From Grocery Store to Glory: The Wild PGA Tour Story Nobody Saw Coming

How a devastating water ball and an unfashionable 7-wood turned Matt McCarty into golf's newest millionaire... Plus, Tiger's return with Charlie and the $12B deal that's about to change golf forever

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Golf News

With the golf season being done for 2024 we decided to write about some of the PGA Tour rookies this season. The first up is Matt McCarty. What a wild ride, check it out 👇

The Moment That Changed Everything

The golf ball hung in the air like a bad dream. Matt McCarty stood frozen on the 18th tee of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, watching his PGA Tour dreams splash into the water. One par - that's all he needed for his PGA Tour card. Instead, he walked off with an 8, the kind of number that keeps golfers awake at night. But this isn't a story about failure. It's about what happened next.

From Supermarket Sweeps to Superstar

"Hey, at least I'm good at grocery shopping," McCarty would joke after winning his first tournament - the Price Cutter Charity Championship. Little did he know he'd become the unofficial king of supermarket-sponsored tournaments. From Price Cutter to Albertsons Boise Open, McCarty turned the produce aisle into his personal victory lane. Who needs Augusta when you've got aisle nine?

To top off his grocery store winning streak McCarty picked up his third win in a 6 week span. This time at the Pinnacle Bank Championship. With this 3rd win of the season McCarty accomplished a remarkable feat. It made him only the 13th player ever to earn the coveted "battlefield promotion" - an instant ticket to the PGA Tour.

The Lucky Number Seven(wood)

While his competitors were obsessing over the latest $600 drivers, McCarty pulled the most dad-golf move imaginable - he put a 7-wood in his bag. "It's not exactly the club that screams 'future PGA Tour winner,'" he laughs. But that unfashionable stick became his secret weapon, helping him rack up the three victories in six weeks. Sometimes the best stories start with the most unlikely heroes.

The Brotherhood of the Traveling Golf Bag

Every Batman needs a Robin, and McCarty found his in college teammate Devrath Das. Their partnership reads like a buddy comedy - two friends chasing a dream, living out of suitcases, and eating way too many drive-thru meals. Das knows McCarty's game so well, he doesn't even watch some of his shots anymore. "When it's perfect," Das says, "you just know."

The Sweet Revenge Tour

Fast forward to the Black Desert Championship. His second PGA Tour start. Standing on the 14th tee, McCarty unleashed a drive that would make even the golf gods smile - 310 yards to 3½ feet. As the ball tracked toward the pin, you could almost hear last year's water ball whispering, "This one's for you, buddy." McCarty went on to win the Black Desert Championship.

The Numbers Game

Three Korn Ferry wins in 35 days. Over $1 million in earnings. A PGA Tour victory worth $1.35 million. A scoring average that makes mathematicians blush (68.38). But the real number that matters? Zero - the number of times McCarty considered giving up.

Now he's headed to the Masters, where the only grocery store in sight is the champions' dinner.

From water hazard heartbreak to PGA Tour triumph, McCarty's story proves that sometimes the best revenge isn't just success - it's success with a side of "told you so."

What a 10 month span for Matt McCarty 🤯

News You Need to Know

The Return : Tiger Woods is making his comeback to competitive golf, but it's his 15-year-old son Charlie who might steal the show. After another back surgery and months of recovery, golf's greatest legend is ready to tee it up again—but will this father-son duo give us a glimpse of the next generation of Woods dominance?

Rivals Unite? Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau just dropped a bombshell about a potential LIV vs PGA Tour Ryder Cup-style showdown. With next week's match against McIlroy and Scheffler looming, find out why these former enemies are now plotting golf's most ambitious crossover event.

First Look: Tiger Woods and MLB superstar Mike Trout just unveiled their secret golf sanctuary, and it's unlike anything you've seen before. From a MLB dugout-inspired hangout to a 2,500-bottle wine cellar, this exclusive New Jersey club is redefining luxury golf. But the most surprising feature might be what they decided to build on the 14th hole...

Game-Changing Deal: Saudi Arabia's $12 billion golf bombshell is about to reshape professional golf forever. With Tiger Woods involved and a breakthrough imminent, find out why this isn't just another merger—and what it means for your favorite LIV and PGA Tour stars.

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Enjoy your week,

Cody.