Denny McCarthy

33-Year-Old Golfer

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2026 Stats

Rank

Winnings

$1,157,158

Winnings/Entry

$60,903

Entries

Rounds

2026 Fantasy Outlook

McCarthy was known as a solid golfer and a great putter up through the 2022 season, but his 2023 season changed everything. During that season he scored eight top-10s on his way to over $6 million in earnings. Essentially, he reset the bar, a bar which he's failed to reach the past two seasons. It's only through the eyes of raised expectations that McCarthy has underperformed though, as he's come close to hitting the $4 million mark in each of those campaigns and landed in the top 50 after each. McCarthy is not a splashy player, he's very much the opposite. He's as consistent as they come finishing inside the top-25 in nearly half of his starts since 2023. While he has yet to win, if he keeps up this pace, he's bound to find a win at some point. As such, McCarthy should be considered in salary cap leagues this season. Read Past Outlooks

Handedness Right

Status Pro

Height 5'9"

Weight 165 lbs

DOB 3/4/1993

Birthplace Takoma Park, Maryland

College Virginia

Country USA

MC at John Deere Classic

July 3, 2026

McCarthy posted an even-par cumulative score through the first two rounds of the John Deere Classic to miss the cut by three strokes.

ANALYSIS
McCarthy went even-par in each of his two rounds at TPC Deere Run, and his streak of made cuts ended at seven tournaments. Most of his struggles came off the tee, as he lost 2.57 strokes in that category while connecting on 14 of 28 fairways and 23 of 36 greens in regulation. It was a disappointing performance out of McCarthy, given that he finished T6-T6-T7-T11 in his four outings at the event since 2022. He'll tee off at the ISCO Championship at Hurstbourne Country Club next week.

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PGA Stats

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Tournament Results

Scoring

FanDuel

DraftKings

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PGA Advanced Stats

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Projected PGA Tournament Status

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2025

2024

2023

2022

2020

2019

2018

2017

McCarthy's career-best season in 2023 was a slow build so by the time that he actually had a lot of success, it didn't come as a huge surprise. What was a surprise was the jump he took from 2022 to 2023. In just one season, McCarthy topped his earnings number from his previous five seasons. A regression this past year was predictable, but the level was a little more than expected. McCarthy went from earning over $6 million in 2023 to just under $4 million in 2024. Still and good season, but it was an obvious step backwards. The good news is, he can still putt. His ball striking was the culprit this past season, but if he can get back into the 67% GIR range this season, a range he's spent most of his career in, he should see a significant increase in his overall numbers.

It would have been hard to imagine a player who historically depended so heavily on putting having such a consistent season. Yet, McCarthy made significant improvements in all aspects of his game in 2022-23. He gained strokes in every category, ranking ninth in scrambling and third in SG: Putting. This translated into a remarkable record of 24 cuts made out of 30 starts, with an impressive number of top-25 finishes. At 30 years old, McCarthy may not become a top-tier ball-striker, but with his strong short game and putting skills, he doesn't need to be. Seeing McCarthy clinch his first PGA Tour win in 2024 would certainly not be a surprise.

McCarthy started as a rookie on the PGA Tour during the 2017-2018 and his results were less than desired as he finished the season ranked 149th on the FedEx list. In the three seasons that followed, McCarthy showed some progress, but it was slow. That changed this past season when McCarthy posted career highs in cuts made, top-25s, top-10s and earnings. McCarthy has never lived off the high-end finishes, so the fact that he took the slow and steady route to a career high in earnings this past is not surprise either. McCarthy will need to find some high-end finishes to improve upon his number this season, but he appears capable at this point. As such, he makes for an intersting salary cap selection this season.

McCarthy went from missing just five cuts in 2019-20, to missing 13 cuts in 2020-21. He also saw both his top-10s and top-25s go down. McCarthy had another good season with the putter, but his ball-striking numbers need to be better if he is going to amount to anything in salary cap formats.

Amazingly, McCarthy led the Tour in SG: Putting for a second consecutive season but his tee-to-green game leaves much to be desired. He's best viewed as a cut maker who struggles in stronger-field events, but will occasionally contend when he's able to have a good week with his long-game. A safe bet to make the FedEx Cup Playoffs and a contender to win a weaker field event.

McCarthy was a rookie in 2018 and while he wasn't able to retain his card for this past season, he played well enough to earn partial privileges. He parlayed his partial status into 27 starts last season, which resulted in enough points to earn full status for this upcoming season. McCarthy seems to be getting incrementally better, but the progress is slow. He has only three top-10s in 49 starts on the PGA Tour. It's a little too early to take a chance on McCarthy as a salary cap option this season.

McCarthy's rookie season was characterized by a single top-10 and just 13-of-22 made cuts. Denny's driving is PGA Tour average and his putting is great, but his iron game is incredibly underdeveloped. After earning full PGA Tour status by winning the Web.com Tour Championship and overall Web.com Tour Finals, he'll need to maintain his momentum to outpace last year's weak rookie campaign. As a fringe talent, don't expect anything special from McCarthy in the 2018-19 season, but there's a chance he'll ride his current momentum to some solid finishes in the fall season.

Earning a PGA Tour card via the Web.com Tour Finals, McCarthy is set to become a rookie at the next level after making 18 of 23 cuts on the Web.com during 2017. He failed to record any top-three finishes through two seasons on the Web.com Tour, however, so McCarthy's upside may remain limited. McCarthy ranked second in putting average and 21st in birdie average this past season, but was just 128th in terms of GIR percentage.

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T14 at Travelers Championship

June 28, 2026

McCarthy posted a five-under 65 in the final round of the Travelers Championship to finish tied for 14th.