How Denny McCarthy became a regular on the PGA Tour after making his breakthrough
Sometimes it would get to me: I was stuck trying to keep my card each season while kids my age, like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, whom I’d even defeated in junior golf, were winning major championships. Sometimes, I had self-doubt. There won’t be any uncertainty when I visit Augusta National for the first time in April.
Both my uncle and dad were collegiate golf players. There were a lot of juniors on our course, Argyle Country Club in Silver Spring, Maryland, and my elder brother Ryan also played. Playing closest-to-the-pin games for milkshakes throughout the summer with your brother and friends makes it effortless to fall in love with the game.
My three siblings and I played D-I sports in college: Ryan and I played golf, while Cristina and Michaela, my two sisters, played lacrosse.
I went from hitting it 230 yards to 275 yards in high school during a growth spurt that happened between my freshman and sophomore years. I had a bunch of matches where I shot below par. I was sixteen when I qualified for the U.S. Amateur. Being a player on the PGA Tour was not my dream. Rather, I concentrated on continuously getting better. I knew I could still play in college.
If I didn’t keep becoming better at golf, I wanted to attend a school with a great intellectual reputation so that I could still graduate with honors. The University of Virginia was fantastic. I urged our coach to make
The University of Virginia was fantastic. I pushed our coach to add extra games, such nine-hole wedge competitions from within 140 yards, and to make practice more competitive. It improved our focus and added enjoyment to the work.
I remained an amateur to compete in the Walker Cup after graduating. I advanced to the Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q school that autumn. It was at PGA National’s Champion course. It was blowing thirty miles per hour when I got to the status number. Guys in the top 10 were hitting triples, quads, and doubles in the final stretch. “Play these last holes like the champion you are,” my brother advised as he was on the bag. Playing the final four holes two under, I remained composed. I gained status by backdooring a top-10 position. I play those gaps back to myself to reassure myself that I am capable of finishing the task at hand.