Matt McCarty wasted no time in making the most of his rookie season on the PGA Tour, as the newcomer won the inaugural Black Desert Championship in Ivins, Utah on Sunday.
McCarty held the 54-hole lead and was up by one shot when he approached the short par-4 14th hole at Black Desert Resort. An incredible tee shot set up a short eagle putt that tripled his lead.
He finished with a 4-under-par 67, taking his total for the week to 23-under 261, three strokes better than Germany’s Stefan Jaeger (68).
McCarty, a lefty-swinging 26-year-old from Arizona, earned immediate promotion to the PGA Tour by winning three times on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year. Sunday’s win, in his second start of the fall, earned him a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour.
At the start of the final round, Lucas Glover and Germany’s Matti Schmid posted identical scores of 9-under 62 to move up on the leaderboard. Glover reached 19 under to put pressure on McCarty and eventually tied for third with Kevin Streelman (69). Schmid finished tied for fifth at 18 under.
McCarty — who posted 62 on Thursday and 64 on Saturday — birdied two holes on the front nine and bogeyed No. 12 before getting to the 310-yard 14th hole. His tee shot took two jumps before rolling gently onto the green and stopping 4 feet inside the pin.
McCarty birdied-bogey-birdied her last three holes before celebrating with her caddy and family.
The Black Desert Championship, the newest addition to the FedEx Cup Fall Series, was the PGA Tour’s first stop in Utah since 1963.
–Field Level Media
