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Editorial: Hard work equaled Hall of Fame
Op-Ed · September 08, 2016


Congratulations to West Branch’s Sean McCarty for induction into the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame.


McCarty started golfing at age 3; his parents Mike and Mary McCarty owned Greenview Golf Club — now Cedars Edge Golf Course — at the time (they sold it in 1999). Sean took to the course with his younger brother, Chad, both of whom went on to excel in the sport and carry the West Branch High School team to state. In Sean’s four years, the boys golf team never lost a meet.

He earned runner-up state medalist honors in his freshman year, then state medalist honors for the next three years. The Iowa High School Athletic Assoc. lists only two other players with three-time state medalist titles, and none with more.

A 1991 graduate of WBHS, Sean McCarty led three of the school’s state-champion boys golf teams from 1989-91.

Enrolling at University of Iowa, McCarty joined the men’s team and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1992, the only year in program history the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Championship. He was also named an NCAA All-District player in 1992.

From 1992-95, McCarty won four individual medalist honors and led the Hawkeyes to eight tournament titles. He also set the then-school record by shooting 65 on 18 holes, also in his senior year.

In 1995, he was named an NCAA All-American, making the senior just the third to earn the title in program history. Other notables earning that honor that year include Stewart Cink of Georgia Tech and Tiger Woods of Stanford. Not bad company.

From 1992 to 1999, he tried out for 13 non-pro golf tours, making the cut four times and ranking among the Top 25 once, earning nearly $6,000 along the way. He also won the Iowa Open in 1997 and the Waterloo Open in 1998.

From 1997 to 2013, he tried out seven times for PGA tours, breaking through his first time and finishing in the Top 25, earning nearly $10,000, according to the PGA.

After qualifying for the PGA, McCarty took a job in Coralville at Brown Deer Golf Club, where he has served since 2001 as the golf pro.

McCarty kept his skills sharp, participating in numerous tournaments in the past 15 years. He returned to win the Iowa Open in 2005 and 2008 and won the Greater Cedar Rapids Open in 2009. Last month, he won the 67th Herman Sani Tournament, a Pro-Am event, in Des Moines.

While he’s been doing all that, people back in his home town and alma mater reflected on his enormous list of accomplishments.

In 2008, McCarty was named one of the inaugural players inducted into the Iowa High School Players Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the fourth class of the Cedar County Sports Wall of Fame.

And when, on Sept. 9, he entered the University of Iowa’s Hall of Fame, he did so as the first men’s golfer in the 28-year history of the Hall.

The National Iowa Varsity Club selected McCarty and the six other inductees in its effort to promote, preserve and protect “the accomplishments and memory of men and women who have competed” for the Hawkeyes as student-athletes.

“Sean works hard,” former WBHS boys golf coach Jim Wheeler said. “He’s dedicated to golf, and he has a tremendous attitude toward golf and what it means to him, and that is why he’s been a success.”

McCarty, who turns 44 this month, said he was “quite surprised” to make it into the Hall, saying such accolades “never crossed my mind.”

It is, indeed, wonderful to see a West Branch native recognized for his accomplishments. His induction into the Hall only reflects on his four years at UI, yet he continues to this day to stay sharp, entering tournaments to push himself over and over and over again.

McCarty also played high school basketball and football, showing us how we should all apply our positive and productive skills, talents and desires to many opportunities until we find our passion. Not all of us can turn our passion into a career, but consider where we might still end up if we keep pressing toward a goal with focus, dedication and hard work.

Congratulations, Sean, not only for entry into yet another Hall of Fame, but for setting a strong example to others of a life of hard work and commitment.