McCarty’s Wild Ride: Eagle, Birdies, and Everything But Pars at Doral
DORAL, Fla. — Matt McCarty turned the front nine at Trump National Doral into his personal rollercoaster Saturday, going seven straight holes without a par to start his third round at the Cadillac Championship.
McCarty’s adventure began with an eagle on the par-5 opening hole, draining a 9-foot putt that set the tone for a frenetic stretch. What followed was a sequence that would make most weekend golfers dizzy: bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie, birdie.
He finally found some normalcy on the par-5 8th hole, where he missed a 12-foot birdie chance but tapped in for his first par of the day. That par ended a remarkable nine-hole stretch without one, dating back to his bogey-bogey finish in Friday’s second round.
“Kind of roller coaster early,” McCarty said after his round. “I played really solid.”
The details of his opening blitz:
- No. 1: Eagle from 9 feet on the par-5
- No. 2: Bogey after missing a 15-foot par attempt
- No. 3: Birdie, converting from 3 feet
- No. 4: Bogey, couldn’t save par from 12 feet
- No. 5: Birdie, nearly holed out with an 86-yard chip that stopped 8 inches away
- No. 6: Birdie, made from 6 feet
- No. 7: Birdie, knocked in a 4-footer
McCarty’s par-less run, while impressive, doesn’t come close to the PGA Tour record. Per-Ulrik Johansson holds that distinction, starting the 2004 Valero Texas Open with 12 consecutive non-pars — a wild sequence of birdie, five bogeys, two birdies, bogey, triple-bogey, birdie and bogey.
Despite the early fireworks, McCarty settled down and posted a 3-under 69 for the day, featuring just six pars total. He’ll enter Sunday’s final round at 8-under for the tournament.
The hot start briefly vaulted McCarty into a tie for second place after beginning the day in 12th, eight shots behind leader Cameron Young. But that’s what happens when you start eagle-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie-birdie — you climb the leaderboard in a hurry.
