Denny McCarthy leans on vocal crowd at BMW Championship

Denny McCarthy loves Maryland, and based on the reception Friday at the BMW Championship, Marylanders love him back.

As McCarthy stood on the second tee in dead silence readying to take his shot, the stillness was broken as McCarthy smashed the ball with his driver and a child yelled “Go, Deeennnny McCaaaarthy!”

McCarthy, who shot a 1-under par 69 on Friday and sits at 1-under through 36 holes, was once that same eager, sports-loving kid. A diehard Maryland basketball fan growing up, McCarthy won an auction to be a ball kid for Gary Williams’ Terps. He turned a one-time opportunity into a sustained gig.

“They liked how he fed baskets and everything — he did it for several years,” Denny’s mom, Elena McCarthy, told The Baltimore Sun on Friday. “Some of the games were late, and that was kind of my bargaining tool — ‘If you study, then you can go to the 9 o’clock game and be a ball boy.’”

He made good on the bargain, as basketball was his first love.

“He wouldn’t touch his clubs during basketball season,” Elena McCarthy said. “He would just put them down, and come March 1, he’d pick up his clubs.”

At 5-foot-9, Denny McCarthy’s chances of playing in the NBA were slim, but he never lost the competitive fire built partially on the hardwood.

He needs the fire this week. Denny McCarthy entered this week 38th in the FedEx Cup standings — only the top 30 players advance to next week’s Tour Championship. He’s in his eighth year on the PGA Tour and has never made the event.

He has a legitimate chance to get there after birdieing two of his final three holes Friday to move to 1-under for the tournament. He was projected to move up to 34th in the standings shortly after his round concluded.

Friday’s round was a grind on a challenging course — he didn’t make his first birdie until the eighth hole — but he came out the other side with a solid score after finding a putting rhythm late in the day. McCarthy made over 40 feet of putts on his final four holes, including a 23-footer for birdie on No. 16.

“It’s really hot outside,” Denny McCarthy said after the round. “Really hot outside. The front nine was brutal. I was just trying to survive, it felt like. Try and get dry, hit my shot and move on. A nice little reset at the turn; I changed my clothes, new shirt, new hat. I needed a new pair of pants. I didn’t bring it.

“But settled in nicely on the back nine. Some hard shots out there. Some really long par-4s. Proud of the way I hung tough in there … birdieing two of the last three to finish was a nice way to finish the round.”

Denny McCarthy birdies the 18th hole Friday at Caves Valley. The Maryland native had 50 family members and friends in the crowd. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Denny McCarthy made his late charge in front of a rowdy crowd, which included well over 50 family members and friends.

“It’s pretty cool,” his brother, Ryan McCarthy, told The Baltimore Sun. “We travel to a lot of different events, but being out here, there’s a lot of people. A lot of childhood friends of Denny’s … There were a lot of people here yesterday, and there’s a lot of people here today. It’s cool to have that extra rooting crowd pushing him on.”

Denny McCarthy supporters will be at Caves Valley throughout the duration of the weekend, cheering on the player who got his start as an amateur in Maryland. A decade ago, McCarthy won his third Maryland Open title. He also has two Maryland Amateur championships to his name.

Ten-plus years after tearing up the Maryland amateur golf circuit, he’s developed into one of the best in the world.

“It’s been amazing to watch this,” Elena McCarthy said.

The McCarthy cheering section may only grow louder this weekend as Denny plays for a top-30 FedEx Cup spot. Friday, the support helped turn what could’ve been a forgettable round into a success. As the final birdie putt dropped on the 18th green, the crowd erupted and Denny McCarthy gave a small fist pump. He’s unlikely to win this week with Robert MacIntyre 13 shots clear of him, but Denny McCarthy is chasing a career milestone of making the Tour Championship this weekend in his home state.

“I got a nice boost from the crowd, just enough to keep me going,” Denny McCarthy said.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.

Originally Published: August 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM EDT