Carter McCue led through much of the opening nine and remained within reach of Lucas Rogers until the finish, placing second for the second consecutive year.
For the second year in a row, Carter McCue completed the Midwest Masters with only one name above his on the leaderboard.
The route to that familiar position, however, was entirely different.
A year after chasing Nathan Utley to the finish, McCue established the early pace at the 2024 Midwest Masters. He held at least a share of the lead after seven of the opening nine holes and entered the back nine tied at the top.
Lucas Rogers ultimately produced the decisive closing stretch, but McCue remained close enough to keep the outcome unsettled. His 14-over-par 86 secured second place, three strokes behind Rogers and two clear of Jonah Laws and Nathan Utley.
It was McCue’s second consecutive runner-up finish following his four-stroke defeat to Utley in 2023.
His bid to take the next step began with one of the steadiest starts in the field.
McCue opened with consecutive 5s before recording a 3 at the third. That placed him alone atop the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Laws and three clear of Rogers.
Another solid score at the fourth preserved the advantage. McCue then shared the lead with Laws through the fifth and sixth holes as the pair separated themselves from the rest of the field.
McCue encountered his first significant trouble at the seventh, where a 7 allowed Laws to move one stroke ahead. The margin remained the same through the eighth, but McCue responded at the ninth. His 5, combined with a 6 from Laws, brought the two back together.
Both reached the turn in 42.
Rogers followed only two strokes behind after an outward 44, placing three players within striking distance as the tournament moved to the inward nine.
Laws briefly regained sole possession of the lead at the 10th. McCue made 6 while Laws recorded a 5, but Rogers continued moving forward with a 4. That left Laws at 47, with McCue and Rogers tied one stroke behind.
The positions remained unchanged after the 11th.
Then came the hole that altered the direction of the tournament.
At the 12th, Rogers made 5 while McCue recorded 6 and Laws made 7. Rogers moved from one stroke behind to one ahead, taking sole possession of the lead for the first time.
McCue was still within immediate reach, but Rogers followed with a 3 at the 13th. McCue’s 4 increased the difference to two.
The largest separation came one hole later. Rogers posted a 4 at the 14th while McCue made 6, stretching the advantage to four strokes with four holes remaining.
McCue did not let the tournament get away without a response.
He gained one stroke at the 15th, making 5 as Rogers recorded 6. The margin was back to three, and McCue had succeeded in keeping himself within range entering the final three holes.
Both players then finished 5-4-4.
McCue never gave another stroke away, but Rogers never provided the opening needed to close the remaining gap. Each completed the final three holes in 13 strokes, allowing Rogers to preserve his three-shot advantage through the final green.
McCue’s closing 44 gave him a total of 86. Rogers’ inward 39—the lowest back nine in the tournament—completed the winning 83.
Although McCue did not record a birdie, his scorecard reflected the consistency that kept him in contention throughout the day. He made seven pars and eight bogeys while avoiding a triple bogey or worse. Only McCue and Rogers completed the tournament without such a score.
His play on the par-4 holes was particularly effective. McCue performed 8.08 strokes better than the field average on those holes, second only to Rogers’ tournament-leading mark of 9.08.
More importantly, McCue converted his early position into a secure runner-up result. Laws and Utley each finished at 88, two strokes behind him, while no other player ended within six.
The finish continued a two-year stretch in which McCue had come repeatedly close to the Green Jacket.
In 2023, he posted an 84 and finished four strokes behind Utley. In 2024, he returned with an 86 and reduced the margin to three behind Rogers. Across those two tournaments, McCue completed 36 holes only seven combined strokes behind the champions.
Both times, his performance would have been enough to win several other editions of the tournament.
Both times, someone produced a better round.
The 2024 result therefore brought another near miss, but it also reinforced McCue’s place among the Midwest Masters’ leading contenders. He had now challenged from two different positions—first as the pursuer and then as the early leader—and finished second each time.
For much of the 2024 tournament, the Green Jacket remained within his reach.
Rogers ultimately claimed it with the strongest back nine in the field, leaving McCue to accept a familiar result: another impressive performance, another place near the top and a second consecutive runner-up finish.