“My grandma’s a witch. If I forget to send her flowers, weird things happen.”
Maverick McNealy has had a standing deal with his Grandma Marm ever since he turned professional: every time he earns $50,000 at a tournament, he has to send her flowers.
“She doesn’t seem to mind that that happens a lot more with PGA Tour purses than on the Korn Ferry Tour. It’s kind of her bragging rights around the retirement home,” McNealy said on Sunday. “Then top-10s she gets chocolates as well.”
What does Grandma get for her grandson’s first PGA Tour victory after winning $1,365,000 as the champion of the RSM Classic, which he claimed on Sunday with a 5-foot birdie at the 72nd hole for a one-stroke victory?
“I think she would like this on her mantlepiece, to be honest,” McNealy said, referring to the silver trophy awarded to the RSM champion at the season finale to the 2024 season. “Yeah, I don’t know, she loves us and we love her. There’s nobody that watches my shots more closely than she does.”
Amazing. The accomplishments of all four of my boys so dwarf anything I have ever done. Love them and their mom so much. Oh, and my 97 year old mom who couldn’t watch. Too stressful. pic.twitter.com/7uvOGSWUof
McNealy’s grandmother on his father’s side of the family is 97 and Maverick calls her his biggest fan.
“I know that her watching my golf in a lot of ways keeps her going, gives her something to look forward to to the point where she won’t let people talk to her when she’s watching me play. It’s pretty special,” he said.
On Sunday, Grandma Marm was so nervous for her grandson that she couldn’t watch. Maverick hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet after his maiden victory but suffice it to say he’ll be ordering flowers, chocolates and then some as soon as possible.
“My grandma’s a witch,” he said. “If I forget to send her flowers, weird things happen. Food poisoning, clubs snap, balls crack, it’s the weirdest stuff ever, so I’ve got to stay on that. I should probably get her something a little extra special for winning.”
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Maverick McNealy guessed that in his mind he had made a putt to win a PGA Tour over a thousand times. On Sunday, the 29-year-old stuffed a 6-iron from 183 yards on the par-4 18th hole at Sea Island’s Seaside Course to set up a 5-foot, 5-inch putt for his first victory at the 2024 RSM Classic.
“It felt like déjà vu and it came off perfectly,” he said.
His younger brother, Scout, screamed in jubilation after the winning putt dropped: “We’re going to Maui, baby!”
That would be the site of the 2025 Sentry, the first tournament of the new season in January that is a reward for winners. Maverick replied, “Yeah, we’re going to Augusta, too.”
Indeed, McNealy’s maiden victory comes with an invitation the Masters in April, too. McNealy had numerous birdie opportunities down the stretch during the final round, but he made the one that counted the most.
The birdie propelled McNealy to a final-round 2-under 68 and a 72-hole aggregate of 16-under 266, topping Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria and amateur Luke Clanton by a shot. Berger was in the final group with McNealy and missed a 21-foot birdie attempt, but he moved inside the FedEx Cup top 125 with his runner-up finish at the RSM. (Joel Dahmen closed with a bogey-free 64 to finish No. 124 and Sam Ryder, who missed the 36-hole cut, hung on to No. 125 and the final fully-exempt card for 2025.)
Both Echavarria and Clanton missed par putts on the final hole to drop to 15 under, waiting to see what the final two groups did down the stretch.
McNealy was the first to reach 16 under in the final round but he made a bogey at 14 and his trusty putter started to let him down. “I was definitely leaking oil, that’s for sure,” he said.
Maverick McNealy and his caddie Scout McNealy pose with the trophy after winning The RSM Classic 2024 at Sea Island Resort in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
He credited his brother, who began caddying for him in August, with breaking the tension on the 17th green, making a joke that had him doubled over in laughter.
“Busting a gut, I didn’t think that was possible in that situation,” McNealy said.
Asked to share the joke, McNealy thought better of it.
“There’s two kinds of jokes,” he said, “there’s jokes that you can share and there’s funny ones, so I’m sorry.”
Added Scout: “I just try to keep him smiling and laughing, and when he’s playing like he is, it’s easy.”
Tied for the lead at the 18th hole, which played as the statistically most difficult hole of the day, he said he told himself, “Let’s hit two great golf shots and I can have the best off-season of my life.”
After a perfect drive, McNealy weighed his options, choosing a 6-iron, and listened to his brother’s advice. “He told me compress it, just smash down, take a divot. Scout’s coaching has been pretty simple lately, he says swing left and take a divot. So I just swung left, took a divot, all came out right online dead center of the clubface and it couldn’t have been a better time for it.”
Growing up, McNealy’s sport was ice hockey and he was a little-known recruit to just about everyone but Stanford’s golf coach Conrad Ray, behind top-ranked junior Jim Liu and Australia’s No. 1 player Viraat Badwhar.
McNealy always joked that Stanford had recruited No. 1 in America. No. 1 in Australia. No. 1 in Portola Valley (Calif). But he blossomed into the Haskins Award winners as the top male collegian, winning 11 times, and was the No. 1-ranked amateur when he turned pro out of Stanford. He made steady progress from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour but couldn’t get over the hump for a win.
“I knew all the pieces were there, they just hadn’t fit together,” he said, noting that he was waiting to wait 10-15 years to taste victory if that’s what it took.
McNealy was sidelined for nearly five months last year after tearing the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder during the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
“I never lost faith that I would be back better than ever,” he said.
He changed his golf swing mechanics to make sure he doesn’t put as much stress on the joint in his shoulder. This season, he satisfied his major medical exemption at the Farmers Insurance Open in Feburary.
McNealy admitted that the RSM Classic hasn’t been a good fit for his game in the past but his wife, Maya, convinced him to play this week because she enjoys staying at The Lodge, the hotel at the Sea Island Resort.
“I think she loves that cookie and milk service at 7:00 p.m. She’s like, ‘We’re playing Sea Island.’ I’m like, ‘OK, we’re playing Sea Island,’ ” he said.
McNealy opened with an 8-under 62 at the Seaside Course to take the lead, calling his play an A+ on Thursday.
“It was as good as it has ever been,” McNealy said. “it kind of affirmed all the work that our team’s been putting in and the changes we made this year.”
Then the task at hand became more difficult and he hung on through the worst of the windy weather on Friday to shoot 2-under 70 at the Plantation Course. A 66 on Saturday gave him a share of the 54-hole lead.
Clanton, a junior at Florida State University, nearly became the second amateur to win on the Tour this season. The T-2 gives him another point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, moving him to 17. That’s three points from earning a PGA Tour card.
“It’s going to be a tough one to definitely take, for sure, after bogeying the last, but I think it’s proven to me that out here I can win, so I’ll be training for that,” he said.
Instead, it was McNealy, who finally proved he had what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.
“The cool thing about professional golf is that you have the chance to change your life any given week and it doesn’t matter what happens the week before, two weeks before,” McNealy said. “Rafa Campos (last week’s winner in Bermuda) is an amazing example of that. It takes all year to have a bad year and it takes one week to have a great year.”
Catch up on the action from St. Simons Island here.
Since missing the cut in his first two starts of the FedEx Cup Fall, Maverick McNealy has played high-level golf. He finished T-16 at the Shriners, T-6 at the World Wide Technology and T-17 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Now, he’s 18 holes away from claiming his first PGA Tour win at The RSM Classic.
McNealy signed for a 4-under 66 on Saturday, good enough to earn him a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Vince Whaley — we’ll get to him in a minute.
The former Stanford star made two bogeys on his front nine, but cancelled them out and then some with three birdies to make the turn at 1 under. Over his final nine holes, McNealy poured in three birdies, including this beauty on the par-3 17th.
Maverick McNealy ties the lead with an excellent birdie putt on 17. 💪
McNealy has long been one of the best putters in the world, so to see him at fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through three rounds isn’t unexpected. But the putter isn’t the only thing clicking for McNealy this week. The 29-year-old is ranked 21st in SG: Off the Tee, fourth in SG: Approach and 22nd in SG: Around the Green.
The 67th-ranked player in the world has finished runner-up twice in his career. We’ll see if he can finally get it over the finish line on Sunday.
If you missed any of Saturday’s action, no worries, we have you covered. Here are some notes from Day 3 at Sea Island Golf Club.
Notes from third round of RSM Classic
Vince Whaley tied for the lead
Vince Whaley plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of The RSM Classic 2024 on the Seaside course at Sea Island Resort. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Whaley grabbed a share of fifth at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and at last year’s RSM, he tied for 13th. So taking into account form and tournament history, it’s not a big surprise to see Whaley at the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to play.
He shot 67-68 over the first two days, but turned it to another level on Saturday with a 7-under 63.
The 29-year-old from Kentucky made four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back, while keeping squares off the card. In fact, he’s only made three bogeys through 54 holes.
“Yeah, it feels awesome,” Whaley said when asked how it feels to be tied for the lead. “I’ve obviously played some good golf to this point, so just excited for the opportunity.”
A birdie at the last and a bogey-free round gives Vince Whaley a share of the lead @TheRSMClassic 🐦
Daniel Berger of the United States acknowledges the crowd on the 12th green during the third round of The RSM Classic 2024 on the Seaside course at Sea Island Resort on November 23, 2024 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Berger, once ranked 12th in the world, is still making his way back from an injury that kept him sidelined for 19 months. He’s seen some mixed results this year — 16 made cuts in 24 previous starts — but thanks to a third-round 7-under 63, he’s in position to win for the first time since 2021 — AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am — and fifth time overall.
Berger made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on his front nine to make the turn with a 4-under 31. On his way home, the 31-year-old sandwiched a bogey on 14 with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, and 15 before adding another on 18 to close out his day.
“I hit it in the fairway, I hit it on the green and I made a lot of putts today, so that’s a recipe for a good score,” Berger said.
He entered the week No. 127 in the FedEx Cup, so a solid final round should move him safely inside the top 125.
But a win would take care of that and whole lot more.
Top 10 and odds to win
Position
Player
Score
Odds to win
T-1
Vince Whaley
14 under
(+360)
T-1
Maverick McNealy
14 under
(+240)
T-3
Daniel Berger
12 under
(+850)
T-3
Mackenzie Hughes
12 under
(+650)
T-3
Michael Thorbjornsen
12 under
(+750)
T-3
Patrick Fishburn
12 under
(+900)
T-7
Luke Clanton
11 under
(+900)
T-7
Lee Hodges
11 under
(+2500)
T-9
Nico Echavarria
10 under
(+4500)
T-9
Michael Kim
10 under
(+4500)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]
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“I didn’t think the points were equitable and a bunch of guys felt the same way.”
LOS CABOS, Mexico – Maverick McNealy has a beautiful mind.
A few months ago, he was perplexed at what appeared to him to be an inequity in the FedEx Cup points given for majors, signature events, regular events and opposite field events. It was a topic that caused plenty of heartburn among players – particularly the rank and file trying to keep their card – and best exemplified by Lanto Griffin who told Golfweek last fall, “Give them all the money they want but when you start giving them the points, I’ve got a problem with that. Do you know what fifth in an elevated event next year makes in FedEx Cup points? 300. It’s 110 for a normal event. So I go play Torrey Pines with 156 players and a cut and Rory goes to L.A. the next week in a 78 players, no-cut field, and he gets nearly three times the points for the same finish. How is one going to compete with that?”
Griffin knew intuitively that something was out of whack; McNealy went a step further and did the math.
“It was a personal exploration,” McNealy called it. “I didn’t think the points were equitable and a bunch of guys felt the same way.”
Maverick McNealy of prepares to pl his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
What he found confirmed his beliefs and he eventually shared his findings with the PGA Tour and the Player Advisory Council, who proposed an adjustment to the FedEx Cup points distribution table that, if approved at the Tour’s upcoming board meeting on Nov. 18, would take effect in 2025.
“He’s a genius, dude,” said Camilo Villegas, the chairman of the PAC this year. “He dug into the numbers and came up with what he thinks is a lot more fair way. We studied the whole situation, and it is fairer, so I give him credit for that.”
McNealy, a 29-year-old Stanford graduate, said it was looking at the results of Canadian pro Corey Conners that initially sent him down this rabbit hole.
“In back-to-back weeks, he finished sixth at the RBC Canadian Open and had a two-way T-20 at the Memorial. So he earned 100 points at Canadian and he got 97.5 at the Memorial. I was like, ‘Hold on a sec. That doesn’t seem right,’” McNealy said.
McNealy sought to use as an objective mathematical measurement to determine if the points was equitable and settled on using Data Golf’s True Strokes Gained, which he described as an apples-to-apples comparison across any tournament and any tour while accounting for how much a player beats the field average, how strong the field is and the size of the field.
“So Corey’s true strokes gained according to Data Golf was plus 2.78 at the RBC Canadian, and plus 1.78 at the Memorial. So he was a full shot better and earned the same number of points in the regular event versus the signature,” McNealy explained.
He crunched the numbers for each tournament and this is what he discovered: “Basically, the guys in the majors played better to earn 300 points than the guys did, but otherwise it’s pretty equitable. The guys who finished with 100 points in the signature events played worse than the guys who earned 100 points in the regular, opposite and major fields. So basically it told me that from 100 to 60-ish (points), the signature events were getting way too many points.
“If you play the same quality of golf, no matter what tournament you’re playing, you should get the same number of points. The purse should be different because obviously, you know, Signature events, you’re rewarding guys who have really good years, but I think just because you finished top 50 doesn’t mean you should earn more points the following year than the guy who played just as well.”
McNealy shared his research with his caddie at the time, his swing coach, his stats guru, his agent and one or two other people. It didn’t take long for it to go viral on the Tour.
“I was shocked,” McNealy said. “It felt like a month, month and a half later most people on Tour had seen it. I sensed an overwhelming frustration with ‘I feel like I’m playing better, but I’m not getting as much points as that guy in that tournament.’ And so I think everyone’s kind of thinking this and wanting an answer. And guy’s were like, ‘Hey, look, I was right.’”
That included Griffin, who said of McNealy, “he’s a lot smarter than us. He proved what we already knew but did it in a way with numbers that the Tour had no choice but to make a change. It was awesome.”
McNealy previously had turned down the chance to be on the PAC, but with the encouragement of his wife, he joined the 16-man committee in July, filling the seat formerly held by Grayson Murray.
“I started to see all the things that were changing. It felt like things were getting away from us, moving a little too fast. She said, ‘You should get in there and say your peace,’” McNealy said.
He presented his mathematical formula to massage the FedEx Points table and the Tour essentially adopted it.
“The Tour was incredibly responsive. They worked through the data, ran simulations, did their own research and came to the same conclusion,” he said. “They just smoothed out the curve; I’m totally on board with what they’re doing. I think it’s correct.”
Among several controversial changes that have been proposed for the Board to vote on at its upcoming meeting, McNealy’s points change might garner the most support of the Tour membership. The proposal calls for a slight increase to second-place points for majors and the Players and a slight decrease to points in positions 11 and beyond and a slight decrease to signature event points in positions seven and beyond.
“For the first time ever, guys will be teeing off on Jan. 1 with the same opportunity,” McNealy said if the change is approved. “It should be a lot better.”
We’re 18 holes away from crowning a winner of the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, and the top of the leaderboard is as congested as Los Angeles traffic.
Justin Lower, Nico Echavarria and Carson Young are tied for the lead at 16 under, but there are three players tied for fourth at 15 under and two more at 14 under. A large group is primed to pounce if the leaders hit a few speed bumps during their rounds Sunday.
Echavarria, a 30-year-old from Colombia, won the Zozo Championship in Japan two weeks ago, his second PGA Tour win in as many seasons (2023 Puerto Rico Open). Now he’s just one round away from winning in back-to-back starts and a career-changing year.
Some of the names hoping to make a charge over the last dozen-and-a-half holes are Austin Eckroat (15 under), Max Greyserman (15 under) and Maverick McNealy (14 under).
If you missed any of the action Saturday, no worries we have you covered. Here are a few things to know from the third round of the World Wide Technology Championship.
Nico Echavarria of Colombia walks from the fourth tee during the third round of the World Wide Technology Championship 2024 at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
It’s tough to travel across the world and play consistent golf, but don’t tell Echavarria that. Two weeks ago he was in Japan hoisting hardware at the Zozo. Now, he’s more than 6,300 miles away, once again in position to earn a trophy.
He started with a birdie at the par-5 first on Saturday and added one more before making the turn with a 2-under 34. On his way home, Echavarria birdied Nos. 10 and 12, and made six straight pars to close his day.
“There’s going to be nerves (on Sunday), it’s normal,” he told the media after signing his card. “I’ve been in this position luckily, I’ve gotten it done. It’s just a matter of being calm, controlling the nerves because there are going to be nerves. Hopefully there’s wind because I like playing in wind. I think I can manage the wind pretty well out here. So we’ll see. I won’t change my strategy, but maybe good golf will be enough.”
The last player to win back-to-back starts on Tour was Rory McIlroy earlier this year at the Zurich Classic and Truist Championship (formally known as the Wells Fargo).
Justin Lower looks for No. 1
Justin Lower plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the World Wide Technology Championship 2024 at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Lower is a name you’re probably not used to seeing on the leaderboard as he’s still looking for his first Tour win. He’s been in the mix a decent amount this year with six top-25 finishes and three top-10s. But through three rounds south of the border, he’s in position to finally put a tally in the win column.
The 35-year-old opened the WWTC with a ho-hum 2-under 70, but has reached another level with his game posting rounds of 67-63 over the last two days. He hit every fairway in regulation and missed just one green on Saturday, paving the way for his bogey-free 9-under gem.
“Everything,” Lower said when asked what a win would mean to him. “I don’t know. Yeah, I mean, there’s 18 holes tomorrow on a very scoreable golf course. I think the wind’s going to stay down again, so I have to go out and basically shoot probably somewhere between 5 and 9 under again. I mean, it’s just the way the scores are out here. If the wind’s down, scores are going to be low.
“Yeah, a win would mean everything. I still have a job to do.”
Is it Mav’s time?
Maverick McNealy plays his shot from the sixth tee during the third round of the World Wide Technology Championship 2024 at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Maverick McNealy has the game to be a four-, five-time winner on Tour, he’s just gotta get his first. McNealy, who withdrew from the Zozo Championship before the second round due to illness in his last start, has flirted with victory several times this year, including a T-3 finish at the 3M Open. However, he’s yet to get it over the finish line.
He’ll have a chance on Sunday thanks to rounds of 66-67 after opening the tournament with a 3-under 69 on Thursday.
The 28-year-old made the turn with a 1-under 35 on Day 3, and went on to add three birdies and a bogey on the back before finishing his third round with an eagle on the par-5 closer.
Maverick McNealy reads the break on 18 perfectly for EAGLE and a round of 66! 🔥🦅
He’ll enter the final round two shots back of the lead.
Checking in with some familiar names
Daniel Berger of the United States plays a second shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the World Wide Technology Championship 2024 at El Cardonal at Diamante on November 08, 2024 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Daniel Berger, 12 under (T-9)
Wesley Bryan, 12 under (T-9)
Joel Dahmen, 11 under (T-14)
Matt Kuchar, 11 under (T-14)
Harris English, 9 under (T-30)
Harry Higgs, 7 under (T-38)
Top 10 and odds to win
Position
Player
Score
Odds to win
T-1
Justin Lower
16 under
(+500)
T-1
Nico Echavarria
16 under
(+450)
T-1
Carson Young
16 under
(+550)
T-4
Joe Highsmith
15 under
(+850)
T-4
Austin Eckroat
15 under
(+700)
T-4
Max Greyserman
15 under
(+450)
T-7
Ben Griffin
14 under
(+1200)
T-7
Maverick McNealy
14 under
(+1100)
T-9
David Lipsky
12 under
(+15000)
T-9
Daniel Berger
12 under
(+7500)
T-9
Wesley Bryan
12 under
(+11000)
T-9
Ryan McCormick
12 under
(+17000)
T-9
Tom Hoge
12 under
(+6500)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
The first time Kim won the Shriners, he was too young to order an adult drink.
Tom Kim isn’t sure how he will celebrate another victory in Las Vegas but he’d like to become the first player on the PGA Tour to win the same tournament three straight times since 2011. The first time Kim won the Shriners Children’s Open, he was too young to order an adult drink. Last year, when he repeated as champion, Kim had reached the legal age but instead kicked back with a piece of white chocolate that he had saved from the night before for such a special occasion.
“Definitely tasted very, very sweet,” he said of the celebratory treat during his pre-tournament press conference at TPC Summerlin on Tuesday. “I don’t have a piece of chocolate with me this week, but we’ll find something else.”
With his win at the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open, Kim, 22, became the youngest three-time winner on Tour since Tiger Woods. Maverick McNealy, 28, is making his 128th career Tour start this week and wouldn’t mind celebrating his first victory not far from where he calls home. He can be found bright and early at TPC Summerlin nearly every day when he isn’t traveling to compete on the Tour.
“Every time you tee it up here, you’re kind of thinking about the tournament and looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s definitely one of my favorite weeks of the year.”
Given Kim’s success and McNealy’s knowledge of his home track, they likely would be playing this week no matter the circumstances, but they find themselves playing a few more events in the FedEx Fall after narrowly missing out on the top 50 in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which earned those on the right side of the cutoff starts in all eight of next season’s signature events.
In the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis in August, Kim finished bogey, double bogey, double bogey at TPC Southwind and after starting the week at No. 43 in the FedEx Cup, he tumbled to No. 51.
“The difference between being 50 and 51st is a big difference,” Kim explained. “Good golf you’re able to take three, four months off and not worry about anything. Bad golf you got to pick your butt up once the playoff starts and try to play well in the fall.”
Tom Kim and caddie Joe Skovron on the 13th fairway during the final round of the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Kim, who played nine weeks in a row in a bid to make Korea’s Olympic team and improve his standing in the FedEx Cup, has played only once – at the Presidents Cup – since his crash-and-burn in Memphis. He’s had a chance to decompress and even go home to Korea for four days after the playoffs.
“I’m seeing life again outside of golf which is really cool,” he said.
He’s preparing for a stretch that includes playing in Korea for the first time since he joined the Tour nearly three years ago.
“That’s going to be really cool,” Kim said.
McNealy is stoked for his home game. He said every room is full in his home with members of his team. He fell a stroke short of making the BMW Championship but left it all out there in the final round, holing a bunker shot at 16 for birdie and posting 64 to finish T-12.
“There’s something about having your back against the wall that lets you do things that you can’t normally do under normal circumstances. It narrows your focus. It heightens your awareness. It does some pretty fun stuff, and it’s a feeling that you really chase as a professional athlete,” McNealy said. “Thought I needed 7-under and ended up shooting 6, and because of that I’ll probably play a couple more tournaments this fall than I would’ve otherwise.
“That being said, my game is good and I love a bunch of the fall tournaments and want to play them. I don’t know what else I would be doing with my time. I love competing.”
There’s still plenty for Kim and McNealy to play for this fall. Nos. 51-60 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, which concludes at The RSM Classic in November, will earn signature event starts in 2025 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational via the Aon Next 10.
“If you get high on the FedEx Cup list early it gives you a huge leg up on the rest of the year. That kind of starts here with me playing the next five out of six weeks trying to solidify a spot in the top 60,” said McNealy, who skipped taking an off-season break. “I think I’ve maybe taken two days off since Memphis. Yeah, just worked really, really hard and my game feels really good.”
The last time Jhonattan Vegas won on the PGA Tour, the 3M Open didn’t exist.
Also in the span between then and now were myriad injuries and wondering whether he would return to the pinnacle. Those questions were answered Sunday.
Vegas captured his fourth Tour victory Sunday, claiming the 2024 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, after a 72nd-hole birdie helped him beat Max Greyserman by a shot. Greyserman shot a back-nine 6-under 30 to get to 16 under, but Vegas birdied No. 16 and 18 to add another trophy to his case.
“These are the moments that you get up every day and you work hard, you do all the right things because nothing feels better than this,” Vegas said.
The last time Vegas won was in 2017, claiming the RBC Canadian Open for the second straight year. His 3M win came in his 299th Tour start, and it happened in the midst of a so-so year that saw him make as many cuts (seven) as he missed coming into the week in Minnesota.
Jhonattan Vegas celebrates after winning the 3M Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
After an iffy approach into 18 on the front of the green, Vegas faced a lengthy 96-foot eagle look, but, needing a birdie to secure the win, he nestled the lag putt close and then knocked in the birdie putt.
The win meant even more for Vegas for getting to celebrate with his family on the 18th green.
“I mean, that was the cherry on top of the cake,” Vegas said. “In my house we’ve had a lot of talks, my boy’s 5, hadn’t had a win since he was born. Lots of pictures of my daughter with trophies around the house, so my boy was asking me when am I going to have a picture with a trophy.
“Like I said earlier, there was a big cloud on top of my head because I need to have a win for him. It’s even more special that they were here because a lot of times they’re not. It just means the world.”
Jhonattan Vegas celebrates with his kids after winning the 2024 3M Open. (Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports)
The win vaults Vegas 83 spots in the FedEx Cup Playoffs points race, from 149 to 66, and most importantly, inside the top 70. Only the top 70 make the post-season.
For Greyserman, a Tour rookie, it was the best finish of his career. He shot 8-under 63 on Sunday to zoom up the leaderboard, and the finish will move him into the top 70 to 63rd.
“I think I just locked up my spot in the first playoff event, so that’s big because that’s another huge point opportunity and hopefully continue to play my way up,” Greyserman said.
The PGA Tour takes a brief hiatus next week for the Olympics before returning for the regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship.
“Wouldn’t it be a great story if I can take my shoes off on the 18th green after a win and walk off?”
BLAINE, Minn. — Maverick McNealy and his longtime caddie Travis McAlister are working one final round together on Sunday at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. Could it also be their first victory together?
McNealy and McAlister have teamed up for seven years – the first two on the Korn Ferry Tour and the last five on the PGA Tour. McNealy informed McAlister that his brother, Scout, who played college golf at Baylor before battling a shoulder injury, is going to be on the bag in two weeks at the Wyndham Championship, during the FedEx Cup playoffs, and the fall portion of the Tour schedule.
“I’ve had an incredible seven-year run with Travis,” McNealy said. “If you told me when I turned pro that I would spend two years on the Korn Ferry Tour and get my card and keep it every single year I’d say that’s a big success for someone wanting to do this for a living. Travis and I are incredibly close but I’m going to have my brother on the bag for the fall. The timing is perfect for him as he’s between jobs.”
McAlister, who is nicknamed The Warden – think “Shawshank Redemption” – understands and plans to take some time away to be with his 84-year-old father. He said he already knew what his next tournament would be and the player he’d be caddying for but didn’t discount the chance this break with McNealy, who has handled the difficult decision like a real pro, could be as short-lived as Jim Furyk and Fluff Cowan.
“I’ll still be part of the team,” McAlister said. “I’ll be in the group texts; I just won’t be carrying the bag.”
Maverick McNealy (R) hands his putter to caddie Travis McAlister (L) during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
It would be a wild twist to their story if after all this time and 132 starts together if McNealy, who has two career runner-up finishes, were to breakthrough in their swan song. McNealy, who entered the week at No. 68 in the FedEx Cup, started the third round six strokes back but carded nine birdies and shot 63 to vault into third place, just two strokes back.
Could winning change McNealy’s mind to shake things up?
“I’m not looking more than a day ahead,” McNealy said. “Travis is on board, my team is on board and this is a decision I made a couple of weeks ago before the Open Championship. I want to end this on a high note and do our relationship justice by finishing these last two tournaments great – with a major championship (that included a practice round with Tiger Woods) and now we’ve got a chance to go and win. I think that’s special, and I have so much gratitude for what Travis has done for the last seven years. I have no idea what the future has in store but I’m excited to go one last lap with Travis and see what happens.”
So is McAlister, who didn’t want to get ahead of himself but knows the Golf Gods are known to have a sense of humor.
“Wouldn’t it be a great story if I can take my shoes off on the 18th green after a win and walk off,” he said. “Something cool might happen, you never know. But he’s playing great, he’s confident and he’s thinking good.”
That sounds like the makings of a winning combination.
Before the PGA Tour heads to the Sunshine State for the Florida Swing, it’s south of the border for the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Vallarta.
Defending champion Tony Finau — coming off a top-20 finish at the Genesis Invitational — is hoping to make a run at back-to-back titles. Last year, Finau beat Jon Rahm by three shots.
Other players in the field include Nicolai Hojgaard, Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Patrick Rodgers and Ryan Fox.
Will Zalatoris — runner-up at Riviera Country Club — withdrew from the field earlier this week. With an important stretch coming up, it’s no surprise to see this field lack a bit of star power.
Golf course
Vidanta Vallarta | Par 71 | 7,456 yards
Erik van Rooyen of South Africa lines up a putt during the pro-am prior to the Mexico Open at Vidanta at Vidanta Vallarta on April 26, 2023 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Course history
Vidanta Vallarta – Course History for the #MexicoOpen
Includes finish position and Strokes Gained per round from both events here in 2022 and 2023.
-It is currently the least predictive (out of 44) annual course on Tour.
