It’s been a year to remember for Matt McCarty. Having had to battle his way up the professional standings over the last few years which includes grinding his way through the Korn Ferry Tour, McCarty is now a winner on the PGA Tour following his three shot victory at the Black Desert Championship.
Having tasted the winning bug over the last few months following three Korn Ferry wins, McCarty was able to use all of that recent winning experience to good use as he held his nerve with aplomb to convert his third round lead into a three shot victory.
Now ranked inside the top fifty in the world, McCarty is a name that we will all need to get used to seeing as by virtue of his win, not only has he bagged himself a two year tour exemption, but he has also qualified for the Sentry Tournament of Champions, Masters and PGA Championship.
On what was an enthralling day of golf, here are the main talking points that emerged from yet another special weekend of action.
Matt McCarty Holds His Nerve to Win His First PGA Tour Title
Taking a two stroke lead into the final round of the Black Desert Championship, you would barely know that Matt McCarty was looking to become the first man in almost twenty years to win on both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour in the same season.
Although the FedEx Fall Series is designed for some of the game’s lesser lights to shine, chasing the rookie down were a series of accomplished players which included three former PGA winners, Harris English, Kevin Streelman and Stephan Jaegar.
Showing no signs of nerves as he had for most of the week, McCarty showed that he wouldn’t be overcome by the occasion when he knocked in a nerveless birdie on the first hole. Ensuring that he would be able to keep his emotions in check, solid pars from holes 2-6, another birdie would follow on the accessible par 5 7th. He would make the turn two under par.
The clear man to catch, one man trying to chase the rookie down was Lucas Glover who produced one of the best rounds of his season. Shooting a round of 62, Glover’s hopes of a surprise victory would have been boosted when McCarty stuttered for the first time with a bogey on the 12th.
With many wondering how McCarty would handle the setback, he answered emphatically. Securing a much needed par on the 13th, he produced one of the best shots of the week when drawing in a stunning drive onto the 14th green. There for one, he would make no mistake with his eagle putt. Wiping out the impact of the bogey picked up on the 12th, he was almost there.
An exclamation point was made with another birdie on the 16th and although that shot would be returned with a bogey on the 17th, McCarty would ensure that he would finish in style with a birdie on his final hole.
Victorious by three strokes, there will be few across the game who will believe that this will be McCarty’s last appearance in the winner’s circle. Now in a position to compete for the game’s biggest prizes, it will be fascinating to see how he adapts to life on Tour next season.
Stephan Jaegar Continues His Best Career Year
Its been a brilliant year for German golfer Stephan Jaegar. Widely regarded as a PGA Tour also ran, Jaeger has been working hard for years to bolster his reputation and status amongst the very best players in the world.
Diminutive in his build, Jaeger wasn’t the biggest of hitters but you can see years of hard work starting to pay off as his driving stats now rank amongst the very best.
A winner of the Texas Open earlier this season, Jaeger has put himself in real contention to be an outside contender to make Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup side next season and his efforts this week certainly would have made Donald take notice.
Starting the final round two strokes behind McCarty, the German produced a solid round of 68 to finish the tournament in outright second place. Needing his putter to get hot, he couldn’t quite get the crucial putts to drop when he needed them most.
Making the turn at one under, his charge came too late as he was able to rattle off three closing birdies. Needing McCarty to make mistakes, the mistakes never came and the German would have to settle for second place.
Assured of his place in all of next season’s PGA Tour Signature Events, Jaegar will be hoping to build on this career year and announce himself as one of the very best players in the world.
Big Names Need to Play Well With Time Starting to Run Out for Full PGA Playing Rights
The golden number that every player needs to be mindful of when trying to win a PGA Tour card is 125, with the top 125 ensuring full PGA Tour playing rights for 2025. As the rankings currently stand, there are several big names that need to scrap for their playing rights for next season.
Standing at 126 in the rankings is Daniel Berger. A four time winner on the PGA Tour, Berger has suffered from a lack of form and fitness which has seen him tumble all the way down the world rankings. Managing to give himself a boost by finishing inside the top ten at the Sanderson Farms, he wasn’t able to improve his position further this week. Finishing 35th, he will need to produce some more good golf if he is to finish inside the coveted top 125.
Other names who currently sit outside the 125 are experienced names such as Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Cameron Champ, Aaron Baddeley, Martin Laird and Gary Woodland. All will need to have a strong finish to their seasons if they are to maintain their full playing rights for next season.