Matt McCarty’s sudden success has stunned plenty throughout the golf world, including himself.
The 26-year-old has won four of his last 10 starts to soar from obscurity into three major PGA Tour championships next year.
After notching his first PGA Tour victory at last week’s Black Desert Championship, McCarty will aim to continue his stirring run at the Shriners Children’s Open, which starts Thursday in Las Vegas.
“I mean, it’s kind of a whirlwind,” McCarty said. “It’s just unreal getting into … the Masters and having a few more opportunities.
“… Just kind of focusing on those weeks and how everything is going, and really looking forward to this challenge and kind of seeing how it feels and also kind of how my game will translate out there.”
McCarty turned pro in 2021 and meandered through the ranks of the Korn Ferry Tour. He missed the PGA Tour after finishing last year ranked 430th in the world before taking off in mid-July with his win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship.
McCarty notched two more wins on the Korn Ferry Tour before securing the Black Desert Championship in just his third PGA Tour start to vault to No. 47 in the world. Only two men (Garrick Higgo, second start, and Jim Benepe, first) logged their first PGA Tour win faster.
Ranked 95th in the FedEx Cup Fall Standings, the surging McCarty has five events left to climb into the top 60, which would qualify him for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational.
McCarty faces a 465-point gap, but his mindset remains simple.
“Whatever happens, happens. You’re going to play some rounds and you’re not going to have your best stuff. You just kind of got to keep going and just keep having fun with it,” he said.
Regardless of how the final five events play out, McCarty is guaranteed a spot on the PGA Tour through 2026. Given where he was after last season, McCarty appreciates the journey he is on and hopes his best is yet to come.
“I think that’s going to be a big thing going forward. Like especially with next year of a lot of the events I’m getting into, understanding the new reality that I’ll be in,” he said.
“But, yeah, it’s crazy. Just focusing on it, and understanding that these opportunities are very rare. … It’s going to be a lot of fun next year. I’ll be smiling a lot on the golf course no matter where I am, and hopefully we can play well and keep those going, too.”
–Field Level Media