Matt Kuchar has apologized for refusing to finish his final round on the PGA Tour on Sunday and admitted it was “boring as hell” that workers had to return to the course on Monday to wait for him to play his final shots.
Kuchar’s bizarre behavior completely overshadowed the victory of Englishman Aaron Rai at the Wyndham Championship, who had risen to 22nd place in the world rankings thanks to his breakthrough in the USA.
“Nobody wants to be the guy who shows up today, one person, one hole. Not even one hole, half a hole to putt,” Kuchar said Monday. “So I apologize to the tournament, to everybody who had to come. I know it stinks, I know the consequences, I know it stinks. Of course I apologize for forcing everybody to come here.”
Kuchar’s remorse was in stark contrast to his attitude the previous evening, when the former US Ryder Cup star had rejected the umpire’s offer to finish his round in the fading daylight, even though Rai had already secured the title and the $1.4 million (£1.1 million) first prize in North Carolina.
Having already hit their drives from the last hole, Kuchar’s playing partners decided to complete the par 4 and thus end the tournament. Not so Kuchar, 45. As was his right under the rules, he insisted on returning in the morning.
It took him just a few minutes at 8am to clear the view of a scoreboard near the green and drop onto the adjacent fairway, saving his par and finishing in a tied 12th place that earned him $134,695 (£105,494). A bogey would have reduced his winnings to just over $77,000 (£60,306).
Kuchar, who has won more than $60 million in his career, made headlines several years ago after initially paying a local caddy $5,000 when he earned nearly $1.3 million (£1.02 million) for winning the Mexico Open, when the usual payment to the backer would have been $102,000.
Rai’s first win on the PGA Tour secures the 29-year-old from Wolverhampton his debut at next year’s Masters. “It really is a dream come true,” he said.
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