Matt Kuchar Hoping to Avoid Another Four-Year Wait for PGA Tour Success

November 11th, 2018 was a memorable date for Matt Kuchar, with the 40-year old Floridian finally ending his four-year wait for a title on the PGA Tour. It’s been a long time between successes for the American but he came out on top in Mexico in the Mayakoba Golf Classic. It was a watershed moment for Kuchar in many ways and he will be hoping to avoid another painfully long wait for his next victory on the tour. 

Kuchar’s success was one of the feel-good stories of the year and golf fans were delighted to see him prevail at El Camaleon Golf Club. Due to committing to the event last minute, Kuchar wasn’t able to call upon his usual caddie John Wood and turned to a local man who is known as ‘El Tucan’. His stand-in caddie, whose real name is David, was recommended by the tournament director and was also able to benefit financially from Kuchar’s victory. The Floridian enjoying working with the laidback local labelling him “steady as a rock” and suggesting that El Tucan’s local knowledge put them in an advantageous position. He caddies every single day at the course and was able to assist Kuchar throughout. Describing the result as “extra sweet”, the experienced player was seen hugging his stand-in caddie on the 18th. After shooting his third consecutive par, he was able to confirm his position at the top of the leaderboard and celebrations could finally commence. 

It isn’t the first time that Kuchar has enjoyed success in the company of a local looper with 2015’s triumph at the Bridgestone America’s Gold Cup arriving in similar circumstances. That tournament was also held in Mexico and it saw the United States team hold off a resurgent Puerto Rican duo of Rafael Campos and Edward Figueroa. 

Kuchar and El Tucan were roared on by a partisan crowd who were largely made up of local sports fans and they were delighted to see him shoot a 69 at Playa Del Carmen to hold off the advances of Danny Lee. It was a close finish between the pair with New Zealander finishing just one stroke behind and providing some late drama on the PGA Tour. In behind the leading pair, American duo J.J Spaun and Richy Werenski were tied third on 265. 

The 14th and 15th provided some uncertainty for Kuchar who had appeared to be in full control for the majority of the tournament but he was forced to dig deep during the closing stages in order to ensure that he picked up his prize. He started the day with a four-shot lead but after back-to-back bogeys almost derailed his bid, he was forced to rally during the closing stages helping to edge out his Kiwi competitor. 

Sheer relief was etched all over the face of the 40-year old whose last tournament triumph arrived at the RBC Heritage on April 20th, 2014. He ended eleven under par and managed to edge out Luke Donald by a single stroke to wrap up his seventh victory on the PGA Tour but he’s endured a fallow period since that success and was delighted to return to winning ways. 

Kuchar is synonymous with top ten finishes and is known for his knack of finishing strongly at any given tournament. However, his 2018 record had been fairly underwhelming prior to his success in Mexico. His best performance came in Carnoustie where he finished ninth in this year’s Open. Prior to that top ten finish, he’d missed the cut at the US Open and finished 28th in Augusta back at the beginning of April. His top ten finishes this year include appearances at the Hero World Challange, the Waste Management Phoenix Open and in March’s Houston Open. He typically plays well at the latter with the wind often playing a big part in proceedings and he shot 70 in the final day to finish 13 under par alongside Paul Dunne and Matt Every. The tournament was won by Ian Poulter who edged out Beau Hossler in a play-off. Hossler was tipped up by Oddschecker as an each-way selection at 160/1 for the tournament and the American put in a superb performance to finish nineteen under par but was edged out by the Brit in a nail-biting showdown on April 1st. 

The majority of the headlines will focus on Kuchar’s return to form; however, the Floridian was equally delighted to move into the top ten for all-time earnings on the tour overtaking Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker and Donald Love III in the process. His 99 top ten finishes on the PGA Tour have certainly helped build up his career earnings which now stand at $45,019,237. He earned around $1.296 million alone for his success in Mexico and it seems unlikely to be the last time he tastes victory on the tour. 

Kuchar isn’t the only player who overcame a barren spell, with Lee Westwood also ending his own wait for success on the European Tour. The Worksop-born player, who is five years Kuchar’s senior, finished top of the leaderboard in the Nedbank Challenge, three shots ahead of Sergio Garcia to pick up his first victory since April 20th, 2014. That success came in the Maybank Malaysian Open on exactly the same day that his American counterpart was wrapping up the RBC Heritage in South Carolina. Both players have given good accounts of themselves on their respective tours but have found themselves unable to come out on top.

It’s been a frenetic 2018 for Kuchar who will have very little time to dwell on his success at El Camaleon Golf Club before heading off to Hawaii for his next commitment. He told reporters that his four-year wait has made him realize “…how difficult it is to win on the PGA Tour”. The result also moves him into fifth position in the FedEx Cup standings behind Marc Leishman and Brooks Koepka. He’s accumulated 505 points from the two events he has competed in. 

He is unlikely to forget this success anytime soon and although plenty more top ten finishes are surely just around the corner, he will be hoping to avoid another lengthy wait for his next victory on the tour. Golf throws up fascinating stories on a weekly basis and Kuchar’s success is a tale of sheer relief. It is a much-needed return to form for a player who is ending the calendar year on a high and he will be looking to take that momentum into 2019.