On a heater: McCarty's 8 birdies in 12-hole span leaves Masters rookie in the mix entering weekend

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — When PGA Tour rookie Matt McCarty knocked his tee shot on the 180-yard, par-3 sixth hole at the Masters to within 8 feet to set up his first birdie and then sank a bending 28-foot putt for another on the par-4 seventh, his mother knew exactly what was coming next.

She could tell just by her son’s strut he was about to go on a heater.

“He tends to do that,” Deanna McCarty said. “He gets in kind of a rhythm, and you can just see it in his walk. You can see it in how he carries himself. He did it in college, and he did it on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he just gets hot. He just gets super focused and locked in.”

Five holes into the second round on Friday, the 27-year-old McCarty thought his first Masters appearance was going to be a short-lived one.

He was 3-over par for the day and 2 over for the tournament with the cut line looming.

And then the left-hander from Scottsdale, Arizona, settled down, and strung together eight birdies over the next 12 holes. It not only assured he’d be playing over the weekend, but also vaulted him near the top of the leaderboard at 5-under 139 for the tournament.

“Yeah, 100%, I was thinking about the cut,” said McCarty, who followed up a 71 on Thursday with a 68 despite a bogey on 18. “I didn’t really hit a good shot until 6. I think that was my first green of the day. I knew if I got back to the basics and kept it simple I’d be all right.

“I didn't get too rattled," he added.

McCarty had plenty of support to help keep him calm at Augusta National.

Nearly two dozen family members and friends came to watch him play, including his parents, two sisters and his girlfriend. They rented three Airbnbs in the Augusta area and have been celebrating his inaugural appearance at the Masters all week.

McCarty spent three seasons on the lower level Korn Ferry Tour, where he won player of the year in 2024 and earned his tour card following three wins. He secured a spot in the Masters when he won the Black Desert Championship — he shot 23-under 261 — in just his third career event on tour.

McCarty isn't the first newcomer to play well at the Masters.

Sweden's Ludvig Aberg finished second to Scottie Scheffler for the green jacket last year.

McCarty remembers his first visit to Augusta National when he was 11, but his biggest takeaway was the tasty Moon Pies and sweet tea after walking up a bunch of hills.

He played four practice rounds here last week to get reacquainted with the terrain and learn the speedy greens. He called it "my own little tournament," although the results weren't so great.

“I would have been a lot closer to making the cut than I am now after these first two days," McCarty joked.

Despite gaining some confidence from the practice rounds, McCarty admitted he was riddled with butterflies in his stomach when the tournament began.

But he quickly turned that into a positive.

“Yeah, 100%," McCarty said. “I think you’ve got to kind of just reframe that. I think I’ve learned over the last few years, reframe that nervousness into excitement. Who’s not excited to come out and play in the Masters? Who’s not nervous to come out and play in the Masters?”

If things go astray he can always lean on the support of his family, who've religiously followed him around the course cheering on every shot.

“Honestly, this is all still so surreal,” Deanna McCarty said. “But we're so proud of him.”

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