IVINS, Utah — Matt McCarty began the yr on the Korn Ferry Tour and now’s headed to the Masters, successful his first PGA Tour title Sunday on the Black Desert Championship with a 4-under 67 and one swing that every one however sealed it.
McCarty received 3 times on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn an prompt promotion in August. In his third begin on the PGA Tour, he made successful look simply as simple. Staked to a two-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical, he by no means trailed at Black Desert Resort and received by three pictures.
Stephan Jaeger closed inside one shot with birdies on the 14th and fifteenth. McCarty successfully ended any risk with a 3-wood on the 310-yard 14th that was near good, bounding onto the inexperienced and settling 3 1/2 ft from the cup for an eagle.
The victory means the 26-year-old left-hander from Arizona is assured of being in three of the majors subsequent yr. He will get into the Masters and PGA Championship together with his PGA Tour title, and McCarty already earned a spot within the U.S. Open by main the Korn Ferry Tour factors record.
McCarty turns into the primary participant since Jason Gore to win 3 times on the developmental tour to earn an prompt promotion after which win on the PGA Tour in the identical season. He completed at 23-under 261 and earned $1.35 million.
“I do not know how one can count on this,” McCarty mentioned. “It is simply loads of enjoyable. I have been working actually laborious. This yr was nice for me. To get out right here somewhat early, to get some expertise was nice and clearly this now.
“It is simply been a loopy previous couple of months for me.”
McCarty did not face a lot stress — he can attribute that to some lovely lag placing — aside from that one temporary second when Jaeger made a late transfer.
All of the potential challengers went the opposite route for a lot of the sunny day in southwestern Utah, the Beehive State’s first time internet hosting a PGA Tour occasion in 61 years.
Joe Highsmith, enjoying within the closing group, made double bogey on the opening gap. Harris English had three bogeys on the entrance 9 that offset three birdies and stored him from making a transfer. Jaeger, who went toe-to-toe with Scottie Scheffler to win the Houston Open in March, managed just one birdie on the entrance 9.
McCarty motored alongside, main by three, not dropping a shot till a three-putt from 55 ft from under a ridge on the twelfth gap. After which when Jaeger holed a 5-foot birdie putt on the thirteenth and drove the 14th inexperienced for a two-putt birdie to shut inside one, McCarty answered.
He hit a draw together with his 3-wood, stared it down and mentioned, “Flip!” That it did, touchdown wanting the inexperienced and slowing into the grain to almost tap-in vary. Jaeger, two teams forward of him, had three straight birdie putts burn the sting of the cup.
Jaeger closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 68 to complete alone in second.
“I do not know how one can count on this. It is simply loads of enjoyable. I have been working actually laborious. This yr was nice for me. To get out right here somewhat early, to get some expertise was nice and clearly this now. It is simply been a loopy previous couple of months for me.”
Matt McCarty
“I gave myself a shot,” Jaeger mentioned. “I did not drive it properly sufficient to provide myself shorter golf equipment in and ample alternative for birdie. However typically you might have that. I made some good putts coming in, so I am proud of that.”
Lucas Glover shot 62 and tied for third with Kevin Streelman, who had a giant alternative even with out having a severe likelihood to win. The FedEx Cup Fall is essentially about gamers ending within the prime 125 to maintain full PGA Tour playing cards for 2025.
Streelman got here in at No. 177, and each shot mattered. He angrily slapped his thigh when he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the sixteenth gap, after which he watched his wedge hit the pin on the par-3 seventeenth and sure off the inexperienced. He managed to save lots of par, and he birdied the 18th for a 69.
That moved him to No. 138, getting him somewhat nearer to a hundred and twenty fifth with at the least 4 extra tournaments left within the fall.
