Denny McCarthy earned his best career finish on the PGA Tour at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic. He needed a clutch up-and-down at the final hole on Sunday, March 25 to edge K.J. Choi by one shot and earn 80 valuable Fedex Cup points. McCarthy backed off his 4-footer twice before sinking the putt for par that helped him secure the solo fourth place finish.
The two-time Maryland Amateur (2013, 2014) and three-time Maryland Open (2010, 2013, 2015) champion got off to a hot start, making seven birdies en route to a first round 66. He followed that up with a bogey-free 69, putting him in great position for the weekend. On Saturday the scores were slightly higher, and McCarthy’s was no different, but he still managed to post a red number with a 1-under par 71, and followed it up on Sunday with three birdies to one bogey for a solid round of 70. McCarthy managed to post all four rounds under par, and his strong performance was quite timely, as he had slipped to 213 on the Fedex Cup points list following 7 missed cuts in his first 9 events this year. He moved up 61 spots to 152 on the points list and earned a spot in the field at the PGA Tour’s next event, the Shell Houston Open, from March 29 to April 1.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, was paired with McCarthy on Thursday and Friday. Romo received a sponsor’s exemption into the field and struggled Thursday and Friday to rounds of 77-82, but shared some laughs with McCarthy throughout the first round as McCarthy casually mentioned his favorite NFL team is the Cowboys’ NFC East rival the Washington Redskins.
