Matt McCarty has had one of the most unusual rises to PGA Tour stardom.
McCarty started on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022, and had his sights set on an early rise to the big show, but it didn’t work out so smoothly.
After a slow 2022, he picked up the pace in 2023, and had himself lined up to earn a PGA Tour card at the last event of the season. In the third round, McCarty had a disaster 18th hole that sent him from nearly a guaranteed PGA Tour card to back to the drawing board.
Once 2024 started, McCarty was a man on a mission. He won three events in 36 days, earning an automatic PGA Tour card for three Korn Ferry Tour wins.
At that moment McCarty had a choice: go right to the PGA Tour and live out his dream, or continue to play on the Korn Ferry, and potentially imrpove his status and earn his way into more PGA Tour events the following season.
McCarty went with the latter. He went on to finish first in the Korn Ferry Tour standings and qualify for nearly a full 2025 season on the PGA Tour.
He made his PGA Tour debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he struggled and finished T63, but then came the Black Desert Championship.
In just his second PGA Tour event, McCarty took home a win at the Black Desert, and cemented the best season of his golf career.
To hear more about McCarty’s journey and what he looks to accomplish in his second PGA Tour season, watch this interview from the Dan Evans Show. And to catch up on past episodes, check out our full archive on SI Golf.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as From Korn Ferry Heartbreak to PGA Tour Glory.
