Maverick McNealy ‘blanks out’ on 18 with shot of his life, wins maiden PGA Tour title

In his 142nd start on the PGA Tour, Maverick McNealy finally picked up a victory at the RSM Classic.

Maverick McNealy stood on the 18th tee in a four-way tie for first at 15-under par. He knew a birdie would give him a terrific chance to pick up his first win at the RSM Classic. He also knew that two solid golf shots would give him that opportunity.

So, after splitting the fairway, McNealy had won half the battle. He needed only one more solid shot from 186 yards out, and his first PGA Tour victory could be his. But chilly winds have roared off the Atlantic Ocean all week, thus challenging the field in Sea Island, Georgia. Add the tension of playing the 72nd hole to win a golf tournament, and suddenly, this was not a customary stock 7-iron. Instead, McNealy and his caddie, who doubles as his brother, Scout, decided to hit a 6-iron with the wind coming in off the left. It was their best decision of the week.

McNealy stuck his 6-iron to a little more than five feet away. He then drained the putt for birdie, giving him a one-shot victory.

“My mind’s gone blank, honestly,” McNealy said after.

“It was an unbelievable adrenaline rush there, especially on 18.”

McNealy, who attended Stanford University and turned pro in 2017, finally won a golf tournament. It took him almost eight years and 142 tries to become a PGA Tour winner. He has also been trending in the right direction over the last month, posting a T-16 at the Shriners Children’s Open, a T-6 in Mexico, and then a tie for 17th in Bermuda last week.

Perhaps his recent success stems from his brother, who officially became McNealy’s full-time caddie before the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo.

“Scout’s coaching has been pretty simple lately; he says swing left and take a divot,” McNealy said.

“So I just swung left [on 18], took a divot, all came out right online dead center of the clubface, and it couldn’t have been a better time for it.”

Funny enough, McNealy did not expect to play well this week. His best finish at this event came in 2020 when he tied for 50th.

“This is a golf course I haven’t had much success on. It’s a golf course that requires really good iron play, and it’s a golf course with really slick dormant Bermuda greens, which, as a West Coast guy, is not my most comfortable putting surface,” McNealy explained.

“I kind of came here with the attitude that I wanted to learn and figure out how to play here. Played so well on Thursday, it affirmed all the work that our team’s been putting in and the changes we made this year. Made the weekend a lot more exciting.”

He opened up the tournament with an incredible 62, which set a new career low and soared him into a share of the first-round lead. But he played well all week, ranking sixth in strokes gained approach on a course that prioritizes iron play.

And now, McNealy has trips booked to Pebble Beach and Riviera by finishing atop the Aon Next 10. But more significantly, he will play at Augusta National for the first time next April, a player receives for winning on the PGA Tour. McNealy had not obviously experienced that, but now he does—and given how he is trending, perhaps more wins will come his way in 2025, too.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.