SAN DIEGO—Eighteen holes stand between Denny McCarthy and what he’s chased for what feels like forever. PGA Tour events, particularly the elevated ones, typically present complex riddles with multiple solutions. But it’s a limited field and Torrey Pines is a one-dimensional punisher, asking competitors only to keep the ball in the fairway and making them pay if they don’t. That’s why, on this Saturday night, only one thing matters: McCarthy’s belief. Not just in his swing or his strategy, but in the story that brought him here—the countless range sessions, the red-eye flights, the near-misses, the sacrifices that seemed to lead nowhere. Now, they’ve delivered him to this moment. The question isn’t whether he’s paid his dues. It’s whether he can claim what all that payment has earned him, before this opportunity slips away like the setting San Diego sun.
McCarthy will be in the final pairing at the Genesis Invitational, his one-under 71 on Saturday a shot behind Patrick Rodgers with just 18 holes to go.
“A little scratchy early, found some footing,” McCarthy said. “Got a nice up-and-down on 4 that kind of settled me in. Hit some good shots on 5 to kind of get the round going. Hit a nice little stretch there, 6, 7, 9, 10. Swung really freely with the driver today, really like how I drove the ball, set up a lot of my opportunities today.”
McCarthy is a good player. He’s reached the tour’s second round of the FedEx Cup each of the last three seasons, although he’s yet to advance to the season-finale at East Lake. In tour circles he’s on the short list of best putters in the sport, ranking fourth with the flat stick in strokes gained last season and third the season before. But he’s also known for what he hasn’t done.
This is McCarthy’s 194th start on the PGA Tour. He hasn’t won in the previous 193. He’s come agonizingly close. He fell in a playoff at the 2023 Memorial after bogeying the first hole of sudden death. He birdied his final seven holes at the Texas Open last spring to force overtime, only to chunk his approach into water on the 73rd to wind up trophyless. The types of finishes that make you wonder why the golf gods are so cruel.
This week did not portend to be his breakout. McCarthy had four starts at Torrey Pines in his career. He missed the cut twice and finished no better than T-63. This is a course that historically favors muscle, but for its length on the scorecard and in its rough. McCarthy is one of the shorter hitters on tour and loses strokes to the field off the tee. Making it to Saturday seemed like an ambitious goal.
So how is he here? Through 45 holes, McCarthy—who ranks 137th on tour in par-5 scoring—was leading the field on Torrey’s three-shotters.
“Yeah, I’m not one of the longest guys but I’ve gotten longer and I’m long enough to definitely play well here,” McCarthy said. “I drove it—I’ve picked up some speed. I was letting it swing pretty freely today and I like how confident and committed I was on some of those tee shots.”
His par 5 dominance no longer applies after he bogeyed the 13th and parred the 18th to finish his round. But a number of players have struggled on the par 5s this week, and look no further than leader Patrick Rodgers, who saw a potential three-shot advantage turn to one after dumping his final approach on Saturday afternoon into the 18th pond.
So now McCarthy is here, and it’s easy to wonder what Sunday could unlock. With the signature event points bump he’d be a lock for the Tour Championship. It would put him in Ryder Cup consideration (rightfully, we should add, given his putting prowess). Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Davis Thompson are four shots behind, a group of five behind includes Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. Statistically, it’s down to Rodgers, Ludvig Aberg and McCarthy.
Aberg, the fledgling Swedish star with the handsome smile, will likely be the crowd favorite. Rodgers, the former amateur standout who broke Tiger Woods’ records at Stanford and has ties to the SoCal area, will be the sentimental pull. McCarthy, who’s profile height of 5’9” seems generous, will likely have himself and himself only in his corner. Which is fine. To McCarthy, the only thing standing between him and his inaugural win is himself.
“I didn’t really look at [the scoreboards] much today,” McCarthy said. “I might take a peek here and there. I’m not superstitious one way or the other. It doesn’t really change what I do out there. So more of what I did today tomorrow will be good, maybe get a few more putts to drop.”
Earlier in the week, McCarthy described himself as a “grindy competitor”—words that echoed as shadows lengthened across Torrey’s weathered fairways. He was three under through 10 holes on Saturday before the stumble. Two bogeys in three holes threatened to unravel not just his round, but the delicate thread of confidence he’d spent years weaving. He held on through the rest of the back until the 18th, where a poor tee shot forced a layup. McCarthy was clearly uncomfortable over his third, and we know as much thanks to the ensuing instructions from his caddie: “Be settled, be committed.” Not so much direction as trying to bridge the chasm of doubt. The ball found the green, not with authority but with enough conviction to stay.
Two putts later, McCarthy’s face was one of acceptance. A 5 on the scorecard when he wanted 4, a concession on the scorecard to make sure tomorrow will still matter. Now, with 18 holes between him and validation, he finds himself in familiar territory. This time, he hopes the wait is worth it.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
