In just his third PGA Tour start, Matt McCarty claimed a three-shot victory at the inaugural Black Desert Championship in Utah.
The Arizona native entered Sunday’s finale at Black Desert Resort with a two-shot lead and after a birdie on the first, he never looked back. The 26-year-old McCarty added another birdie on 7 and then offset his first bogey of the day on No. 12 with an eagle on the par-4 14th to effectively clinch the title. He finished his final three holes birdie-bogey-birdie to reach 23 under.
“I don’t know how you can expect this,” said McCarty, who won three times this season on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn an instant promotion. “It’s just a lot of fun. I’ve been working really hard.
“This year was great for me. To get out here a little early, to get some experience was great and obviously this now.
“It’s just been a crazy last few months for me.”
With the victory, McCarty earned $1.35 million to move to 95th in the FedEx Cup Fall race. He is now guaranteed to tee it up in at least three of the 2025 majors, including the Masters and the PGA. He had already earned a spot in the U.S. Open by virtue of winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s points race. As the season progresses, he is also almost assured a spot in the 2025 British Open.
McCarty becomes the first player since Jason Gore to win three times on the developmental tour to earn an instant promotion and then win on the PGA Tour in the same season. He finished at 23-under 261 and earned
While McCarty was solid on Sunday, his four closest chasers – Stephan Jaeger (68), Kevin Streelman (69), Joe Highsmith (71) and Harris English (71), who were tied for second entering the final round, never got much of anything going, making the rookie’s maiden title bid that much less stressful.
Streelman was the first of the four chasers to pose something of a threat. The 45-year-old from Duke began the day with six straight pars but closed his front nine with an eagle and birdie to get within a shot of the lead. Streelman’s chase, though, was over before it started after a double bogey on 10, followed by seven straight pars. A birdie on the last moved Streelman into a tie for third on 19 under, alongside Lucas Glover, who produced a sizzling round of 62 to soar up the leaderboard on Sunday.
Matti Schmid, who also posted a low-round 62, secured solo fifth on 18 under.
Jaeger also managed to get within a shot of the lead after birdies on Nos. 14 and 15. But McCarty ended that threat himself by sending a 3-wood to within 42 inches of the cup for an eagle-2 on the 13th. The German made birdie on the last to reach 20 under and seal the runner up payout for himself.
Highsmith, playing in the final group alongside McCarty, made double bogey on the first and added a bogey on the fourth to fall off the pace early. English, also only two back to start, made three birdies on his opening nine but wiped out any momentum with three bogeys. He finished T6 alongside Highsmith.
Nick Hardy (65), Lee Hodges (67), and Henrik Norlander (68) rounded out the top 10 finishers at the Black Desert Resort.
2024 Black Desert Championship
Final Round: Top 10 Scorers
Pos-Player-Score (Rd 4 Score)
1. Matt McCarty -23 (-4)
2. Stephan Jaeger -20 (-3)
3. Lucas Glover -19 (-9)
3. Kevin Streelman -19 (-2)
5. Matti Schmid -18 (-9)
6. Joe Highsmith -17 (E)
6. Harris English -17 (E)
8. Nick Hardy -16 (-6)
8. Lee Hodges -16 (-4)
8. Henrik Norlander -16 (-3)
PGA Tour Communications post-round content used to compile report.
