days. Today feels like the best day ever. I'm hoping that tomorrow feels better … I guess it's just hope. I think all of us kind of have that, you just hope for the best and stay the course.”

That victory at Torrey Pines vaulted Homa into the top 15 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career, and he eventually moved inside the world’s top five. Yet after missing the cut at last week’s Rocket Classic, he stood No. 99 in the world, very much in jeopardy of falling outside the top 100. He didn’t qualify for the U.S. Open (falling in a playoff at Final Qualifying), and he isn’t in the field for this month’s 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. (He’s also not scheduled to compete at the upcoming week’s Genesis Scottish Open.)

As he heads into a summer break of sorts, Homa can rest easy with the knowledge that he was back in serious contention on a Sunday for the first time since the 2024 Masters, where he finished T3, after a 15-month stretch full of adjustments – including a coaching change, equipment change and multiple caddie changes. Homa’s work life in that span has been defined by that word – change – and he’s heartened by a tangible good result in the face of that change.

Homa has said frequently in recent months that he believes in what he’s doing, and he validated that belief at the John Deere. Even if he was a bit gloomy in the immediate aftermath Sunday, it was because he had a genuine chance – and he was feeling the inevitable sting of a narrow defeat. That’s a good thing.

And as he walked toward the 18th green Sunday at TPC Deere Run, the crowd roaring its approval, Homa offered a hint of a smile. It was the first moment where it was official he couldn’t win (Brian Campbell had posted 18-under in the group ahead, and the best he could do was 17-under) – but he was back in the mix. If only for that fleeting moment, he relished it.