Tag: Matt Kuchar

The most-read Golfweek stories of 2019

With 2020 upon us, we reflect on year in golf with a closer look at the stories that most resonated with Golfweek readers.

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As we prepare to put a wrap on 2019 and welcome in the new year, we reflect on the year in golf with a closer look at the stories that most resonated with Golfweek readers.

The last 365 days have been a rollercoaster ride for sure. What stands out the most to you? What will you remember most from 2019?

Before we get to our list, it’s worth noting the themes into which these stories fit: Decorum, the Rules of Golf, the personalities in golf, money, the feel-good story of the year and Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.

Without further adieu, here are the most popular stories on Golfweek.com from the past year.

20. DQ’d for not ‘promptly’ returning scorecard

Skyler Fox, 16, learned a tough lesson about the Rules of Golf after being disqualified at a U.S. Open qualifying sectional for breaching Rule 3.3b(2), which states a player must “promptly return” a scorecard to the scorer’s table upon the completion of a round.

19. ‘Take one of these and go (expletive) yourself’

Country music star Jake Owen was among those who paid $29.99 to watch The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on pay-per-view, only to learn later that technical difficulties allowed for countless others to watch for free. Owen, it seems, was also not impressed with the quality of golf he had paid nearly $30 to watch. Lefty later responded in purely Lefty fashion.

18. ‘I’ve got this’

Amy Bockerstette wowed the golf world at the Phoenix Open. Playing a pro-am round with Gary Woodland, Bockerstette made par from the bunker on the infamous 16th hole and in the process, created the most viral of viral video moments of 2019.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 11: Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates with caddie El Tucan on the 18th green after winning during the final round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 11, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Matt Kuchar poses with El Tucan after the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

17. ‘That’s not a story’

It took two months, but it eventually came to light that Matt Kuchar severely underpaid his caddie after a victory in Mexico. Kuchar denied the allegation that he compensated local looper David Ortiz just $3,000 after earning $1.296 million for his win at the Mayakoba Classic in November. The story dragged on for weeks before Kuchar finally fessed up and paid up.

16. What’s in the bag?

David Dusek’s examination of the winning equipment used by Gary Woodland at the 2019 U.S. Open was of particular interest, and with good reason. Woodland won a premiere event at a premiere golf course in storybook fashion.

15. A golfer’s bucket list

No surprise to see Golfweek’s Best 2019: Best Courses You Can Play resonate like it did. It’s quite frankly the ultimate to-do list.

14. Wasting no time

Seconds after Tiger Woods sank a putt on the 18th hole at Augusta National to win his fifth Masters, Nike dropped a new promo featuring the 15-time major tournament winner.

13. Does Tiger need a bigger boat?

It started as an interesting ‘Hey look at that’ segment during the Golf Channel’s telecast of the Hero World Challenge. But Tiger being Tiger, the visual of his yacht in dock really stuck out.

12. Getting hacked

President Trump was unwittingly at the center of another hacking incident, but this one didn’t involve Wikileaks. No, this one pertained to bogus golf scores entered from courses in three different states on the same day.

President Donald Trump plays a round of golf at Trump Turnberry in Scotland. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

11. Damaging reputation

Sergio Garcia was thrown out of the inaugural $3.5 million Saudi International for willfully damaging putting greens, a day after he slammed a club in a bunker in anger.

10. Showing off

Tiger Woods won the Masters then showed up to his Florida restaurant wearing his green jacket. Because why not?

9. A $10,000 disappointment

A discounted round and the lack of a $5 fee prevented Minnesota golfer Matt Dorgan from cashing in a $10,000 prize after making a hole-in-one.

8. It’s too late now, but…

Our story titled “So you want 2020 Masters tickets? Here’s what you need to do” struck a chord with golf fans. After all, seeing Augusta National with your own eyes is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Masters badges atop a patron’s hat at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

7. A sad passing

Sad news arrived right after Thanksgiving as the golf world learned Hilary Watson, wife of eight-time major champion Tom Watson, died after battling pancreatic cancer.

6. A Shark rebuke

Greg Norman says the general public does not look particularly kindly on people who “step across the line and take advantage of anything in sport.” The comment was made in reference to a rules infraction Patrick Reed committed.

5. Money, money, money

Anything and everything Masters is going to garner attention. When Tiger Woods wins it, you can double the interest level, including how much money each golfer won at the tournament.

4. ‘Killing the game’

Rule 9.4b states: “If the player lifts or deliberately touches his or her ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.” This happened to Webb Simpson at the Players Championship, who blamed the penalty on his shirt and putter, then added: “So this is where I’m going to be loud and clear, like we have to get intent into the rules. We have to. Because it’s killing our game when it comes to these kind of things.”

3. Genuine concern

Analyst Paul Azinger was riding his motorcycle on a beach in March when his pleasant drive came to a sudden halt. He had gotten word Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, citing a neck strain. It clearly had Azinger concerned.

2. CBS shakeup

Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, two stalwarts of the CBS golf broadcast team, won’t be back, at least on CBS, in 2020. Both faced expiring contracts that were not renewed. Only Jim Nantz, who started in 1985, has enjoyed a longer uninterrupted stretch with the CBS golf crew.

1. Snubbing an upturned nose

While using the rules of golf to your advantage is wise, it’s confounding to watch someone with a once solid reputation and plenty of cash in the bank to snub his upturned nose at the spirit of the rules. Again. In the same year. On television. This was our most-read story of 2019.

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In trusting his boys, Tiger Woods sets up thrilling comeback to win Presidents Cup

Playing captain Tiger Woods put himself in the leadoff position and delivered with a 3-and-2 victory over spirited, pesky Abraham Ancer.

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MELBOURNE, Australia – The USA’s might proved unconquerable.

Finally arriving Saturday when they won three of four points in the afternoon foursomes session, then taking full flight in Sunday’s singles action, the heavily favored Americans climbed out of a cavernous hole in the Australian Sandbelt to win the Presidents Cup.

Down 6-1 at one point on Friday and trailing 10-8 to the underdog Internationals heading into the final day at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the Americans won eight of 12 points in singles to pull out a 16-14 victory.

In winning the singles session for the first time since 2009, the comeback victory increased the USA’s record to 11-1-1 in the series.

Playing captain Tiger Woods led by example, putting himself in the leadoff position and then delivering with a 3-and-2 victory over spirited, pesky Abraham Ancer. Then his red, white and blue charges followed suit.

Embattled Patrick Reed won in the third match out, Dustin Johnson the fourth match out. Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Webb Simpson provided consecutive victories. Providing key half-points were Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler.

“We did it together,” Woods said. “We came here as a team. The (assistant) captains did an amazing job of just being there for every little detail. I couldn’t have done it without all their help and all my boys. They did it.

“I trust all my 11 guys. They went out there and got the points we needed. We fought. Even the points we lost, we were making them earn every one of them, and this Cup wasn’t going to be given to us. We had to go earn it, and we did.”

They did it without world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, who was out rehabbing a knee injury. They did it after a 26-hour trek across the globe. They did it on a quirky course that challenged them on every shot.

Meanwhile, the Internationals, the youngest team in the history of the event with seven rookies, needed 5½ points Sunday to win for the first time this century. They mustered just four. They only got wins from Sungjae Im (4 and 3 over Gary Woodland) and Cameron Smith (2 and 1 over Justin Thomas) and halves from Marc Leishman, Adam Hadwin, Louis Oosthuizen and Hideki Matsuyama, who couldn’t hold on despite leading Finau 4 up at the turn.

“We’re just gutted,” Oosthuizen said.

“I can only give them my love,” captain Ernie Els said. “They played so hard for each other and the team. I really have to take my hat off to every one of them. There are a lot of young, young players, a lot of players that the world has never seen or heard but you will see them a lot in the future.

“We’re getting closer. Our team is not as deep as the U.S. team. All credit to the U.S. team. They have an absolute stacked team.”

Starting with Woods, who deflated Ancer and the Internationals in the leadoff match. In November, Ancer said he wanted to play Woods in singles at the Presidents Cup. Cue the saying, be careful what you wish for.

“Abe wanted it and he got it,” Woods said.

The U.S. team holds the trophy after the Americans won the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

In setting the tone, Woods never looked to be in danger of losing, a picture of control from his opening tee shot through his final birdie putt on the 16th hole.

“I’m familiar with being out front and having to lead the team from there,” said Woods, who sat out both of Saturday’s sessions but ended the week 3-0-0. With his three wins, Woods became the all-time leader in matches won inthe event with 26, one more than Phil Mickelson.

A few minutes after Woods enjoyed a rambunctious celebration with nearby fans, Johnson and Reed followed the captain’s lead.

Johnson never trailed against Haotong Li and won three holes in a row and four of five starting at the third en route to a 4-and-3 win.

Reed had a new caddie, his coach, Kevin Kirk, on the bag after his regular caddie, Kessler Karain, was not allowed to work after he got into an altercation with a fan the day before.

Despite hearing disparaging remarks from fans, who referenced Reed’s penalty violation in the sand at the Hero World Challenge, Reed made birdies on his first three holes and five of his first seven to assume a 6-up lead. Pan fought back to get within 2 down, but Reed won the last two holes for a 4-and-2 win.

“The past couple days were tough, and you know, today still wasn’t easy,” Reed said. “The big thing was to go out and try to get up early and try to get this thing on the right side of the board. And we did that.”

Cantlay put another full red flag on the scoreboard by dominating the back nine in a 3-and-2 victory against Joaquin Niemann. Schauffele, who won twice with Cantlay, took a 4-up lead and eventually took down the Internationals’ lion, Adam Scott, in a 2-and-1 triumph.

Then Simpson, who was 0-3-0 when teamed with Reed, guaranteed a tie for the Americans with his 2-and-1 win over Ben An.

In the second-to-last match, Kuchar provided the critical half-point by winning two of the last five holes against Oosthuizen. Fowler capped the comeback by winning two of the last four holes against Leishman.

“It was pretty awesome to play for the greatest player ever,” Kuchar said. “To have a chance to make a team captained by the greatest player ever that is also a player on the team. I can’t tell you how unique, how cool of a thing that is.

“For us, you know, to be in a hole, to come back and win this thing was such a thrill. One, to win it as a team, but to do it with Tiger Woods as our captain was just a huge thrill.”

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Presidents Cup: Patrick Reed hears it from fans, goes down to defeat

MELBOURNE, Australia – When Patrick Reed arrived at the first tee at Royal Melbourne, the partisan crowd pelted him with catcalls that referenced his recent rules infraction for improving his lie in a waste bunker at the Hero World Challenge. “Are …

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MELBOURNE, Australia – When Patrick Reed arrived at the first tee at Royal Melbourne, the partisan crowd pelted him with catcalls that referenced his recent rules infraction for improving his lie in a waste bunker at the Hero World Challenge.

“Are you really going to make your caddie carry 14 clubs and a shovel?” one shouted.

That one even made Reed crack a smile.

Standing near the first tee as an observer on Day One was American Matt Kuchar, who said he expected the jeers to fire up Reed.

“I think he really enjoys that,” Kuchar said. “I saw that as being a thing where, man, this is going to get Patrick in the state he wants to be in; he needs to be in; plays better in that state. When I heard it, I thought, ‘Can’t wait to see how he does. This is his element.’ ”

But Reed didn’t shush the crowd as he had done at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. Nor did it lead to inspired play. He and partner Webb Simpson never led in their Four-ball match and lost 1 up to Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei. It was Reed’s first loss in four Presidents Cup Four-ball matches.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Scores | Viewer’s guide | Photos

Reed received a chorus of boos when his name was announced, the only player to receive such a welcome. Two days after a fan dubbed him “The Excavator,” Reed stepped to the first tee and belted his tee shot down the right side and watched in disgust as it rolled into a bunker. The crowd erupted in cheers.

“I’ll have the shovel, thanks,” one fan said.

From the you can’t make this up department: Reed hit into bunkers on the first three holes. There were catcalls of “get in the bunker” and “stay out of the bunker.” Seemingly every hole, a spectator or two made some crack but it was rarely over the top.

When Reed drove into the hay right of the seventh fairway, a spectator declared it a bad lie and joked, “Go ahead and fix it. Take a foot wedge.”

Reed was heckled with “Mr. Sandman,” and there were a few cries of “cheat,” most vocally from a boozy group of fans holding Heinekens in a chalet bordering the 10th hole.

“It’s exactly what I expected,” Reed later said.

“Undeserved,” Simpson said. “Undeserved.”

But overall, the fan reaction was subdued and while it likely will continue throughout the event, it didn’t seem to impact Reed negatively. If anything, it failed to provide Reed with the boost that Kuchar expected.

The Internationals came out punching, as Matsuyama and Pan combined to birdie Nos. 2-5 and take an early 2-up lead. Reed drove the sixth green, but it was Simpson who canned the birdie putt to win the hole. That was the only hole they won on the first nine. They fell 2-down when the American team both drove into trouble on No. 9 and made bogey to lose the hole.

“That hole alone, you know, is the difference of being all-square than down,” Reed said. “You know, in a format like this, you just can’t make bogeys and unfortunately neither of us was able to convert.”

Reed didn’t go down without a fight. He cut the deficit in half at No. 12 by knocking a short iron from 134 yards to inside 4 feet. At 16, with Captain Tiger Woods looking on, Reed holed an 11-foot birdie putt to tie the match and yelled, “Come on!”

That was the closest we came to seeing the fist pumps and hijinks that earned Reed the nickname “Captain America” other than a supporter at the first tee dressed in a Captain America onesie.

But one hole later, Matsuyama buried a 27-foot birdie putt to regain the lead and that proved to be the difference.

“How good was that putt?” Pan said later.

Reed had one last chance to make birdie and salvage half a point but his putt didn’t even scare the hole.

“We brought it back,” Simpson said. “But we just didn’t get it done.”

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2019 Presidents Cup odds, lines, picks and best bets: Which side wins at Royal Melbourne?

Previewing the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, with golf betting odds and picks for outright winner and the best props.

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The 2019 Presidents Cup takes place this week at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Twelve of the top golfers from the United States tee off against 12 of the best from outside of Europe. Below, we analyze the tournament odds and prop bets, with golf betting picks and tips.

The first round will start Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Looking to place a bet on this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Presidents Cup Teams

Captains Tiger Woods (USA) and Ernie Els (International) selected the following teams:

Team USA International Team
Dustin Johnson–Justin Thomas Hideki Matsuyama–Adam Scott
Matt Kuchar–Xander Schauffele Louis Oosthuizen–Marc Leishman
Webb Simpson–Patrick Cantlay Abraham Ancer–Haotong Li
Bryson DeChambeau–Tiger Woods C.T. Pan–Cameron Smith
Gary Woodland–Tony Finau Joaquin Niemann–Adam Hadwin
Patrick Reed–Rickie Fowler Sungjae Im–Byeong Hun An

The entire US team ranks in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Ranking, while only three members of the International side are in the top 25.

Presidents Cup Tournament Winner

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

Team USA has won the past seven Presidents Cups and leads the all-time series against the International side at 10-1-1. Fortunately for the global squad, which is led by three Australians, its only Presidents Cup victory was at this venue in 1998.

The INTERNATIONALS are getting juicy +250 odds for the tournament victory. Team USA is a -250 favorite. Look for Adam Scott (No. 18), Marc Leishman (No. 28) and Cameron Smith (No. 52) to lead the Internationals to victory on home soil.

Presidents Cup Prop Bets

Internationals +3.5 Points (-125)

After losing 19-11 in 2017, look for the Internationals to keep it closer this time out. Their previous two losses in 2015 and ’13, were decided by one and three points, respectively.

Top Combined Points Scorer: Adam Scott (+1200)

Scott will have the crowd behind him as the top golfer from the host nation. He didn’t play in 1998 (when the Internationals got their lone win in the event, also in Melbourne), but he has won both the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship and has spoken highly of wanting to win at the famed Royal Melbourne as a potential career highlight.

Who will score the most points for the USA? Patrick Reed (+900)

Expect the best from Reed, who has excelled in the Ryder Cup format against Europe, and in the 2017 Presidents Cup. He’s coming off another controversy at last week’s Hero World Challenge in which he was penalized two strokes for improving his line of play in a waste bunker.

Get some action on this tournament by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Matt Kuchar, Brian Gay drop Mayakoba aces within minutes of each other

Matt Kuchar and Brian Gay upped the PGA Tour’s season-long hole-in-one count by making aces within minutes of each other at Mayakoba.

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At Mayakoba, aces apparently come in packages of two. For the second time this week, holes-in-one were logged within minutes of each other. On Sunday, Matt Kuchar holed out at the par-3 eighth just minutes before Brian Gay, playing two groups ahead, logged an ace at the par-3 10th.

Interestingly, the par-3 fourth hole swallowed back-to-back aces during Friday’s first round (the tournament was pushed back a day after rain saturated El Camaleon Golf Club). First, Cameron Tringale holed out, then in the very next group, Chase Seiffert did the same.

It marked the first time since the 2004 Masters that aces were made in back-to-back groups.

Mayakoba: Leaderboard | TV info | Photos

On Sunday, Kuchar moved from 3 under to 5 under on the day after dropping his tee shot at No. 8 right in front of the hole then watching it trickle the last few feet into the cup.

Gay’s shot into the 10th also landed a few feet short then curled back right and disappeared into the hole.

The PGA Tour season is young, but Kuchar and Gay went down as the eighth and ninth players to make a hole-in-one so far this season. There were 36 holes-in-one last season.

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Eamon’s Corner: Let’s not pretend Mayakoba caddie drama didn’t happen

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.

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Matt Kuchar speaks one year after Caddie-Gate: ‘It’s a moment I’m not proud of’

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.

In an interview with the New York Post published Saturday, Ortiz tells Mark Cannizzaro his side of the infamous story.

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.

Mayakoba Golf Classic: Tee times, TV info | Betting odds

“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.”

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