2025 was a year Max Homa fell further down the ladder. He missed 8 cuts instead of 4 that he did in 2024. He finished 111th on the FedEx Cup leaderboard, unlike the 46th place he achieved last season. That made him think that he needed to change things around. Back in April, he hired Scott Ran as his new swing coach.

But Homa realized that was not the issue. So now he’s back with Mark Blackburn. His old coach talked about what it is like working with his former boss again. Blackburn joined GOLF’s Subpar to discuss being back on the job again. That’s when Colt Knost asked him what it was like being back to working with Homa.

Speaking about how they parted ways, Blackburn told Knost, “I don’t really understand why you want to leave. But I respect it. Sometimes you need a different perspective. I wish you the best of luck. The door’s always open if you ever want to come back.”

Mark expressed that he was surprised when Max wanted to part ways. But he was also stunned when Homa approached him after his trip to Japan. “I have a soft spot for Maxwell. So, here we are. 2.0,” said Blackburn as he announced their reunion after seven months.

Max Homa’s trip to Japan was not a pleasant memory. He managed two rounds of 2-over 73. The 35-year-old ended the tournament at T40. That was disappointing, considering he had been finding a bit of consistency in the last couple of events. And being back with his old coach helped him.

“There’s a difference between teaching and coaching. I know I can be hard on players, but it’s because I want the best for them. The methods, people might not like it at the time, but when there’s an absence from it, they realize there’s a method to the madness, and it’s actually pretty good.”

Immediately after returning to duty, Blackburn helped Homa get into the right frame of mind. And right in the next tournament, he produced a positive result. No, he didn’t end his winless streak. But Homa did register the second top-10 finish of the season, a T9 in the Bank of Utah Championship.

However, as Blackburn mentioned, Homa’s goals had changed from what they were last year. Back then, he wanted to qualify for the Presidents Cup. So he focused on making the Team U.S. squad, and he did do that, despite the fury of the community. That’s where things got a bit “problematic” between them.

As one would expect, that didn’t help him find consistency this year. Homa was really struggling at the beginning of the season. That’s what forced him to change his coaches. Nevertheless, Blackburn still acknowledged the efforts of Scott Ran & his team.

But coming back to working with Max Homa, Mark Blackburn said, “Now he’s come back and likes where we’re heading. I’m very optimistic that 26 will be really good. He’s a good player. I think sometimes a breakaway is healthy. It’s good. Excited to be helping him again.”

Mark Blackburn is anticipating a great season for Max Homa in 2026. But has he retained his status on the PGA Tour after a poor finish to the season?

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Will Max Homa’s bad finish in 2025 limit his opportunities next year?

Max Homa struggled throughout the 2025 season. In fact, things got so bad that he even went out to admit “grown men are like crying by their cars.” He may very well have been one of them after finishing 105th on the FedEx Cup leaderboard.

However, unlike everyone else, Homa will still retain his PGA Tour status. Due to their winning record on the PGA Tour, he and Billy Horschel (116th) have retained their PGA Tour memberships for 2026.

He may not automatically qualify for Signature events or majors. But now that Max Homa is back with Mark Blackburn, he may slowly find his form back early in the season. A win or two before the Signature events begin, and he should be in the run on the biggest stages in professional golf once again.

The only question that remains is: Does Max Homa still have what it takes to win on the PGA Tour after enduring a two-year winless streak?