AUGUSTA, Ga. — Matt McCarty started Friday with a double-bogey on No. 1. He followed it up by bogeying the par-5 2nd.
Then, he caught fire.
The first-time Masters competitor bettered par by seven shots over his final 16 holes and will enter the weekend at 5-under.
“I didn’t get too rattled,” the 27-year-old said of his early miscues. “Just stayed focused and didn’t think about what happened earlier.”
Following the opening holes, McCarty had elevated to 2-over for the tournament and admitted that his mindset shifted to one goal: make the cut.
Then, starting on No. 6, he reeled off four-consecutive birdies to finish the first nine.
“I didn’t hit a good shot until six,” McCarty said.
It’s McCarty’s Masters debut, but not his first time at Augusta National.
In 2009, as an 11-year-old, he attended the tournament with his father, Scott.
“I remember it being hilly,” Matt said. “And good sweet tea and moon pies.”
McCarty went 16 years without returning, until a four-day Masters tune-up Before the Players Championship. He created “a mock tournament with myself,” to help prepare, McCarty said.
“The first day we were out here, it was kind of like this morning,” he said. “Really soft and windy. It was good prep.”
Following Friday’s round, McCarty was asked whether he had made travel plans prior to Masters week. You know? In case his Friday heater hadn't occurred.
“I probably would have hung out for a couple days,” he said. “But it’s way better to do it this way.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2025: Matt McCarty catches fire, in contention on weekend
