“What a weird ending haha” – PGA Tour pro Michael S Kim gives hot take on Matt Kuchar’s ‘wild’ decision at the Wyndham Championship
Matt Kuchar made headlines on Sunday by opting to finish the final round of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship on Monday. The 46-year-old golfer stopped his round after the first shot on the 18th hole at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. The ace golfer initially cited darkness as the reason behind his uncommon decision.
Kuchar returned to the field on Monday with his caddie and finished his round despite Aaron Rai winning the trophy well in advance. He was the sole player to do so. The bizarre decision and follow-through raised several eyebrows including that of PGA Tour pro Michael S Kim. The 31-year-old, who pulled out of the competition with an injury, dubbed it ‘weird.’
Kim recalled that Kuchar had to break big if he was to qualify for the FedExCup playoffs. He noted that the latter was “not trying to get into next week” at the point he decided to delay his finish causing some inconvenience to the rules officials and golf course staff. He dubbed it a “weird ending” to the event.
Giving his hot take on Matt Kuchar’s move while sharing his “thoughts from Wyndham” on Monday, Michael S Kim wrote on X:
“The Kuchar thing was def weird. I’ve heard his explanation and he didn’t know Aaron (Rai) had birdied 18, and thought his playing partner Max still had a chance to win. Since max (if he still had a chance) wasn’t going to finish, he thought why would I force it when it’s so dark out. I assume he already marked his ball and couldn’t change his mind when he saw Max decided to finish?
"Either way, it’s wild to me that he chose not to finish. He’s not trying to get into next week at that point. Idk if they had to cut or roll the greens. I assume a rules official, some range, golf course staff had to come back. What a weird ending haha.”
In the same tweet that he called out Matt Kuchar in, Michael S Kim congratulated Aaron Rai for winning the Wyndham Championship. He lauded the champion golfer while dubbing him “super respectful” and “a really nice guy.”
Kim called his weekend a “rollercoaster” as he managed to make a 9ft putt on Saturday to make the cut and yet had to WD because of his back. He stated that the issue was not anything too serious and that the decision to pull out was of precaution.
Matt Kuchar finishes 2024 Wyndham Championship alone on Monday
Matt Kuchar finished a respectable T12 at the 2024 Wyndham Championship this weekend. However, his achievement was overshadowed by his decision to delay his final-round finish by a day.
For the unversed, PGA Tour Chief Referee Ken Tackett informed the golfer’s group about the suspension of play on Sunday and noted that they could finish the hole or choose to return in the morning. Kuchar, who made the decision first, opted to stop playing. His two playing partners - Max Greyserman and Chad Ramey - finished their final group rounds on Sunday.
Notably, the ace golfer was not in contention for a win or was challenging for a spot at next week’s PGA Tour playoffs. Kuchar arrived at the Sedgefield Country Club driving range at 7:40 am local time with his caddie and finished alone.
Speaking about the decision, Matt Kuchar said on Monday, as quoted by PGATOUR.com:
“Last night was dark. I think had I been in the fairway with a normal shot, I probably would have attempted to finish… Nobody wants to be that guy … the one guy that didn't finish… Here it's me now as the guy who didn't get to finish the tournament.”
It is pertinent to note that Matt Kuchar was late to learn that his group partners had decided to continue playing. According to Rule 5.7, a player who opts to stop play cannot resume until the Rules Committee restarts play. In this case, the golfer had to wait a whole night.