IVINS, Utah — Matt McCarty started the year on the Korn Ferry Tour and now he’s headed to the Masters, winning his first PGA Tour title Sunday at the Black Desert Championship with a 4-under 67 and one swing away.
McCarty won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn an immediate promotion in August. In his third start on the PGA Tour, he made victory look easy. He had a two-shot lead going into the final round, never trailed at Black Desert Resort and won by three shots.
Stephan Jaeger closed within one shot with birdies on the 14th and 15th. McCarty effectively eliminated any threat with a 3-wood on the 310-yard 14th that was near perfect, sticking to the green and landing 3 1/2 feet from the eagle cup.
The win means the 26-year-old left-hander from Arizona is guaranteed to be in three championships next year. He enters the Masters and PGA Championship on the back of his PGA Tour title, while McCarty has already earned a spot in the US Open by leading the points list on the Korn Ferry Tour.
McCarty becomes the first player since Jason Gore to win three times on the development tour to earn an immediate promotion and win on the PGA Tour in the same season. He finished 23-under 261 and earned $1.35 million.
“I don’t know how you can expect this,” McCarty said. “It’s great. I’ve been working really hard. This year has been good for me. To get out here early, to get some experience was good and obviously this is now.
“It’s been a few months for me.”
McCarty didn’t face much pressure — he could attribute that to a good layup — except for that brief moment when Jaeger made a late move.
All potential challengers went the other way for much of a sunny day in southwestern Utah, the first time the Beehive State has hosted a PGA Tour event in 61 years.
Joe Highsmith, playing in the last group, made a double bogey on the opening hole. Harris English had three bogeys on the front nine that beat three birdies and kept him from moving. Jaeger, who tied with Scottie Scheffler to win the Houston Open in March, managed just one birdie on the back nine.
McCarty took a drive, leading by three, and didn’t drop a shot until he three-putted from 55 feet from the bottom of the tee on the 12th hole. Then when Jaeger holed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 13th and drove the 14th green for a two-putt birdie to close within one, McCarty responded.
He hit the painting with his 3 wood, stared it down and said, “Turn!” It did so, landing near the green and down the fairway almost to the approach distance. Jaeger, two teams ahead of him, had three straight birdie putts to burn the edge of the cup.
Jaeger closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th for a 68 to finish alone for second.
“I don’t know how you can expect this. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been working really hard. This year has been good for me. Getting out here early, getting the experience was fun and obviously. This is now the last few months for me.”
Matt McCarty
“I shot myself,” Jaeger said. “I didn’t hit it well enough to give myself short clubs and enough birdie opportunity. But sometimes you have that. I made some good putts that went in, so I’m happy with that.”
Lucas Glover shot a 62 and tied for third with Kevin Streelman, who had a great chance even without having a hard chance to win. The FedEx Cup Fall is primarily about players finishing in the top 125 to secure full PGA Tour cards for 2025.
Streelman came in at No. 177, and every shot was important. He angrily hit his thigh when he missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, then watched his putt hit the pin on the par-3 17th and tie the green. He managed to save the average, and made 18 birdies for a 69.
That moved him to No. 138, a little closer to 125 with four more tournaments left in the fall.
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