Maverick McNealy has had a standing deal with his Grandma Marm ever since he turned professional: every time he earns $50,000 at a tournament, he has to send her flowers.
“She doesn’t seem to mind that that happens a lot more with PGA Tour purses than on the Korn Ferry Tour. It’s kind of her bragging rights around the retirement home,” McNealy said on Sunday. “Then top-10s she gets chocolates as well.”
What does Grandma get for her grandson’s first PGA Tour victory after winning $1,365,000 as the champion of the RSM Classic, which he claimed on Sunday with a 5-foot birdie at the 72nd hole for a one-stroke victory?
“I think she would like this on her mantlepiece, to be honest,” McNealy said, referring to the silver trophy awarded to the RSM champion at the season finale to the 2024 season. “Yeah, I don’t know, she loves us and we love her. There’s nobody that watches my shots more closely than she does.”
McNealy’s grandmother on his father’s side of the family is 97 and Maverick calls her his biggest fan.
“I know that her watching my golf in a lot of ways keeps her going, gives her something to look forward to to the point where she won’t let people talk to her when she’s watching me play. It’s pretty special,” he said.
On Sunday, Grandma Marm was so nervous for her grandson that she couldn’t watch. Maverick hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet after his maiden victory but suffice it to say he’ll be ordering flowers, chocolates and then some as soon as possible.
“My grandma’s a witch,” he said. “If I forget to send her flowers, weird things happen. Food poisoning, clubs snap, balls crack, it’s the weirdest stuff ever, so I’ve got to stay on that. I should probably get her something a little extra special for winning.”