IVINS, Utah — Matt McCarty took a two-stroke lead into the ultimate spherical in his second PGA Tour begin, capturing a 7-under 64 on Saturday within the inaugural Black Desert Championship.
A 3-time winner this season on the Korn Ferry Tour to earn an instantaneous promotion to the PGA Tour, McCarty had a 19-under 194 complete at Black Desert Resort within the Tour’s first occasion in Utah in 61 years.
On a breezier, however nonetheless low-scoring afternoon on the Tom Weiskopf design carved out of an historic black lava subject, the 26-year-old McCarty performed a five-hole stretch on the entrance 9 in 6 below — highlighted by an eagle chip-in on the par-5 seventh.
“I feel it’s simply very comfy setting being again within the desert,” mentioned McCarty, from Scottsdale, Arizona. “Identical to the views and prefer it’s only a cool place to be. Cool place to play properly, additionally.”
On the again 9, McCarty drove the inexperienced and two-putted for birdie on the quick par-4 14th. He hit a wedge to six inches on the par-4 sixteenth, then two-putted the par-5 18th for one more birdie.
“All of the stuff that form of comes on the opposite aspect of a win out right here, of getting the exemption for a pair years, getting within the Masters, stuff like that,” McCarty mentioned. “It’s laborious not to consider these issues.”
McCarty — who tied for 63rd final week in Mississippi — completed the suspended third Saturday morning with three pars for a 68 that left him two pictures behind chief Stephan Jaeger.
