Pro Shop to Pro Tour: Fiddlesticks' Justin McCarraher Preps for First TOUR Start

It is a few minutes near 7 on a steamy March evening and Justin McCarraher is pounding

5-irons on the west end of the driving range at Fiddlesticks Country Club, one of Southwest Florida's most highly acclaimed gated golf communities.

As head professional for the past three years, it's a place he knows well, having given lessons to many of the members. Around working his day as the club pro, Justin's recent routine is to begin and end his day fine-tuning his game on the expansive practice facility.

The popular pro, McCarraher, 39, has a tournament circled on his calendar for the week of March 22. It's not just another event on the South Florida PGA Section schedule where he's been a dominant player the past few years. He finished No. 2 in 2019 player-of-the-year points.

It is a bit bigger. In fact, in the career of a club pro, it's as big as it gets.

McCarraher is teeing it up with the big boys on the PGA TOUR at the 4th Annual Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic March 25-28 featuring 132 of the game's best players vying for a $3 million purse.

Justin is focused and looking forward to showcasing his game in his first PGA TOUR event. Is there a club anywhere that would not want this chance? "I've stepped up my practice sessions to prepare for the tournaments to get some form of my 'A' game," said McCarraher from the Fiddlesticks pro shop after returning from giving a lesson. "January through March is peak season for the pro shop and I haven't had much chance to play competitively. I'll give it my best shot although I'm not used to competing against the world's best players."

When asked whether there's a 'Team Justin' traveling with him to the Dominican Republic like many of the

Tour players have, he just smiled and said, "there is no 'Team'. I plan to play two practice rounds and use a local caddy from Corales. I know what I have to do and a caddy with local knowledge will help answer questions that come up. I haven't decided exactly what to wear but will definitely have something with the Fiddlesticks name and logo."

McCarraher's journey to golf's biggest stage began December 8 at The Preserve at Ironhorse in West Palm Beach where the Section held a one-day 18-hole qualifier in which 40 players competed for a solo spot. Justin shot 2 under 70 to tie another pro and won in a playoff on the first hole, earning the invite.

"Justin has been a top player in the PGA Section for many years," said Geoff Lofstead, executive director.

"To qualify for a PGA TOUR event speaks volumes about the quality of his game that he's able to excel on the golf course around his job duties as a head professional at Fiddlesticks. It's going to be tough to compete against pros who play every day and make a living on TOUR, but Justin will hold his own."

With the tournament two weeks away, Fiddlesticks Country Club is buzzing with pride and rallying around Justin. Over 60 members responded with a donation to assist in travel expenses for him.

"The Fiddlesticks community is thrilled that our head pro Justin McCarraher, is teeing it up in a PGA TOUR event," said longtime resident Larry Den, a key figure in raising funds to assist all Fiddlesticks pros to play competitively in regional events.

The Corales Punta Cana Resort & Club Championship is played on the Tom Fazio dramatically design Corales Golf Club- one of the most scenic golf courses in the world--and will be covered live all four days on Golf Channel.