“I’ll be back” – A ‘heartbroken’ Denny McCarthy reacts to losing the Memorial Tournament 2023 playoff to Viktor Hovland

The Memorial Tournament 2023 concluded on Sunday with Viktor Hovland lifting the trophy. The 25-year-old Norwegian golfer beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff to clinch his fourth PGA Tour victory. Needless to say, McCarthy was ‘heartbroken’ by the final round fall at the Muirfield Village Golf Club.

For the uninitiated, McCarthy aced through the first 71 holes at the Memorial Tournament. The golfer was set to take his first-ever PGA Tour title. However, he was caught off-guard by an in-form Hovland, who made a 7-footer for par to win at Jack’s Place.

Following the shock loss, McCarthy walked to tournament host Jack Nicklaus and gave a customary handshake. The 30-year-old, who was visibly sad, said that he would “be back” soon for his maiden win.

Reacting to his failure at his 157th PGA Tour event, Denny McCarthy said:

“I’ll be back.”

He received some comforting words from event host Jack Nicklaus. However, McCarthy looked adamant as he nodded his head again and reiterated that he’ll “be back.”

Furthermore, opening up about his outing, Denny McCarthy said:

“I’m heartbroken right now. It really sucks. I thought this was going to be the week … It really sucks, because I haven’t been quite this close to the door to knock it down, but I’ve put myself in a spot with a chance to win a number of times, and it hasn’t happened yet.

"But just got to keep working really hard. I know a lot of good golf is very close by.”

It is pertinent to note that the second-place finish on Sunday marked the American’s 45th top-25 finish on the PGA Tour. With this, the golfer sealed his name as one of the top players on the American circuit without a win.

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Denny McCarthy draws confidence from his Memorial Tournament outing

Denny McCarthy began the Memorial Tournament final round in fourth place, one stroke behind the likes of Rory McIlroy, Si Woo Kim and David Lipsky. He was in direct competition with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for the top spot. To the surprise of many, he carded a 5-under 67, Sunday’s low round, and took the lead. However, he eventually fell to Hovland, who steadily climbed the leaderboard.

Recalling his strong position while playing the 72nd hole on Sunday, McCarthy told the media:

“I like being in that moment … that's exactly what I want to be playing golf for. I was definitely nervous, and I definitely had some adrenaline, but I feel comfortable in that situation. I love that aspect of being a competitor, when it starts to feel a little uncomfortable, how can you control that? How can you manage your emotions out there?”

The golfer was seemingly proud of his outing as well. McCarthy dubbed himself a ‘fierce competitor’ and said that he’d work to become better in the coming weeks.

He said:

“I’m a really fierce competitor, and I never give up. You guys probably saw some of that this week… I don't know the last time I've felt quite that amped up, but this can only help me. I'll use this as a learning experience to try and get better.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Denny McCarthy performs in his upcoming events, having gained some major confidence boost from this week’s Memorial Tournament outing.