Matt McCarty could have hardly wished for a better start to his career as a PGA Tour member with his victory at the Black Desert Championship in October.
Matt McCarty was promoted to the PGA Tour during the 2024 season after winning three times on the Korn Ferry Tour during the year. And he celebrated with that victory in Utah to ensure that he will now be exempt throughout 2026.
The 26-year-old is now just outside the top 50 in the world rankings and ended up finishing 114th in the FedEx Cup standings. So he is going to get the chance to play in a number of majors next year. So far, his only appearance in a major came at the 2022 US Open where he missed the cut.
McCarty is obviously yet to get the chance to tee it up with many of the biggest names on the PGA Tour. He was in the same group as Ludvig Aberg for the first two rounds of The RSM Classic, but most of the superstars have rarely been seen over the fall.
Matt McCarty names three players he’s excited to be paired with in 2025
With that, McCarty was asked on Fried Egg Golf which players he is most excited to be potentially paired with in 2025 – and he went on to mention Bryson DeChambeau.
“I think [Jordan] Spieth. I’ve grown up watching him and just to watch the show up close like that,” he said.
“I haven’t met Max [Homa], that would be cool to play with him. I think it would be fun to talk with him about everything, and his personality seems great. I know you know him really well too, so that would be cool.
“And then honestly, I would say Bryson. Playing with Bryson just to watch that too. Me and [his caddie Devrath] Das were watching Pinehurst all week. It was fun to watch him and how he was dealing with the crowd and making it fun, and obviously still doing that while playing at such a high level, and how he leans into that.”
What DeChambeau comments confirm about the game’s desire to end golf’s civil war
McCarty’s comments highlight what appears to be a growing desire for the game to come back together to ensure that the biggest names face off against each other much more often.
You can certainly criticise the amount of depth within LIV Golf. There are probably a number of names the majority of the PGA Tour are not fussed about seeing return. But some of the star players who jumped to LIV would definitely add to the PGA Tour if they returned.
And perhaps no player has made a greater mark on the golfing landscape since joining LIV than DeChambeau.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
