Denny McCarthy is one of best at putting on tour but wants it to be known he's 'no slouch around the course' | D'Angelo
DUBLIN, Ohio — When two of the best players in the world single you out when asked to name the best putters in the game, pressure is on not to disappoint.
And Jupiter's Denny McCarthy lived up to that reputation, and more, during his round of 69 Friday at the Memorial Tournament, putting him one shot out of the lead.
On the 184-yard fourth hole, his 7-iron came to rest in the fairway, about 41 feet short of the hole. He never debated what to do next.
"The fairways are so tight in front of the green, I was always going to pull putter there," McCarthy said. "They roll so smooth. It's almost like a slower green."
McCarthy then rolled it into the cup for one of his five birdies on the course Jack Nicklaus built. He added another birdie on No. 7 (he started on No. 10) to come in at 3-under. He enters the weekend 7-under for the tournament, tied for second, one shot behind Aussie Cameron Smith (69).
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To those who have watched McCarthy treat greens like he was playing putt-putt at the Medalist in Hobe Sound (his home course) or on the PGA Tour, it comes as no surprise.
"Denny McCarthy probably the best putter out here the last few years," said Jupiter's Patrick Cantlay, the defending Memorial champion.
"I think we all know who are the consistently good putters out here .. someone like Denny McCarthy," said Jupiter's Rory McIlroy, who is also among the leaders entering the weekend.
McCarthy was not tested that many times Friday. He birdied Nos. 14 and 17 with 8- and 14-footers, and saved par on No. 5 from 10 feet. Otherwise, most of McCarthy's putts were your garden variety rolls, you know, the ones he can make with his eyes closed and the ones that turn bogeys into doubles for you and me. He is No. 1 in the field in strokes gained putting at the midway point of the tournament.
That putter is why McCarthy has risen more than 100 spots in the world rankings in the past eight months to No. 145, and is on track for his best year on the PGA Tour, already equaling his career-best of eight top 25s. In his sixth year as a professional, McCarthy is looking for his first PGA Tour win.
And that putter likely will determine how far McCarthy can rise in this sport, although he wanted it on the record there is more to his game.
"I'm no slouch around the course," said the 29-year-old who moved to South Florida seven years ago. "Putting is not the only thing I do well. Everyone brings up my putter. Yeah, that is a strong part of my game. I'm very comfortable with it. But Collin Morikawa is one of the best iron players. Rory is the best driver. Everyone has a piece of their game they're most comfortable with."
Aaron Wise, a fellow Medalist member and frequent practice partner, says putting is not the only contest you do not want to get into with McCarthy. He says McCarthy possesses all the qualities that make for a world-class putter — touch, speed control, reading greens — and says all of that translates to other activities.
"If you play cornhole or darts or anything that takes hand-eye coordination, he's really, really good at it," said Wise, who sits two shots behind McCarthy at 5-under. "One of the best."
McCarthy added basketball and pingpong to that list. "Just feel hand-eye," he said.
Even the bad putts go in
There was one putt that could have put as much of a damper on McCarthy's round as the soon-to-be-named Alex is putting on South Florida this weekend.
McCarthy was looking at a routine 4-footer for par on No. 8 after his tee shot found the bunker. As he was ready to strike the ball, cottonwood fluff — floating white tree particles — came down by his ball. He was distracted and the putt caught the lip and rolled around the hole about one and half times before dropping.
"My heart did sink," McCarthy said. "I used the whole hole there."
If cottonwood fluff could not stop McCarthy, nothing could. And the forecast could mean it's only going to get better for McCarthy, who likes fast greens, the kind he practices on at Medalist. After a soggy start to the tournament, Friday was the first of three days of sunny, warm and dry weather at Muirfield Village.
That means firm, fast greens for the weekend.
"These greens are so good," McCarthy said. "I really like fast greens. I like greens that break a lot. I think that is an advantage for me over most guys out here."
Tom D'Angelo is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Florida Network. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Denny McCarthy putting has him on leaderboard at Memorial Tournament
