It's no secret that Max Homa hasn't played his best golf in 2025, failing to crack the top 10 in any of his 11 starts and recording just one top-25 finish, that being a T12 at The Masters. He also went through an extremely difficult stretch leading into Augusta in which he missed five consecutive cuts.
And given how the 34-year-old began his week at the 2025 PGA Championship, opening with a 2-over round of 73 to sit in a tie for 73rd after 18 holes, it seemed as if he might miss yet another weekend.
But when Homa woke up for his early Round 2 tee time, he clearly remembered just how well he's played in the past at Quail Hollow Club, where he recorded his first PGA Tour victory six years ago and finished eighth in each of the last two years at the Wells Fargo Championship (now the Truist Championship).
Simply put, Homa caught fire on Friday morning and nearly made some wild major championship history en route to the best nine-hole stretch of his major career.
Max Homa nearly aced the par-4 14th at Quail Hollow
Opening his second round on the back nine at Quail Hollow, where he shot a 3-over 39 on Thursday afternoon, Homa got off to a strong start with a birdie at the par-5 10th.
After pars at 11 and 12, he birdied the long par-3 13th, holing a 22-footer to get to 2-under for the day.
He then stepped to the tee at the short par-4 14th, which was set up to play just 340 yards in Round 2. And not only did Homa find the putting surface, he nearly pulled off what would have been the first hole-in-one on a par-4 in major championship history.
Incredible. Leaving himself just 21 inches from the cup, Homa tapped in for eagle. And with birdies at the 15th and 18th holes, he carded a 6-under 30 going out, marking the best nine-hole score of his career in a major championship and putting himself right in the mix near the top of the leaderboard.