Matt McCarty shot a final round 67 (-4) to win the Black Desert Championship by three strokes in just his third PGA Tour start.
Having graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour as the 2024 champion, the prodigious left-hander had very little experience of the top US circuit but showed no fear to take down a number of knowledgeable rivals and multiple-time winners.
He led by two from Stephan Jaeger, Joe Highsmith, Kevin Steelman and Harris English going into Sunday and only briefly gave any of his peers a chance of catching up with fives holes to play.
But, with the lead down to one, McCarty all but sealed the deal with a stunning eagle on the drivable par-4 14th. Suiting a subtle draw for the left-handed golfer, McCarty hit the perfect 3-wood and walked after the ball as it rolled up to four feet.
Completing victory in front of his dad, the 26-year-old has booked his spot at three of the four Majors in 2025 - with only The Open Championship not currently guaranteed. However, after moving up to 47th in the world, McCarty has significantly boosted his chances of qualifying outright.
297 yards to 3 feet 😤@MattMcCarty21 sticks it on the drivable par-4 14th @BDChampionship. pic.twitter.com/ZggL7fBHmnOctober 13, 2024
Trying to process the last few months immediately after his victory on Sunday - a success that means he has now won four times in his last 10 combined starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour - McCarty said: "Yeah, I feel good. I don’t know. It’s been an unbelievable last few months for me.
"But just to like kind of play well today, that’s all I wanted to do, give myself a chance. I knew it was going to be tough and a lot of different -- more emotion, more nerves than it’s been out there.
"But, yeah, I’m really proud of how I was able to handle myself out there today, and honestly this whole week. I had a lot of fun."
Following appearances at the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship and the 2022 US Open, McCarty's third-start triumph ranks him alongside the likes of Bob Gilder (1976 WM Phoenix Open), Seve Ballesteros (1978 Wyndham Championship), and Russell Henley (2013 Sony Open in Hawaii) as quickest players to secure a PGA Tour win.
Only Garrick Higgo (2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree), who managed it on his second start, and Jim Benepe (1988 BMW Championship) - who remains the only player ever to reign supreme on his very first start - have managed victory in fewer starts.
McCarty has now earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and becomes the first player since Jason Gore in 2005 to win on both tours in the season they were promoted.
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