Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2026 5:44 PM
Max Homa is back in contention at the Baycurrent Classic, sitting two shots off the lead in Japan as he searches for his first PGA Tour victory since 2023.
For the first time in a while, Max Homa is looking like a serious threat to win on the PGA Tour.
The six-time PGA Tour champion moved into a tie for third at the 2026 Baycurrent Classic on Friday, following an opening-round 65 with a 3-under 68 at Yokohama Country Club. At 9-under 133, Homa enters the weekend just two strokes behind co-leaders Jacob Bridgeman and Keith Mitchell.
It's a welcome development for a player whose last PGA Tour victory came at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open.
Homa hasn't forgotten how to win. But after nearly three years without another Tour title, rediscovering his consistency has become a frustrating challenge.
Friday provided an encouraging reminder of what he's capable of accomplishing.
The 35-year-old California native experienced a difficult stretch during his second round, making double bogey at the par-4 14th after driving into trouble and eventually taking a penalty drop.
Instead of allowing the mistake to derail his afternoon, Homa recovered.
“I just liked that I hung in there. I didn't panic,” Homa said. “I had a really weird 40 minutes out there around 14, but just happy I didn't try to reinvent the wheel or anything.”
That mentality paid off.
After stabilizing his round with four consecutive pars, Homa caught fire on his final nine holes.
He birdied five straight holes from Nos. 2 through 6, turning what could've been a disappointing day into one of his most encouraging performances of the season.
His back-nine 31 helped him climb into contention heading into Saturday's third round.
For Homa, however, the biggest accomplishment wasn't necessarily the birdie streak.
It was refusing to compound an earlier mistake.
“The par I made on 15 was great. I was a little bit rattled coming off 14,” Homa said.
The former University of California standout reached No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2023 before experiencing an extended decline in results.
Now, with 36 holes remaining in Japan, Homa has a legitimate opportunity to reestablish himself among the PGA Tour's winners.
Bridgeman and Mitchell share the lead at 11 under, but Homa is close enough to make things interesting.
And after spending much of the last three seasons searching for answers, he finally has something particularly valuable heading into the weekend.
Momentum.
Comments
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy