Matt McCarty sets early pace at 2026 Truist Championship with record-breaking round
McCarty's 8-under 63 leaves Rory McIlroy seven shots back after weather suspends play at Quail Hollow Club
Matt McCarty established a commanding lead at the 2026 Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, carding an 8-under 63 to finish one stroke ahead of Sungjae Im. The left-handed PGA Tour sophomore recorded 220 feet of made putts, including three from beyond 50 feet, becoming the first player in the ShotLink era to achieve this feat in a single round.
The opening round was suspended at 7:10 p.m. due to inclement weather following more than two inches of rain that fell between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Despite the delay, McCarty maintained his focus, noting that the wet conditions slowed the greens to a perfect amount for his putting strategy. He tallied six birdies offset by a single bogey, with his long-range connections coming from the 13th, 16th, and 17th holes.
Four-time champion Rory McIlroy finished seven strokes behind the leader with a 1-under 70. The Northern Irishman started his round with 17 straight pars before sinking a birdie on the final hole after initially missing most putts early in the day. McIlroy attributed his early struggles to reading issues on the greens, stating he was trying to adjust to the speed of the surface after the rain.
European players dominated the top of the leaderboard alongside McCarty and Im, with Sepp Straka, Nicolai Højgaard, Kristoffer Reitan, and Harry Hall all finishing at five under. Tommy Fleetwood shot a 67, matched later in the evening by Alex Fitzpatrick, who continues to ride the momentum from his Zurich Classic victory.
McCarty's ball-striking was also in form, with five of his other six birdies coming from inside five feet. A particularly notable approach shot saw the sophomore hit a fairway wood from the middle of the fairway on the ninth hole to within three feet of the pin, unaware that the group ahead was still chipping due to the approaching storm.
The tournament remains wide open as play resumes, with the leaderboard showing a significant gap between the leaders and the rest of the field. As the competition moves forward, the focus will shift to how the course conditions have settled following the heavy rainfall that impacted the first round.
