Since 1997, only thirteen golfers have been given the three-win promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, and Matt McCarty found himself one of the fortunate, as he became a recent graduate. The 26-year-old has made two starts on the PGA Tour so far, the Sanderson Farms Championship and Black Desert Championship, after becoming Tour-bound in mid-August. How has McCarty’s journey in golf from his amateur days to becoming a talented new face on the PGA Tour?

The story of Matt McCarty started in Scottsdale, Arizona, on December 11, 1997. McCarty and his family then moved to Seattle, Washington, DC, until he was 10 when they moved back to Arizona. While he was in Seattle and became a Seahawks fan, the 26-year-old remembers playing golf with his father at the Riverbend Golf Complex and a par-3 course, which no longer operates. After moving to Arizona, McCarty’s playground with his dad was the Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Phoenix, where he currently resides.

The Arizona native spent his formative years after the Seattle move in Scottsdale and went to the Desert Mountain. As a golf fan and Phoenix resident, McCarty shared that he used to watch the WM Phoenix Open each year and was also lucky enough to watch the 2008 Tiger Woods victory at the US Open in Torrey Pines, and the 2009 Masters with his dad. From a budding age, McCarty showed the excellence of a talented golfer and was tied for first at the State Championship in 2015. After graduating high school, the KFT pro was admitted to Santa Clara University in 2016. There, he spent five years and was named Three-Time First Team All-WCC and led his team at the 2018 NCAA Regional at NC State.

McCarty was one of the ace golfers of the Santa Clara squad and always wanted to be a part of the PGA Tour. Thus, after graduating with a degree in finance in 2020 and majoring in marketing in 2021, he joined the Korn Ferry Tour, courtesy of qualifying for the Q-School. Now, the struggle to achieve the PGA Tour dream started for McCarty.

Matt McCarty’s journey from KFT to PGA Tour

After getting the Korn Ferry Tour membership in 2022, Matt McCarty gave it his all to become the top player and get his PGA Tour card quickly. However, in the first year on KFT, he finished 55th on the season-ending. Then, in 2023, the 26-year-old was only a few feet closer to the card. He was playing in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and had to make a par to be 5th on the leaderboard and earn the card. Unfortunately, he double-bogeyed that hole and finished T18 to be 35 in the season, and his dream slipped away.

But he was more determined than ever in 2024 and made a few changes in his bag and game to become Tour-bound. He used a 7-wood, which he never thought he would, and started scoring better. In just six weeks, McCarty then became a 3-time Korn Ferry Tour winner, winning the Price Cutter Charity Championship, Pinnacle Bank Championship, and the Albertsons Boise Open and receiving a promotion to the PGA Tour.

After winning the third event, McCarty’s caddie, Devrath Das, joked about how the pro-two grocery store sponsored events and said, “The guy is just the king of the grocery store championships.” All jokes aside, the twist is that the 26-year-old got the card but still chose to not make his debut at the Procore Championship for one particular reason.

McCarty knew that if he played more events and became the leader on season-long standings, then he would receive the PGA Tour card, and then he would also be qualified to play in the PLAYERS Championship and the US Open. Something the 3-win promotion doesn’t grant. Thus, he played through two more events, finished T5 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, and made his way to the PGA Tour.

He missed the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Championship to play at the Sanderson Farms as he was already 650 points ahead of the golfer behind him and the championship awarded only 600 points, meaning his absence couldn’t harm him. Through this up-and-down journey, McCarty had a few people always beside him and encouraging him despite the losses he faced early in his career and the victories he later raked in on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Meet Matt McCarty’s support system

Although Matt McCarty rarely shares about his family and friends, in these few months, he has expressed the support they have provided him through and through. His parents and girlfriend have always been the biggest cheerleaders, so when it was first confirmed that he was Tour-bound, the first thing he did was to call them up.

Talking to the PGA Tour, McCarty expressed that they were the three most important people in his life and said, “I called and talked to my girlfriend walking off the green; she’s been awesome, so supportive, and just amazing. Then I called my dad and could hear him tearing up. He was with us last week, so he rode the tough heartbreak with us. Then my mom was the exact same way.”

The 3-time Korn Ferry Tour winner has always been close to his father, as he was the one he battled against in golf. Then, his mother was the one who inspired him to never back down. McCarty’s mother is a breast cancer survivor; because of that, he pledged to donate $10 for every under-par finish he achieves in 2024 events to the Cancer Support Community Arizona.

Another person who has been with McCarty is his collegiate teammate and now caddie for three years, Devrath Das. When McCarty made his KFT debut, Das also made his but as a caddie, and now the two will be tackling the tight ropes of the PGA Tour. However, the ride will be sunny, as McCarty noted, “It’s good having a buddy on the bag. We kind of give it to each other. Nobody’s feelings get hurt when we’re out there. It’ll be fun.”

As McCarty challenges the fall season on the PGA Tour, will his streak of winning in the 2024 season continue? Stay tuned to find out!