Dan McCarthy
Memories From the Day One of Syracuse’s Finest Took Down World #1 Scottie Scheffler
In his 13th year as a pro, LeMoyne Dolphins alum Dan McCarthy’s perseverance paid off at the 2019 Savannah Golf Championship.
Six years ago, Dan McCarthy entered the final hole of the Savannah Golf Championship on the verge of his first Korn Ferry Tour title. The journeyman held a one-stroke lead over current World #1, Scottie Scheffler, as the pair teed off on the 593-yard, par-5 18th.
“I hit a decent tee shot and had about 230 yards into the hole,” McCarthy recalled. “Considering the situation, I ended up laying it up. My mindset for the day was to take as much pressure off myself as I could.”
McCarthy laid up from the fairway, leaving himself a wedge approach into the green. Trailing by one, Scheffler lined up his second shot and flared his 4-iron high and right into the greenside bunker. Moments later, McCarthy hit a wedge to 12 feet and kept the pressure in Scheffler’s corner.
Scheffler’s bunker shot for eagle scared the hole, producing a near-miss reaction from hundreds in front of the Deer Creek clubhouse, and left him with a six-foot putt for birdie.
“He hit a ridiculous bunker shot that made my heart leap out of my chest,” McCarthy said. “I thought that was going in and then I thought I had to make mine for a tie.”
“He (Scottie) hit into a really tough spot,” McCarthy said. “I thought if I could wedge it close, I could really put pressure on him to have to hit a miracle shot. He hit a ridiculously good bunker shot from where most people would be dead and almost made it.”
With a chance to clinch his first win, McCarthy’s 12-foot birdie putt slid by the hole, leaving a short putt for par. As McCarthy could only wait and watch, Scheffler lined up his birdie putt to force a playoff. Scheffler’s attempt slid past the hole, and McCarthy’s 3-footer for par earned him a spot in the winner’s circle and his first Korn Ferry Tour title.
“I was almost crying after that putt went in,” said McCarthy, “Scottie came up and gave me a hug, I almost teared up.”
“I didn’t really know where I stood until I walked around the corner on 18. In Canada, a few years ago, I made a point not to look at leaderboards and just try to make as many birdies as I could, and see where I stood at the end, and that was my philosophy today. I didn’t make as many birdies, but it turned out to be enough. Scottie’s got a lot of game and he’s going to win out here, I’m sure of it. He’s a super nice kid. We had a really good time out there today even though we were battling back and forth. We were telling stories walking down the fairway and joking around together. He’s a great kid and definitely someone you want to be paired with on Sunday. He keeps it light and is a really good guy.”
“You don’t know that you can do it until you actually do it out here,” McCarthy said. “It’s been a slow start to the year. I’ve played pretty well but I just really couldn’t get the putter going. And finally this week it just all opened up. It means the world.”
“There was a tremendous amount of satisfaction that all the hard work was worth it,” he said. “It instilled me with a lot of beliefs. It was really gratifying to know I was capable of doing it.”
Scottie Scheffler chimed in “I really enjoyed myself, it was nice to be in contention out here it was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a good battle, (McCarthy) just hit the ball a lot better than I did today. I was kind of playing from behind all day, not really putting myself in good spots. I was able to have a chance at the end, which gives me some confidence going forward.”
The victory came in McCarthy’s 45th career Korn Ferry Tour start, but not without previous years of sacrifice. After turning professional in 2007, the Upstate New York native battled his way on mini-tours and competed in state opens in the Northeast for several years.
“I played anywhere and everywhere,” McCarthy said. “I played a lot on the Minor League Golf Tour down here in south Florida. I played a lot on the Hooters Tour (Swing Thought Tour) and I played state opens in New York and New Hampshire. I felt the more tournament golf I could play, the more experience I could get and the better off I would be.”
In 2010, the Le Moyne College product earned a spot in the U.S. Open Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
“It was a bit shell-shocking at that point,” McCarthy said of his experience at Pebble Beach. “I had gone from playing mini-tours to playing one of the premier golf tournaments in the world. I learned a lot from that week and thoroughly enjoyed it.”
In 2014, things started to turn in McCarthy’s favor. He joined the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada after competing his way through the Tour’s qualifying tournament.
During the 2016 season in Canada, everything finally clicked. In 11 starts, McCarthy won four times en route to earning Player of the Year honors. By winning the Order of Merit, he secured full 2017 Korn Ferry Tour status.
“That’s a year I’ll never forget,” he said. “I really learned a lot about myself going into that season. The months leading up to that season are when I really started to figure some things out that worked for me consistently.”
McCarthy is now in his ninth full Korn Ferry Tour season and in search of his first PGA TOUR card. After his win in 2019, it’s clear that the Savannah Golf Championship and the Savannah community will always have a special place in his heart, wherever the game of golf takes him.
“I really like the city of Savannah a lot,” McCarthy said. “It’s just a beautiful place and I felt very comfortable there. I don’t think any tournament surpasses that golf tournament as far as volunteer and military support go. It’s just a great golf tournament on a great golf course.”
Dan, who grew up in Syracuse, attended LeMoyne College, turns 40 this July, has now played in 163 Korn Ferry Tour events during his journeyman career and has amassed over $850k in career earnings, which includes the lone victory in Savannah, one second, one third and fourteen Top 10’s. He also fondly remembers capturing the 2005 Post-Standard Amateur (AIM Championship) crown when he was just 19 years old.
He has gotten off to a decent start in the 2025 season, by finishing 11th in the Panama Championship and currently resides in the number 58 position on the season long Korn Ferry Tour points list. The top 20 by seasons end earn their 2026 PGA Tour card.
He resides in his current home in Palm Beach Gardens, FL with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Madison Grace. He is proud to call Syracuse his original home and is lifelong fan of the Syracuse Orange.
