Max Homa goes low but Doug Ghim paces 2025 John Deere Classic after posting a 62
Max Homa fired an 8-under 63, his best opening-round score since the 2023 Genesis Invitational. He joined Austin Eckroat in a tie for second early Thursday afternoon.
"I played well," Homa said. "Holed a lot of putts, but still didn't feel like I did one thing that carried me. It felt like everything was really good. Kept it in front of me. Was rarely in a bad spot, whether it's off the tee or around the greens. Obviously having a hot putter helps. Even with that, I did a lot to shoot a low number."
A low round to start the week is always a good thing, but Homa – who made headlines Wednesday when he used a choice word to describe the negativity of social media -- knows it'll take a lot more of what he did Thursday to hoist a trophy on Sunday.
Twelve of the last 15 winners at the John Deere Classic have finished at 20 under or better. Davis Thompson won at 28 under last year.
"Just have to keep playing," Homa said. "Patience is very important even when scores are really low. Look at a round like Rickie played today. He said a couple blips early and then found his swing again shot a really low number. So as much as it always feels like a track meet in your head, you look at that and it's important to stay within yourself and stay patient, because you can birdie any hole out here."
Homa, Fowler and Jake Knapp played together Thursday (and will again Friday), starting on No. 10. Fowler made double-bogey on the 12th and bogey on the 14th before firing a 6-under 29 on the second nine to finish with a 65. Knapp shot 3-under 68.
"I'm super lucky to have a group like that," Homa said. "Two of my closest buddies out here. I've known Rick and Jake forever. Three SoCal guys in the same group and everybody started making a lot birdies, so that was fun."
But it was Doug Ghim who paced the morning wave with a 9-under 62 at TPC Deere Run – the lowest round of his seven-year career on Tour. The 29-year-old Chicago-area native is feeling comfortable just a few hours away from his hometown.
"Any time I come to the Midwest in general it's the style I am used to," Ghim said. "I grew up playing tree-lined and bent rough, bent greens. It's always a welcome sight to come to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan."
It could have been even lower, too. His second shot on the par-5 17th ended up on a part of the green that required him to chip it over the edge of a bunker that juts out onto the putting surface. He ultimately made par.
Ghim shot 5-under 30 on the outward nine, which included a hole-out eagle from 91 yards on the par-4 6th hole. He finished with a 32 on the back, culminating in a round void of bogeys that gave him the clubhouse lead just after noon on Thursday.
"I had to chip it off a green on 17 so probably hurt the stats," Ghim said. "Didn't get it up-and-down because I had to come over the corner of the bunker. So obviously statistically it will look worse than probably it was. Honestly, hit it so close all day. I probably didn't gain much any time I tapped in for birdie. I two putted for birdie a couple times. That's just the way the stats go sometimes.
Unlike Homa, who totaled 114 feet in putts made, Ghim shot 62 but made just 44 feet in putts. He was throwing darts all day, cashing in seven birdies, only one of which required him to make a putt longer than 10 feet.
And of course, he didn't even need the flatstick on No. 6.
"I hit it really well. Holed out a wedge. I mean, honestly, anytime you can shoot 9-under and not really make a putt it's always a good sign."
Ghim, along with Ryan Palmer and Ryo Hisatsune, will tee off at 1:16 p.m. ET for Friday's second round at TPC Deere Run, while Homa, Fowler and Knapp will start at 2 p.m. ET.
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