DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) – The putt measured just over 6 feet, a minuscule distance compared with how long William McGirt traveled to get to this point.
The original destination was a PGA Tour card.
He reached the ultimate destination Sunday at the Memorial by pouring in the par putt on the 18th hole, with tournament host Jack Nicklaus watching and waiting to celebrate the big moment at Muirfield Village.
“Surprisingly, I felt no nerves standing over that putt,” McGirt said.
His putt allowed him to beat Jon Curran on the second playoff hole and win the Memorial in his 165th start on the PGA Tour, a goal that began when McGirt left tiny Wofford College in South Carolina in 2001, turned pro three years later and began grinding away on more mini-tours than he can count.