The Masters: Ex-Santa Clara star McCarty’s birdie binge leaves rookie just 3 shots behind

By STEVE REED AUGUSTA Ga AP When former Santa Clara University star Matt McCarty knocked his tee shot on the -yard par- sixth hole at the Masters to within feet to set up his first birdie and then sank a bending -foot putt for another on the par- 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 explained 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 McCarty was so locked in that he wound up shooting a to sit in a fifth-place tie just three shots behind leader Justin Rose Rose did just enough keep the lead only he suddenly has a lot of company going into the weekend at Augusta National Bryson DeChambeau became the only athlete with consecutive sub- rounds and got within one shot putting him in the final group Right behind was Rory McIlroy who tried to erase from his memory that sloppy finish in the first round and roared into contention to put the career Grand Slam back into view Scottie Scheffler started his title defense with straight holes without a bogey He then made five bogeys over the last holes to slow his progress He still was only three shots behind Things certainly didn t look so promising for McCarty at the beginning on Friday Five holes into the second round the -year-old tour rookie McCarty thought his first Masters appearance was going to be a short-lived one He was -over par for the day and 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 holes It not only assured he d be playing over the weekend but also vaulted him near the top of the leaderboard at -under for the tournament Yeah I was thinking about the cut disclosed McCarty who followed up a on Thursday with a despite a bogey on I didn t really hit a good shot until 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 aid 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 and earned his tour card following three wins He secured a spot in the Masters when he won the Black Desert Championship he shot -under 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 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 chosen confidence from the practice rounds McCarty admitted he was riddled with butterflies in his stomach when the tournament began But he expeditiously turned that into a positive Yeah McCarty revealed I think you ve got to kind of just reframe that I think I ve learned over the last insufficient 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 perpetually lean on the backing of his family who ve religiously followed him around the unit cheering on every shot Honestly this is all still so surreal Deanna McCarty commented But we re so proud of him Related Articles Slumping Max Homa from Cal arrives at Masters having changed everything except his results A golfer won million in a California tournament Here s why he couldn t cash the check Stanford s Megha Ganne sets record with a to lead Augusta Women s Amateur How golf helped recharged and rejuvenated Steph Curry prepare for Warriors stretch run PGA Tour-level golf lesson opens in the East Bay Rose has certainly taken notice of those on his heels The leaderboard is stacking up very favorably for what looks like world-class players right up there Rose noted after his -under which featured birdies on the par s on the front nine and on the par s on the back nine So you re going to have to play great golf and you re going to have to go out there and want it and go for it and get after it he reported It s as simple as that really Rose took a three-shot lead into the second round and had the advantage of playing early before the wind became strong enough to make flags snap and create just enough indecision He hit a -iron over Rae s Creek to feet for birdie on the par- th and he stuffed his tee shot on the par- th for another birdie That allowed him to atone for a inadequate mistakes He was at -under the third time he has had the -hole lead at the Masters The buzz came from behind him DeChambeau picked up an unlikely birdie by holing a bunker shot on the par- fourth hole on his way to a on the front nine that kept him on Rose s heels the rest of the way He wound up with a for his best start ever in the Masters This is what golf is about DeChambeau noted Got a lot of great names up there and looking forward to an unbelievable test of golf AP golf https apnews com hub golf