Around three in the morning, Spanish time, Matt McCarty (-12) had managed to get his ball to the second cut of the green in two strokes on the par-five 7th hole, his third-to-last flag of the day, about seven metres from his target. He was two strokes behind the leader when the lack of light forced the suspension of the remaining matches at the Black Desert Championship, the tournament with which the PGA Tour returns to Utah six decades later.
Chipping for eagle was feasible for the American, or at least leaving it close to aim for a birdie that would bring him closer to the lead before completing his first 36 holes in the tournament. Something he will attempt this Saturday from early in the morning in search of his particular ‘poker’ in 2024. The 26-year-old golfer from Scottsdale, Arizona, who studied at Santa Clara University, earned his tour card this summer after an astonishing series of three wins in just over a month, between July 21 and August 25, on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Just like he drew it up!@MattMcCarty21 holes out for birdie to move to T5 @BDChampionship. pic.twitter.com/Beh0hQnqKb
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 11, 2024
This week marked the start of the third event of the autumn series of the FedEx as 232nd in the overall circuit ranking. The fourth position, tied, which he currently holds, would allow him to climb more than 50 places on the table. But his challenge is none other than to secure his fourth win in two and a half months, his first on the PGA Tour, to seal a brilliant breakthrough on the tour, after making the cut at the Sanderson Farms last week, his first appearance after securing full playing rights that he will retain in 2025, and incidentally take home the tournament’s triple prize.
The winner, in addition to securing two years of a card, up to and including 2026, will have a spot in next season’s Masters Tournament and will take home a cheque for 1.35 million dollars. A most enticing prize that this newcomer will have to fight for against players like the German Stephan Jaeger (-14), leading by one stroke after carding a 63 this Friday, recovering with two spectacular chips from a tough three-putt, the Canadian Adam Svensson (-13), who couldn’t find the momentum to repeat the 60 with which he started the tournament, the Swede Henrik Norlander (-12), in the midst of a battle to retain playing rights, or the Americans Ben Kohles (-12) or Harris English (-12), two tough competitors.
AGAIN?!
Stephan Jaeger grabs another birdie to tie the lead @BDChampionship. https://t.co/YT6nZw1jvx pic.twitter.com/EHrP5t91wz
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 12, 2024
For Jay Don Blake (+10), the protagonist of another of the week’s great stories, the dream ended this Friday. Invited by the organisation, this summer the American golfer who grew up near St. George, in Utah, the state hosting this Black Desert Championship, played his 500th tournament on the PGA Tour. Although he couldn’t make the cut, provisionally set at five under par. Nevertheless, he was able to enjoy the experience, the fans, competing again at the highest level… and discovering a course he never imagined: “I was probably on this very peninsula when I was a kid. I used to come to this valley and there was nothing here, just lava rocks, sagebrush, and a few rabbits I chased.”
