McCarty’s Rollercoaster Start Ignites Cadillac Championship Charge at Doral

By Zoey

Matt McCarty delivered one of the most erratic and captivating starts of the week during his third round at the Cadillac Championship, surging into contention with a front-nine performance that defied conventional rhythm and underscored the unpredictable nature of elite tournament golf.

Beginning his round at Trump National Doral on Saturday, McCarty wasted no time making an impact. He opened with a nine-foot eagle putt on the par-5 first hole, immediately setting an aggressive tone. What followed was a sequence of holes that featured everything but stability, as he navigated the course with a volatile mix of birdies and bogeys that kept spectators and competitors alike guessing.

At the second hole, McCarty’s momentum briefly faltered when he missed a 15-foot putt to save par, resulting in a bogey. He quickly rebounded at the third, converting a short three-foot birdie opportunity. However, the inconsistency persisted. A missed 12-foot par putt at the fourth led to another dropped shot before he responded with a moment of precision at the fifth, where an 86-yard chip rolled to within inches of the cup, leaving a near tap-in birdie.

The sixth and seventh holes brought further gains, as McCarty capitalized on birdie chances from six and four feet respectively. By the time he reached the par-5 eighth, he had compiled an unusual scorecard: an eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys across his first seven holes. There, he narrowly missed a 12-foot birdie attempt and settled for a tap-in par — notably his first par of the day.

The sequence was even more remarkable when viewed in a broader context. Dating back to the closing stages of his second round on Friday, McCarty had played nine consecutive holes without recording a par, having finished that round with back-to-back bogeys. Such streaks are rare in professional golf, where consistency is often the hallmark of success.

Despite the eye-catching run, McCarty’s start still fell short of the longest stretch of non-par holes recorded since the PGA Tour began tracking detailed statistics in 2004. That mark belongs to Sweden’s Per-Ulrik Johansson, who opened the 2004 Valero Texas Open with 12 consecutive holes without a par, a sequence that included birdies, bogeys, and even a triple-bogey in a similarly chaotic display.

McCarty entered the third round in 12th place, trailing tournament leader Cameron Young by eight shots. However, his explosive start quickly reshaped the leaderboard, briefly lifting him into a tie for second and placing him firmly within striking distance as the round progressed.

While the sustainability of such a high-risk, high-reward approach remains uncertain, McCarty’s performance provided a compelling reminder that momentum in golf can emerge in unpredictable bursts. At Doral, where precision is often tested by punishing layouts and shifting conditions, his ability to generate scoring opportunities — even amid inconsistency — has positioned him as a player to watch heading into the final stages of the championship.