Matt Kuchar keeps alive chance to extend his 17-year-long FedExCup Playoffs streak, losing to his son doesn’t affect his game
Matt Kuchar is in good form at the age of 46. The nine-time PGA Tour winner is currently competing at the Wyndham Championship 2024 and is chasing a spot in the FedExCup playoffs. The golfer needs to win this weekend to land a spot.
Kuchar, coming off the back of a third-place finish at the 3M Open two weeks ago, carded an impressive 64 at the Wyndham Championship’s opening round on Friday. The golfer came in hot at the event, which was postponed a day due to Tropical Storm Debby. The ace golfer sat T4 at the end of Friday, putting him in a strong spot to maintain his record FedExCup Playoffs streak.
For the unversed, Kuchar has made the FedExCup Playoffs for 17 straight years and is the only player to do so. The golfer needs to win the Wyndham Championship this week to qualify for a record 18th time.
The 2012 Players Championship winner is currently seated 113 on the FedExCup standings and will only enter the top 70 qualifying spots with a win. However, Kuchar seems unfazed by the pressure of maintaining the historic streak.
Speaking about his stance on the FedExCup playoffs, Matt Kuchar said, as quoted by PGATOUR.com:
“If you asked me where I stood, I wouldn't know. Now we get those texts and I understand kind of where I stand with points. I don't want to know how many points I need; I don't want to know any of those things. No, I've always been of the belief, ‘How is that going to help me play better?’”
It is noteworthy that the top 125 on the standings qualified for the playoffs before 2023. The golfer, whose last win came at the Sony Open in 2019, managed to keep his hopes alive in recent weeks as he made his first top-10 finish of the season at 3M Open.
Matt Kuchar is happy to lose to his son
Matt Kuchar lost to his teenage son Cameron last week. The 17-year-old promising junior golfer made a 12-footer for par on the final hole at Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club in Idaho to beat the nine-time PGA Tour winner. Despite conceding the loss, the 36-year-old seemed happier than he would’ve been by winning.
The 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medal-winning golfer noted that he expected it to ‘happen sooner or later.’ The veteran golfer dubbed it a ‘cool moment.’
Speaking about the loss to Cameron, Matt Kuchar said, as quoted by PGATOUR.com:
“One of those days I knew was going to happen sooner or later. Knew I'd be proud, but at the same time wanted to hold it off as long as I could… I was sure pressure was going to get the best of him, but he canned it and was very excited… It was a cool moment to have him beat me.”
Kuchar, who ranks No.140 on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained, added that he was unfazed by the result and wasn’t even paying attention to his spot on the FedExCup playoffs standing during the matchup.