Maverick McNealy birdies the last hole at Sea Island to finally become PGA Tour winner
Maverick McNealy is finally a winner on the PGA Tour, and it took a shot he won't soon forget
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Maverick McNealy has learned in his five years on the PGA Tour that trying to win a tournament is “designed to make you feel as uncomfortable as you possibly can.”
Standing in the 18th fairway Sunday in the RSM Classic, part of a four-way tie for the lead that included Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton, the 29-year-old McNealy had every reason to be uncomfortable.
He had gone nine hole without a birdie. From 185 yards away he chose a 6-iron, a club that had gone anywhere from 120 yards to 240 yards during a week of big wind and cold weather, and at that moment as warm as it had been all tournament.
The shot made it look like he had been there before, covering the flag and landing 5 feet away for a birdie and his first PGA Tour victory in his 134th start as a pro. It sends him to Maui to start next year and to the Masters in April for the first time.
