Golf

2024 PGA Tour: Third Start’s the Charm for Black Desert Championship Winner Matt McCarty

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Oct 21, 2024 / 9219 Views

Evan Walker

Any which way we look, the Black Desert Championship stands out on the 2024 PGA Tour’s schedule. Making its debut, the USD 7.5 million event was suffused with an air of freshness, from its setting and course layout to its new champion in Matt McCarty.

With lava fields lining the fairways and the molten rock coming into play regularly to challenge the players, the riot of colours and contrasting topography surrounding the Black Desert Resort made the Tour’s return to Utah after 60 years even more memorable.

Matt McCarty takes the 2024 Black Desert Championship, marking his first PGA Tour win

This past weekend, McCarty became the second player since Jason Gore in 2005 to win after triumphing thrice on the Korn Ferry Tour, and in the same season earned the instant and unique promotion to the main Tour. For the uninitiated, the Korn Ferry Tour counts itself among the PGA Tour’s developmental platforms, having produced numerous PGA Tour winners to date.

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Tossing aside all talk of how the transition to world Golf’s biggest stage is a test of faith and mental tenacity, McCarty’s smooth three-shot win over Stephan Jaeger on Sunday, October 12, proved his mettle, cementing the biggest week in his fledgling pro career.

Going with the saying, nothing succeeds like success, McCarty stepped up to win in just his third start on the PGA Tour, and the result on Sunday translated into his fourth trophy week in 10 combined starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour.

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Since 1970, only a handful have managed a breakthrough as quick or even quicker, and by doing so, McCarty has earned a seat among other legends in the list — including the legend himself, Seve Ballesteros.

Champion’s demeanour

With a missed cut at the US Open two seasons back and a finish way down at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week, there was little to signal McCarty’s march to greatness in his third start on the PGA Tour. Yet, herein lies the beauty of sport.

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Boasting oodles of talent and the burning desire to see himself in the league of champions on a Tour that is known to create legends, McCarty’s standout feature through the week at Ivins was his uNFLappable demeanour. At one point towards close, the names on the leaderboard converged thanks to Jaeger’s late charge. However, 26-year-old McCarty, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, stayed dialled in with some stress-free pars and made birdies when the opportunities came his way.

Much toil has gone into how the year has shaped out. Yet, while he was brimming with confidence, McCarty hadn’t envisioned a week as surreal. “I don’t know how you can expect this… It’s been a crazy last few months for me,” was among his first remarks after sinking the final putt to complete the formality on the 18th green.

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It isn’t just about the USD 1.35 million prize purse or being freed up financially. The win, as he had wished for, fast-tracked the desire to be seen where the elites of golf are often spotted.

McCarty will keep playing through the Tour’s Fall Season for more glory, but the opportunities that await in 2025 are immense. Thanks to the win on Sunday, McCarty now has a ticket to the Masters and PGA Championship. Additionally, his status on the Korn Ferry Tour has assured him a spot at the US Open.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do. To be able to do it this quickly, to be able to play in all these tournaments. What’s coming up is going to be really special, so I am really looking forward to that,” said McCarty.

Learning process

McCarty’s recent run reads like a fairy tale, but it rests on critical learnings gained all through his career. Not winning enough as an amateur taught him patience, and added credence to the belief that his time would come.

“It’s been just trying to stay patient, it’s really hard to win Golf tournaments. You keep telling yourself that and all you can do is really put yourself in contention and see what happens.”

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Getting on the PGA Tour is tough, and to emerge a winner is a Herculean task. Developing a mindset that facilitates the road to the top spot is a critical aspect, and for McCarty, it is about playing good golf consistently. “It’s like learning how to play in contention and get yourself there more often… Playing better golf, hitting better shots, to be honest. Winning sometimes just seems like it kind of happens, especially lately (for me),” he said.

Another situation that McCarty was familiar with proved to be a vital cog in putting together the current run. The result of this situation was a shift in McCarty’s approach, especially while working with a lead on the final day.

TPC Colorado is a course McCarty isn’t comfortable on; yet he set the 54-hole lead at the Ascendant to raise visions of a breakthrough on the Korn Ferry Tour in July. In McCarty’s words, what followed was weird. With a putter as hot as it can get, McCarty floundered on the final day.

“I didn’t putt well. Was a little tentative and I think just understanding that tightness and being tentative doesn’t lead to good Golf shots is honestly the biggest thing I learned.”

Searching for positives amid the disappointment of falling back was, in itself, a huge display of confidence, which set him up perfectly for what followed on the Korn Ferry Tour — three wins in six starts in July and August.

Getting into groove

Unlike McCarty, Stephan Jaeger had to wait for 135 starts to register his first win this March. The Texas Children’s Houston Open was special for the German as it capped the years of tribulations and sacrifices to make the summit, and being watched by his family as he fulfilled the collective dream made it dearer.

There was one more aspect that became a talking point; however, it dimmed with time. Up against Scottie Scheffler, and despite the enormity of the challenge, Jaeger held his own. In fact, it was the World No 1 who blinked on the 18th green to facilitate his rival’s passage to glory.

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Since then, it hasn’t been easy for the 35-year-old from Munich, with not a single top 10 to show. Yet, as Jaeger navigated himself through his career, he reminded himself that “This is just golf. It’s so hard sometimes.” In a better place as a winner, Jaeger carried on, cognizant that he had come a long way from when he had little to fall back on except his belief and his family’s faith.

Holding the 36-hole lead and hovering close by after that, Jaeger could well have had his season’s second win, especially after the burst late on Sunday with the slew of birdies on the back-nine. But golf is often not dictated by aspirations.

Disappointed as winning is always the goal, Jaeger was nonetheless happy to be in the mix after a while. “I wanted to be in contention, get some juices flowing. Obviously wanted to win, but happy with how my Game is trending,” he said.

No resting on past glories

At 45, Kevin Streelman does not have much at stake in a pro career that is inching towards the silver jubilee mark.

After the hard grind to get on Tour, posting wins in 2013 and 2014, Streelman continues to make a mark in the opportunities he receives. After placing T2 at the 3M Open last season, Streelman had his first top 10 of 2024 with his T3 placing this past weekend.

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It could have been one more win after a decade as Streelman opened with a 64 after hitting the ceremonial tee shot in honour of making his 300th career cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship the week before.

To his credit, Streelman kept logging the numbers to hover near the top and closed the week in a way that gladdened the heart. A win would have been the icing on top of the cake, but the battle-hardened pro has seen enough action, lending perspective towards what he loves to do best.

Regardless of the outcome, he will keep swinging hard to resurrect what remains of the season, driven as he is by his motto, “Whatever is meant to be is meant to be.”

(Main and featured image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)