Maverick McNealy and wife Maya in November after his win at the RSM Classic. Getty Images Winning is hard. Winning is hard.
Winning is hard. Winning is hard. Winning is hard.
Winning is hard. Winning is hard. Maya McNealy heard it and Maverick McNealy said it — often.
(If you’re curious, the number of sentences that start this article represent the number of years the latter didn’t finish an event on top as a pro.) And, to his defense, winning is arduous. They’re can be only one winner, right? It’s the beauty of sports.
And it’s wart. Only one? Why not a dozen? You wouldn’t fault McNealy for at least wondering something like that. For years, he’d been at the top of nearly everyone’s list of best players to never win , a compilation you don’t mind spending some time on, just not, you know, for years.
Then, he wasn’t. In November, at the RSM Classic, the last PGA Tour tournament of 2024, he won . Epically too.
McNealy had been tied with three other pros on the 18th hole of the final round, before dropping a 7-iron from 185 yards out to 5 feet, 5 inches that led to a birdie and a maiden victory. Finally. Thanks to some advice from Maya.
Tuesday, the pro was reminiscing about it all. This week, they’re playing the Sentry , the lid-lifter for the Tour season, and it’s naturally a time to look ahead. And look back.
It’s part celebration. And part duplication. You want to understand what worked and run it back again and again.
For McNealy, it was a 15-wor.
