Before they turned pro: Maverick McNealy
24 Nov 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
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Maverick McNealy (USGA Photo)
Former number one ranked amateur, and Stanford standout Maverick McNealy is a winner on the PGA Tour.
McNealy won the RSM Classic in dramatic fashion, besting Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria, and current top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton by one shot. McNealy finished 16-under, sinking a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole to secure the win. The trio of golfers behind him finished T2 at 15-under. Clanton and Echavarria both made a bogey on the final hole to move from 16-under to 15-under.
McNealy carded rounds of 62-70-66-68 to get to 16-under. This is his first professional win and his 18th top-ten finish in 142 career starts.
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"I am shaking right now. I feel like I could run a marathon," McNealy told the Golf Channel after the win. "I am about exhausted, but the adrenaline is unbelievable. My family is here, and my whole team is watching, and I am so happy I got it one for them."
McNealy graduated from Stanford University in 2018 with a degree in Management Science and Engineering. In late 2016 and early 2017, he was the number-one golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
McNealy qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst at the age of 18. During the 2014−15 golf season, McNealy shot a 61 in the final round of the Pac-12 Conference Championship tournament, tying the 18-hole Stanford record held by Tiger Woods and Cameron Wilson.
In 2015, he won the Haskins Award, which is presented annually to the best collegiate male golfer in the United States, becoming the third Stanford University golfer to win the award since 1971 (the other two being Woods and Patrick Rodgers).
Despite being America's most highly rated professional golf prospect in 2016, McNealy considered passing on professional golf for a career in business. In August 2017, McNealy confirmed that he would turn professional after the 2017 Walker Cup. His professional debut was at the Safeway Open.
Amateur wins
2014: OFCC Fighting Illini Invite, SW Invite
2015: The Prestige at PGA West, The Goodwin, Pac-12 Championships, NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, Northern California Amateur Match Play, OFCC Fighting Illini Invite, U.S. Collegiate Championship, Gifford Collegiate-CordeValle
2016: Western Intercollegiate, Nike Collegiate Invite