This week’s PGA Tour event in Cabo will signal the return of the Tour’s top putter.
Maverick McNealy, who is the only Tour pro gaining over a shot on the greens this season, will compete for the first time in nearly five months at this week’s World Wide Technology Championship, which will be contested at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante Cabo San Lucas in Los Cabos, Mexico.
McNealy tore the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder last February and shut it down after a missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open in early June. He opted not for surgery but for a treatment plan that included “physical therapy, biomechanics analysis, golf swing changes and regenerative stem-cell treatments.”
“There was a long wait on the seventh tee and made kind of a funny swing,” McNealy said of the injury, which occurred during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I guess what happened is I tore the ligament that connects the collar bone to your sternum. ... The main treatment I got aside from physical therapy and training was like I had a PRP injection. Then otherwise it was just mostly changing some golf swing mechanics to try and take pressure off the area, because it was the golf swing in the first place that hurt it.”
Prior to his injury, McNealy sat No. 26 in FedExCup points thanks to five top-12 finishes in his first nine starts. He then withdrew from back-to-back events, at Pebble Beach and Phoenix, and when he went on the shelf, he had slid to No. 86 in points.
Though he’ll have a major medical extension at his disposal for next season (had he returned at Shriners, it would’ve only been a minor medical), McNealy enters this week at No. 121 points, and with good play over the final three fall events – McNealy is expected to play at least two of them – he could not only keep his card on his own but also with a win or top finish – or two – potentially climb into that coveted Next 10, which would come with a spot in the first two signature events following The Sentry next year. (He’s 462 back of No. 60 right now.)
“I’ll have probably around 11 events on this medical, so probably no more than 20 points needed over those 11 events,” McNealy explained, “and I always play well in Mexico and I was really excited to get back out here. Feels like two events I can ease my way, get back in the routine, see where my body and my game are at and then hit the 2024 season running.”
McNealy spent his time away working toward his private pilot instrument rating and also got engaged. His three goals for this week’s return: enjoy himself, not overdo it physically, and not be too hard on himself.
“I haven’t done this routine for five months and you never know what golf could happen, but if I get out of my routine or things aren’t quite as sharp, just give myself plenty of time to get back into it and get back to full sharpness,” McNealy said. “I’ve been working extremely hard at home and obviously have really high standards that I’m going to hold myself to this week, but just going to go out there, do my best and have fun.”
The WWT field also includes Cameron Young, Sahith Theegala and Ludvig Åberg, plus sponsor exemptions Michael Block, Chris Gotterup and amateur Preston Summerhays, and open qualifier Billy Davis.