Sunday looked to be the day Denny McCarthy would finally get his first PGA Tour after a few close calls the past few years. A two-shot lead at the Memorial in Dublin, Oh quickly vanished late in the round and McCarthy — who had a chance to win on the 72nd hole but missed a 23-foot par putt — lost to Viktor Hovland in a playoff.
McCarthy, born in Takoma Park and an alum of Georgetown Prep and the University of Virginia, had three birdies and 14 pars — including three clutch par saves on the back nine — through 17 holes but bogeyed 18 after he pulled his drive into the deep rough. McCarthy bogeyed the first playoff hole, the 18th again, and Holland made par for his fourth PGA Tour win but first on U.S. soil.
The winning score of 7 under par reflected the tough conditions at Muirfield Village, a course designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus who is also theĀ tournament host.
Nicklaus, 83, had encouraging words for McCarthy as he walked off the 18th green after losing the playoff.
Clearly emotional, McCarthy, told CBS Sports, “I battled really hard. Heartbroken right now but a lot of positives to take from this week.”
An emotional Denny McCarthy is keeping his head up after the playoff loss @MemorialGolf pic.twitter.com/0m2AYjjbha
— Golf on CBS ā³ (@GolfonCBS) June 4, 2023
Later, McCarthy repeated, “I’m heartbroken right now” and added “It really sucks. I thought this was going to be the week…I like being in that moment. That’s exactly what I want to be playing golf for. I was definitely nervous, and I definitely had some adrenaline, but I feel comfortable in that situation. I love that aspect of being a competitor is when it starts to feel a little uncomfortable, how can you control that, how can you manage your emotions out there. I don’t know when the last time I’ve felt quite that amped up, but this can only help me. I’ll use this as a learning experience to try and get better.”
The second place finish was McCarthy’s highest ever on the PGA Tour besting his third place finish at the 2021 Honda Classic. He earned $2.18 million and 315 FedExCup points this week and is now in 26th place in the FedExCup rankings. McCarthy’s world golf ranking jumped from 55 to 35.
