As a professional golfer on the Korn Ferry Tour, Dan McCarthy's goal is to play well enough to move up to the PGA Tour. Playing well enough to qualify for the U.S. Open along the way, well, that's just icing on the cake.

"It's certainly a wonderful bonus," McCarthy said Tuesday after snatching the final exemption given to the PGA Tour's developmental tour on Sunday. "It'll be gratifying, more than anything else, to know that I earned a spot."

What You Need To Know


  • Former Le Moyne College golfer Dan McCarthy has qualified for the 2020 U.S. Open

  • McCarthy is currently a pro on the PGA's developmental tour known as the Korn Ferry Tour

  • The CBA alum also played in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (80-78, MC)

  • The virus-delayed 2020 U.S. Open tees off at Winged Foot GC September 17

McCarthy's third-place finish at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Indiana locked up his date with the big boys later this month. As an added bonus, the former CBA and Le Moyne golfer will now get a chance to compete in a U.S. Open hosted by his home state. The virus-delayed tournament will be held September 17-20 at the venerable Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester County.

"I'm super excited to go back home and play on a course that's similar to the style I grew up playing," said McCarthy, who says Bellevue Country Club's greens are still some of the most undulating he's ever seen. "I've never played Winged Foot. I know it's really, really long."

It's also widely considered to be one of the top 10 golf courses in the country, right up there with the other world-famous track McCarthy played in his only other U.S. Open appearance ten years ago, Pebble Beach. Dan was just 24 years old then, and just three years removed from his playing days at Le Moyne College.

"First thing I remember getting there was going to the driving range and dropping a bag of balls next to Ernie Els, and thinking, 'What the heck am I doing here?'"

McCarthy, who also admits to stopping to watch Tiger Woods hit balls for awhile, fired rounds of 80 and 78 in his first U.S. Open, easily missing the cut. One of the biggest lessons he learned is to try to put on blinders and block out the distractions, which won't be easy to do when he's surrounded by the biggest names in the sport.

"I know I was much less prepared for it than I am now," said McCarthy, now in his eighth season on the Korn Ferry Tour. "I don't think I'll be as star struck as I was in 2010. I'm playing much better, I've got a lot more experience under my belt. I'm just going to try to grind it out, enjoy the moment, and do the best that I can."

One distraction McCarthy won't have to worry about is the fans, still prohibited from attending PGA Tour events because of the coronavirus. That means there will be a lot fewer Syracuse folks, i.e. Dan fans, in the galleries later this month, providing the only downside to a dream come true.

"It's super disappointing. I had a lot of family and friends that made the trip out to Pebble in 2010, and I'm sure I would've had a whole lot more playing just down the road at Winged Foot. It's kind of the day and age we're in at the moment, unfortunately."