Masters: Denny McCarthy’s rubber ducky honoring 16-year-old family friend who passed away

Denny McCarthy plays a shot during a practice round at the 2024 Masters. | Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

Denny McCarthy, who almost won last week’s Valero Texas Open, is honoring a late family friend in a heartwarming way.

Fresh off a heartbreaking finish at last week’s Valero Texas Open, Denny McCarthy arrives at Augusta National as a Masters rookie, still searching for his first PGA Tour victory.

McCarthy called Augusta “heaven on Earth” and spoke highly of this “incredible piece of property.”

But McCarthy has much more on his mind than making his Masters debut. Last Fall, a family friend of his, Madison Smith, succumbed to cancer at the age of 16. She is now watching over McCarthy from heaven, hoping the former Virginia Cavalier slips into a Green Jacket on Sunday evening.

“She played golf, and she really liked me and a couple of other players out here, but I got to know her really well over the last two or three years,” McCarthy explained.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Denny McCarthy on the 9th tee during the 2024 Par Three Contest.

“She was just the sweetest girl. Her favorite thing was a rubber ducky, and her favorite color was yellow. She loved rubber duckies, so I put a rubber ducky on my golf bag in honor of her and got some custom shoes designed. One of the insoles has a ducky in the shoe.”

As McCarthy makes his way around golf’s hallowed grounds this week, he will do so with Smith in mind.

“The way she handled herself through the couple-year battle she had was amazing. She never complained. She was extremely resilient. She was just one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, so this is paying honor to her, respect to her,” McCarthy explained.

“I think about her all the time. So, honestly, I probably learned way more from her over the last couple of years than maybe she could have learned from me. She taught me a lot of life lessons, and I carry that on with me from now on.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.