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Denny McCarthy secures PGA Tour card; Ben Kohles in contention

One UVA alum will be on the PGA Tour next season. A second could follow him.

DAP Championship - Round Three Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Virginia golf fans will have at least one Wahoo alum to cheer for on the PGA Tour next season. Depending on how this weekend goes, they might even have two.

Denny McCarthy, a 2015 Virginia grad, secured his PGA Tour card this month with strong finishes in the first three events of the Web.com Tour playoffs. McCarthy finished 31st, 9th, and 17th in those events. He earned $43,000 for those efforts, which is enough to ensure that he’ll be one of the Top 25 playoff money earners. Those Top 25 players will graduate to the PGA Tour next season.

Ben Kohles, a 2012 Virginia grad, could join McCarthy on the PGA Tour depending on how he finishes in this week’s Web.com Tour Championship. Kohles was in 34th place on the money list headed into the event, which started Thursday. He shot 6-under in the first round, which put him in a tie for 11th place. Kohles will need at least a top-15 finish, and maybe a top-10 finish, to earn his PGA Tour card.

McCarthy and Kohles have both played in PGA Tour events before. McCarthy has qualified for the US Open twice, and made the cut in 2015 at Chambers Bay. Kohles played on the PGA Tour during the 2013 season after winning two Web.com events in 2012. His best finishes on the “big tour” were a tie for 7th at the Tampa Bay Championship and a tie for 14th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn as we track the progress of McCarthy and Kohles, and as we provide further coverage of UVA golf.