COVID was harsh on everyone, even on the golfers. Organizers canceled events, and news circulated about more and more golfers testing positive for the virus. One of them was Denny McCarthy, who tested positive. When he wasn’t dealing with the virus, he felt incredibly bored, which is when he met Tiger Woods and doubted his friendship with Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler.

So, how did it go? When the Subpar host, Colt Knost, asked Denny about his experience with Woods after the other two golfers invited him, Denny admitted he felt unwelcome by the two (55:48-59:12). Shocking? Let’s hear it from him.

“Yeah, I wasn’t even really invited. I kind of crashed, but that’s when I was a member of Medalist. I’d been playing games. You know, this was during COVID and it was boring. It was boring. There was nothing else to do really. Like golf courses were still open, like golf was the best thing to do.” Denny admitted he played three or four times a week.

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He continued, “I was just going to practice for a little bit and I was like, this is boring. Like I, I need, I need, I need to play a game or something to, to be out here. And I was about to leave and JT and Ricky showed up and they said that they were going to play shortly and that they hadn’t played in a couple weeks. I was like, all right, well, if you yeah, if you guys are going to play, like, I’ll come play with you if that’s cool. And like, they’re like, yeah, yeah, yeah, like, yeah, sure. Yeah, that’s cool.” Well, that didn’t sound very enthusiastic when it comes from friends.

Denny McCarthy added that he didn’t know Tiger was showing up. “I’m like, man, I thought, you know, I was closer friends with them.” Tiger showed up and put his bag next to Denny’s. “And I’m like, holy shit, that’s Tiger. And you know, all, all of them startled. I said, hey, that’s Tiger. We talked for a minute, I start putting it together that basically they were planning on playing with, with Tiger.”

But having seen Woods now, Denny didn’t feel tired anymore. “Like I was literally, like, so nervous and jittery. It’s the Tiger effect, right? Like I, it’s amazing how his presence just can do that. Still does it to me.” So, How did the game go? Denny McCarthy said he was nervous and he messed up at first, but he ended up shooting 8 or 9 under par.

Although he wasn’t sure if anyone noticed it, he really did spend the hours subconsciously trying to impress Woods. But how is he impressing the 2025 season? How has it been so far for Denny McCarthy?

Denny McCarthy in his 2025 season

The 2025 season has been pretty moderate for McCarthy. Let’s take a look at his latest performance at The Genesis Invitational where the American golfer finished at T5 and earned a whopping $736,500. Sounds good? Well, his previous performances weren’t this huge. Take for instance his start of the season, where he finished T46 at The Sentry. Denny McCarthy’s performance improved a lot in the upcoming Sony Open where he finished T16.

However, his performance dipped at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM, where he finished T58 and earned $39,250. In the WM Phoenix Open, he finished at T16. Clearly, McCarthy has seen a lot of ups and downs this season. Looking at his previous performance, what predictions do you have for him in this Cognizant Classic?