Playing in the John Deere Classic, Max Homa had a purpose– “Stay happy.” But he also had an agenda. In the weak field, the former World No. 5 had higher chances of winning the title and improving his OWGR again after falling from 41st starting this season to a current 98th rank. However, despite his initial rounds going all too well, Sunday came with its surprises, and he ended the Illinois trip at a T5 finish. 

To avoid tanking his rank further, he chose not to play the Scottish Open that fields starry names and a tough competition where most title winners come to warm up before The Open. While he will miss playing at the 153rd Open Championship for the first time in five years, he still might have a chance to catch up with at least the top 70 players for the playoffs. The latest update around his scheduling has certainly given his followers some thoughts to work on, but a turnaround can be massive for him after missing 7 cuts already this year.

According to Underdog Golf’s latest tweet, “Max Homa commits to next week’s Barracuda Championship.” Yep, while the fan favorite will not be suiting up for The Open, he will be teeing it up at a tournament he hasn’t played in eight years. Last time he appeared in the event was first in 2015, finishing 45th, and 2017, missing the cut, at Reno’s Montreux Golf & Country Club, trying to make some wins for himself. In 2020, the Barracuda Championship was moved to Truckee’s Old Greenwood, making this Homa’s debut there. However, this also means kind of a low for the golfer.

The championship will be headlined by Homa and the reigning PGA Tour ROTY Nick Dunlap. Still, the event itself works on the modified stableford scoring system where scoring more points will make you a winner, a complete contrast to the other golfing tournaments. However, things have not been looking up for Homa otherwise too.

This year alone, Homa has missed 7 cuts. The downward spiral began at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, where Homa withdrew, and then followed it up with a tied 53rd finish at the next event in Pebble Beach. Then a string of 5 consecutive missed cuts starting from the WM Phoenix Open to the Valero Texas Open led Homa’s form to reach its most troubling point. Homa even decided to split with his long-time caddy, Joe Greiner, in March after already having fired his long-time coach, Mark Blackburn, in late 2024 and switching his equipment from Titleist to Cobra.

Many believe that this behind-the-scenes drama is a reason for Homa’s decline as he continues to search for a caddie for the third time this year. He was seen carrying his own bag when he was forced to play the qualifier to earn a spot at the U.S. Open this year. He eventually missed a chance to play at Oakmont and missed playing in a major for the first time since 2019. No wonder, the fans are worried on the shocking choice by the Californian.

Fans react to Max Homa’s commitment to the Barracuda Championship

Homa’s potential decline started in the 2024 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut, and he has failed to finish within the top 10 since then. It was only at last week’s John Deere Classic where Homa narrowly missed out on a victory, and finished at a T5, a position he hasn’t seen in nearly 14 months. Just to put things into perspective, out of the 17 events played this year, he has managed only 2 Top 25 finishes. Max Homa’s downturn in form this year and choosing to play at Barracuda has triggered a wave of fan reactions that reflect both disappointment and confusion, with some bordering on disbelief.

One fan remarked, “Talk about a fall from grace. Looks like the trolls got to him,” suggesting that Homa’s once-rising career trajectory has been derailed, potentially by the weight of public scrutiny and online criticism. Another fan noted, “Doesn’t hit me how rough of a year and a half stretch he’s had. Headlines like this still surprise me,” underscoring how the perception of Homa as a consistent contender has lingered. But going for an event that rookies go to is a new low.

A fan being critical even asked, “How does this dude still have his PGA card?!” expressing frustration at his continued tour presence despite a lack of results.

One fan even used statistics to fuel the narrative — “98th in points. 4 weeks left. Not playing this week in either event. Didn’t play in US Open….” The fan highlighted the severity of Homa’s position. The FedEx Cup playoffs are not too far away and he’s currently ranked 98th. Unfortunately, only the top 70 players make it to the playoffs. So Homa needs a win at Barracuda to be eligible to even appear this season.

Still, not all reactions were negative as one fan spoke of his admiration for how Homa has handled adversity and is still choosing optimism even if the noise around him is growing louder—“I respect the hell outta this.”

Despite the slump and his last performance at the TPC Deere Run, Homa could have opted to rest. But he knows the grind never stops, especially when he faces an uncertain path forward. For now, Barracuda is one way to bring his ranking up, and seems like he is up for the challenge of it all.