We all remember Cheapskate-Gate, where it was revealed that Matt Kuchar paid only a paltry percentage of his winner’s check to David Ortiz.
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The 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic was won by Matt Kuchar, who also emerged as the biggest loser of the week.
We all remember Cheapskate-Gate, where it was revealed that Kuchar paid only a paltry percentage of his winner’s check to David ‘El Tucan’ Ortiz, the local caddie he used that week.
Kuchar’s once-pristine reputation was spit-roasted on social media. The whole thing was a master class in how to botch a public-relations crisis.
But let’s hope that everyone doesn’t just pretend that last year’s drama didn’t happen.
Watch the video at the top of the page to see the latest edition of Eamon’s Corner.
Matt Kuchar concedes he made a mistake both in his actions and statements with his caddie after winning the 2018 Mayokaba Golf Classic.
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Matt Kuchar concedes he made a mistake last year when he didn’t reward David Giral Ortiz, his fill-in caddie during his victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, with a fitting tip for a job well done.
“What happened post tournament with David is something I’m not proud of, made some headlines that certainly I’m definitely not proud of, but I’ve done my best to make amends, to make things right with David, to do things right by the community,” Kuchar said on Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference.
Giral Ortiz, who goes by the nickname El Tucan, is a caddie at El Camaleon Golf Course, the host course of the annual PGA Tour event at the seaside resort near Cancun. Their story should have been a joyous celebration, but instead it turned into a public relations fiasco for Kuchar when word broke that he had only paid his caddie $5,000, a fraction of the $1.296 million in prize money he earned for his eighth Tour title. It’s customary for the victor’s caddie to receive 10 percent of the first-place check.
Kuchar’s actions made national headlines and he became the butt of jokes. Instead of being greeted with his customary calls of “KUUUCH,” he was showered with something that sounded more like boos.
“That was a tough thing on me and my family, but it was really tough when I heard from my grandmother and she’s reading headlines about her grandson,” Kuchar said. “I think I’ve always tried to make her proud. I’ve got kids of my own, you try to set a good example.”
In February, under a mounting storm of Twitter backlash and a growing number of stories in mainstream publications, Kuchar increased Giral Ortiz’s payment to $50,000. He said he regrets both his actions and statements, including telling Golf.com, “For a guy who makes $200 a day, a $5,000 week is a really big week.”
“It’s a moment I’m not proud of, but it’s one of those things you do your best as a father to teach kids lessons, and there’s no better thing than to show them – taking the lead and showing them the right steps to take. When you have moments you’re not proud of, you make amends for them, you do your best to make it right and try to keep moving forward and staying positive,” he said on Tuesday. “I think I equate it a lot to team sports, you know. You learn a lot in losses, you learn a lot in hard times. Certainly it’s given me an opportunity for growth, for self-betterment. I try in situations to definitely not make that mistake again but to be better in so many areas, to try to be more charitable, try to be more giving, try to take more opportunities to do the right things and do really good things.
“I think as a whole I’m proud of the life I’ve led, I think I’ve done a lot of good, but you look back at certain instances, I’ve got some I’m not proud of. I’m proud of the way I’ve tried to make them right.”
Kuchar is scheduled to begin his defense on Thursday off the 10th tee at 7:50 a.m. with Presidents Cup teammate Tony Finau and Mexico’s top-ranked golfer Abraham Ancer.
“Up to this point I’ve had seven chances to defend a title and I’ve yet to be successful in defending it,” Kuchar said. “Had a couple good runs, but it would be a thrill for me to go ahead and defend the title and be champion once again.”
David ‘El Tucan’ Ortiz was stiffed by Matt Kuchar at the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic and reveals his side of the story to the New York Post.
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It’s been one year since Matt Kuchar stiffed his fill-in caddie at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, but David Giral Ortiz harbors no resentment.
The 41-year-old caddie at El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen was placed at the center of a debate about how much players pay their caddies last November. Kuchar initially paid Ortiz $5,000 for helping him earn his eighth PGA Tour win and the $1.3 million prize at Mayakoba.
Ortiz, who goes by the nickname “El Tucan”, was asked to caddie for Kuchar the Monday before last year’s Mayakoba Golf Classic. Ortiz said he jumped at the opportunity, met Kuchar that Tuesday and the two agreed on payment. According to the Post, Kuchar told Ortiz he would earn $1,000 each for the Tuesday practice round and Wednesday pro-am in addition to $3,000 for the tournament, regardless of whether Kuchar made the cut.
Ortiz, who speaks in broken English according to the report, countered with the former Georgia Tech golfer.
“I said, ‘If you win, 10 percent for me,’ ’’ Ortiz said, according to the Post. “He said, ‘Of course,’ but it felt like he was just looking at me like I’m this little guy.’’
The story gets even more disappointing from there.
Kuchar went on to win and gave Ortiz $5,000 instead of the customary 10 percent, which would have been $130,000. When asked about the payment later, Kuchar told reporters, “For a guy who makes $200 a day, a $5,000 week is a really big week,” and “I certainly don’t lose any sleep over this.”
When the media picked up the story and it blew up on social media, director of golf at El Camaleon David Lopez reached out to Kuchar’s agent, Mark Steinberg, on behalf of Ortiz.
Matt Kuchar walks to the 15th green during the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 9, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“It was so wrong,” Lopez said about Kuchar’s comments. “You can’t say that kind of stuff. It’s extremely racial. It just seemed like every time Matt opened his mouth it kept getting worse and worse and worse.’’
Lopez added if Kuchar had not paid Ortiz when he did, the tournament was about to step up and make things right.
“The (Mayakoba) ownership was pissed,’’ Lopez told the New York Post. “The ownership was ready to tell Kuchar, ‘Don’t worry … don’t even bother to show up next year.’ They were about to pay Tucan themselves.’’
Kuchar finally paid Ortiz a total of $50,000 for stepping in as caddie, less than 5 percent of Kuchar’s winnings at the event. While the controversy placed Ortiz in the middle of a media frenzy, the Post reported he is not resentful of Kuchar or the experience.
In fact, Ortiz’s career has grown due to the notoriety and he has earned more than other caddies at El Camaleon due to the number of golfers requesting him on their bags.
And he was able to buy a used BMW with his paycheck.
“Kuchar is a good person,’’ Ortiz told the Post. “I’m not angry. Everything is good. Not paying was not good. But I have no anger.’’
Kuchar will return to El Camaleon for this year’s Mayakoba Golf Classic which begins Thursday.
