Denny McCarthy had a nice start to his first-ever U.S. Open on Thursday, shooting a 1-over par 71 at Chambers Bay Golf Course, placing him in a tie for 42nd place, but not far behind the leaders who were at 5-under par.
McCarthy won an amateur spot in this week’s U.S. Open earlier this month after tying for first at a two-day qualifying tournament at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville—his hometown.
The 22-year-old Georgetown Prep graduate, who was a top college player with the University of Virginia, shot three birdies and four bogeys during his first round of the U.S. Open.
His 1-over par score put him fourth among the 17 amateurs who qualified for the tournament and tied for 42nd place out of 156 players at the links-style course in Washington state.
McCarthy is scheduled to tee off at 10:11 a.m. Friday with the golfers Shiv Kapur of India and American D.A. Points.
If McCarthy maintains his position on the leaderboard or improves, he’ll make the cut to play this weekend. The top 60 scorers, plus ties, play the final rounds Saturday and Sunday.
Prior to his debut, McCarthy told Virginia’s Daily Press that as he exited a white Lexus SUV—provided by the tournament—none other than golfing legend Tiger Woods exited an SUV next to him.
“We were 10 to 15 feet away from Tiger,” the young golfer told the paper. “It was pretty cool.”
McCarthy was even playing like a younger Woods during a practice round Wednesday—he sunk a hole in one on the ninth hole. On Thursday, McCarthy’s score bested that of Woods, who posted a 10-over par score, one of the worst in his career.
McCarthy won two Interstate Athletic Conference championships during his time at Georgetown Prep. He graduated from UVA last month.
