Matt McCarty flirted with shooting a sub-60 round on Sunday but the lefty lost his tee shot left at his final hole, made bogey and settled for shooting an 11-under 60 at Yokohama Country Club in the final round of the Baycurrent Classic.
“One swing away from 58,” said McCarty, who once shot 59 at the 2021 Wyoming State Open.
This was a little different. On a calm day when the course was softened by rain a day earlier, McCarty, 27, birdied the first eight holes on the front nine, his back nine, and 10 of 11 holes to reach 12 under. He needed a birdie at the last to join Jim Furyk as the second player to shoot 58 on the PGA Tour or par to be the 16th different person to shoot 59. He would make birdie but it was off of his provisional ball after driving into trees left and failing to find his ball. His lone bogey of the day meant he settled for an 11-under 60.
After making the turn at 4 under, McCarty birdied the first and then made a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 2. He kept making birdies, and described his heater as “just kind of a slow burn.”
“With three to go, I was like I can get two (birdies) and have a chance,” he said.
He did just that, making an 11-footer at 7. When he made a 13-footer at No. 8 he had a legit chance to post 58 but the lefthander sent his driver left and had to play his provisional.
“I tried to guide it a little too much and just wiped it,” he said. “I thought I kind of had a chance around the corner but obviously didn’t find it, probably hit one of those trees and kicked left. Yeah, tough way to finish a really good day.”
Playing his provisional after a penalty stroke, he planted his fourth to 8 feet and canned the putt for his lone bogey of the day. No 58, not even a 59 but still one heckuva round and bettered his career low on Tour by two shots.
“It’s weird to play that well and come off the course feeling like this, but a good day,” said McCarty who finished with a 72-hole total of 10-under 274. “I had a chance at it, which is fun.”
The last person to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour was Jake Knapp, who did so in February 2025 at the Cognizant Classic.
Read the full article here