Winning even once on the PGA Tour is grueling enough. Now, imagine the pressure of defending your title. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler did it recently at the Memorial Tournament. However, other than him, that column remains painfully empty. That is, until Matt McCarty enters the scene. The pro, who began his PGA Tour journey only last year, is already on a hot streak, clawing at Scheffler’s record.

McCarty is looking to secure back-to-back victories at the Bank of Utah Championship, the event where he claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory last year. After the third round, Matt is just two shots behind the lead. He swept the greens with fiery birdies in the back-nine, 7 to be exact. With the event entering the final Sunday round, the thrill is only building, with McCarty set to join Scheffler.

As the record books reveal, only the World No. 1 could achieve such a feat with his Memorial Tournament victory in 2024 and 2025. Moreover, Scheffler’s repeat PLAYERS Championship victory marks another instance when the impossible materialized. But that does not defeat the rarity of the occurrence, with McCarty looking to be the first since.

The Bank of Utah Championship repeat victory is more than just another title for McCarty. While joining Scheffler in the prized record, it will also mark his second PGA Tour victory. What makes matters even more interesting is his first two wins coming at the same event in two consecutive years. Since KH Lee in the CJ Cup in 2021 and 2022, that record is also up for grabs for McCarty.

Whether McCarty actually secures this rare feat remains to be seen. However, his jaw-dropping performances in his last few starts don’t make it feel far from reality either. The PGA Tour pro broke 30 in nine holes in a matter of 13 days. First, it came at the back nine of the Baycurrent Classic in the final round. The Bank of Utah Championship claimed the two other instances, in front and back nine, respectively, reflecting his dominating performance at Black Desert Resort.

Matt McCarty’s dominating run at the BOU Championship

When McCarty returned as the defending champion on the fields, he wasn’t among the fan favorites to win. His first round didn’t do much to prove that sentiment wrong either. Posting only 4 birdies while faltering twice with bogeys, McCarty’s first-round score was a rather unimpressive 69. Ranked at 10th on the leaderboard, sure, he put together a strong performance, but not enough for the victory. That scenario changed drastically by Friday morning.

With back-to-back birdies, McCarty posted his first sub-30 round in the front nine, bogey-free 7-under 28. He drained six birdies in the first eight holes, taking a three-shot lead. His slowed momentum in the back nine put him back to the 2nd in the ranks, trailing right behind the young star, competing on sponsor’s exemption, Michael Brennan. Commenting on his recent sub-30s, McCarty explained it felt rather easy to achieve the feat.

“It feels really easy, honestly,” he shared. “Golf doesn’t feel that easy all the time. Yeah, just flowing and just kind of not really thinking about much. Just playing golf, and the ball just seemed to find the bottom of the hole a little bit easier.”

McCarty continued this momentum well into his third round. Posting 7 birdies in his back nine, he posted another sub-30. Turns out, he wasn’t really lying when he said such lows came easily for him. Moreover, the PGA Tour recorded his tournament-best score on Saturday, with a 7-under 64.

“I think kind of fed off that energy I had on that nine yesterday,” McCarty admitted. “If we can figure out the front nine, I think we’ll be fine for tomorrow.”

With the repeat victory in line, the stakes cannot be higher for McCarty. He is poised and calm, not letting the weight of the moment sabotage his performance.

“It’ll help a lot knowing I’ve been able to do it out here before,” he said. “It’ll be great. Yeah, just looking forward to it. That was the goal: Just give myself a chance again. Happy to be in a good spot and hopefully we can get it done again.”

Basking in the highs from the tournament, Matt McCarty is just in form to defend his title. If he succeeds tomorrow, it will not just be a career milestone for him, but also a historic moment for golf.