There may not be a hotter golfer on the planet right now than Matt McCarty.
McCarty, a 26-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, won his fourth golf tournament in the past three months by outlasting several PGA Tour veterans to win the inaugural Black Desert Championship Sunday afternoon in southern Utah.
The left-hander, who played collegiately at Santa Clara, fired a 4-under 67 to finish at 261 and secure a three-shot victory at the Black Desert Golf Course in Ivins. The tournament was the first regular PGA Tour event played in Utah since the Utah Open Invitational in 1963.
“It was a lot of fun,” McCarty told the Golf Channel. “I knew if I played well I’d have a chance, but I don’t know how you can expect this. It’s been a crazy last few months for me.”
Stephan Jaeger, who won a PGA event in Houston earlier this year, finished second at 20-under 264. Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover stormed from 28th place at the start of the day to finish at 265 with a 9-under-par 62 and tied with Kevin Streelman, another former tour winner, for third place.
German Matti Schmid matched Glover’s 62 Sunday and finished in fifth place at 266.
McCarty, who earned $1.35 million with the victory, started the day with a two-stroke lead over four golfers and kept the lead all day. His first bogey came on a three-putt at No. 12 and saw his lead shrink to one stroke.
But at the 310-yard par-4 14th hole, he hit his drive within four feet and rolled in the putt for eagle and followed with a birdie at No. 15 to extend his lead to four.
Three of McCarty’s victories this year came on the Korn Ferry Tour including his win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship in Missouri in late July.
By winning three Korn Ferry events this year, McCarty earned an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour and made his season debut last week in Mississippi where he finished in a tie for 63rd place, just his third-ever PGA event.
As part of his ascension to No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, McCarty finished in a tie for second at the Utah Championship at Oakridge CC in early August.
Zac Blair, the only one of nine Utah golfers left in the field after the 36-hole cut, had his worst round of the week, a 4-over 75, and finished in 66th place at 282. He earned $15,975 to raise his season earnings to $995,247.
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