Denny McCarthy started the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season with the goal of getting to the second weekend of the FedEx Cup. Now guaranteed a spot in the second weekend, he’s adjusted his goal upward.
“I want to get myself to Atlanta,” said McCarthy, a 2015 UVA alum, who is currently 39th in the FedEx Cup standings.
McCarthy didn’t qualify for the British Open, and decided to take the week off; and actually, he’s on a three-week Tour break, with his next tournament being the July 28-31 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
He’ll compete there and then at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro to get ready for the start of the FedEx Cup, which tees off Aug. 11 with the St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The top 75 in the FedEx Cup standings are guaranteed entry in the second weekend of the playoffs, at the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Del.
Only the top 30 get to the Aug. 25-28 Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Up until his recent break, McCarthy, a two-time All-American at Virginia, had been playing the best golf of his professional career, finishing in a tie for fifth at the Memorial and a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open, then after missing the cut at the Travelers, he came back to post a sixth-place finish at the John Deere Classic.
“My game feels really good, and I’m close,” McCarthy said. “It takes a lot out of you when you’re trying to win a golf tournament. So, looking forward to getting some rest these next (two) weeks, and, you know, and then coming out after that, trying to win some more golf tournaments. So, I’m looking forward to the rest, but I’m also looking forward to the final stretch of go off for the year.”
The respite was a necessity. Playing four straight weeks, and being in the mix three of those four weekends, exacted a physical and mental toll.
“I mean, physically it’s definitely a challenge, especially if you’re playing consecutive weeks on hard golf courses with big fields. Physically, it’s taxing, but mentally, it’s even worse. You’ve just got to be really sharp. I feel like the second you let your mind slip for a hole or two, that, you know, kind of feeds into maybe a nine-hole stretch or not a great nine-hole stretch, if you slip up mentally a little bit,” McCarthy said.
“You’ve got to be very sharp, and you’ve just got to be really poised,” McCarthy said. “Everyone’s so good. There’s so much talent out here. Nobody’s going to give you a golf tournament. You’ve got to go out and earn it. You’ve got to go get it. And I haven’t quite done that yet. But I’ve played some really solid golf. So, I think some of these close calls I’ve had some of these experiences will only help me.”
McCarthy’s 2021-2022 season has seen him record five top 10s and 10 top 20s, and he’s been safely in the top 50 for the bulk of the year.
The strength of his game comes on the green – McCarthy ranks 22nd on the Tour in putts per round 28.4) and ninth in putts per round on Sundays (27.4), and is in the top 10 in putts from four to eight feet (third, 77.2 percent), inside 10 feet (seventh, 90.7 percent) and outside 25 feet (9.0 percent).
These have helped McCarthy rank 18th on the Tour in scoring average (69.9).
“I think it’s just a combination of my golf game just continually getting a whole lot better,” McCarthy said. “I’ve had a nice year putting, but I’ve also had a really nice year ball-striking-wise. I’ve seen some really nice improvements with my ball-striking, and that consistency, I think, is why I’m starting to get my name in the mix a little bit more. I think the more the more I’m able to put together quality ball-striking rounds, obviously the strength of my game is putting, so the more I can hit the ball solid and get myself good looks, the more that’s going to turn into great opportunities for me.”
He’s been so close to getting his first PGA Tour win that he can taste it.
“I think the next step is kind of continuing to do that, and, you know, knocking off a tournament or two, and just keep getting myself in that situation, because I like being in that situation, and I like to win. So, I feel like if I learn how to do it a time or two, I feel like it could come in bunches,” McCarthy said. “So, I’ve just got to keep plugging along. I know it’s right around the corner. It’s hard to be patient, but that’s kind of what I’ve got to do. I’ve just got to be patient and keep doing what I’m doing out there. And I’ll knock the door down here soon.”
So, he wants to get that first W, and he wants to get to Atlanta.
But first, rest.
“My primary focus over the next two or three weeks is to get some rest, rest and recovery. Got a couple little things here and there going on with my body that I’d like to just heal and recover, and then playing the last two weeks of the year Rocket Mortgage and Wyndham and then into the FedEx Cup playoff event,” McCarthy said.
“I’m guaranteed at this point the first two playoff events. It was kind of a mini-goal of mine to make it to the second playoff event this year. I hadn’t done that in my four years on Tour. And so now I’ve kind of passed that threshold where I’ll be in the second playoff event. Now my goals have kind of changed a little bit where I want to get myself to Atlanta. That’ll get me into all the tournaments next year. I don’t know if it gets me into all four majors, but maybe at least three of the four.
“You know, that’s where you want to be,” McCarthy said. “If you’re playing at the Tour Championship at East Lake, I mean, you’ve had a pretty darn good year on the PGA Tour. And that would be really cool. So my goal is, yes, I’ve kind of shifted towards, I want to be playing at East Lake. And I believe I’m playing well enough to do that right now. So, I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
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Chris Graham
