Matt McCarty is surging up the leaderboard at Augusta National on Friday at the Masters, leading to a simple question from many golf fans tuned into the action: Who is this guy?
After rattling off seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch, the Santa Clara University product found himself in contention alongside the likes of Justin Rose, Ludvig Åberg, and Bryson DeChambeau.
2025 Masters: The latest leaderboard updates and tee times here
The 27-year-old lefty from Scottsdale, Arizona hasn't been on the PGA Tour long. While he turned pro in 2021, he didn't reach the sport's top circuit until 2024 after a whirlwind run on the Korn Ferry Tour. As McCarty seeks to become the first Masters debutant to win a green jacket since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, here's a few quick facts to catch you up to speed on the surprise contender.
McCarty won the Black Desert Championship to earn a Masters invite
McCarty actually fulfilled two qualifications to earn a spot at the 2025 Masters, winning a PGA Tour event last October and placing among the top 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year.
At the Black Desert Championship, McCarty finished 23-under-par and three strokes ahead of runner-up Stephan Jäger.
He earned a PGA Tour card with a Three-Victory Promotion
Not only did McCarty complete the the vaunted Three-Victory Promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour last season, he became the first pro to do so in single year since 2016 (Wesley Bryan). It's the 13th Three-Victory Promotion since the policy was enacted in 1997 and the first since Mito Pereira in 2021.
McCarty got it done in his 23rd Korn Ferry start. He's since earned $1.86 million on the PGA Tour, making the cut nine times in 15 starts.
McCarty's wedge is stamped with 'Butter Fingers'
Usually you don't want to advertise the term Butter Fingers if you're a pro athlete. McCarty has to see it every time he chips. The phrase is stamped onto his 50 degree wedge as a bit of an inside joke with his caddie.
Per PGATour.com:
“I got ‘Butter Fingers’ stamped on my 50-degree,” McCarty explains. “I dropped my club on the ball, got a shot penalty in a Korn Ferry event in Sarasota this summer, so my caddie [Devrath Das] thought it’d be funny to put ‘Butter Fingers’ on it, so that’s where we’re at…we haven’t dropped it since, I guess that’s good mojo.”
As always: it's not weird if it works. And everything seems to be working for McCarty as he heads into the weekend.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Who is Matt McCarty? 3 things to know about The Masters debutant
