Matt Kuchar breaks four-year victory drought at Mayakoba Golf Classic

Matt Kuchar ended a four year drought at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, holding off a hard-charging Danny Lee down the stretch for the long awaited victory.

Matt Kuchar is a pro’s pro. He’s long been known as “Mr. Consistent” for his ability to make cut after cut, top-25’s and top-tens seemingly piling up. However, it might surprise the casual fan to know that Kuchar’s last TOUR win came all the way back in 2014. That is, until Sunday at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

Kuchar was white-hot through the first three rounds at El Camaleon Golf Cub in Riviera Maya, Mexico. He set the 54-hole tournament record at 20-under par, for an aggregate of 193. He held a four-stroke lead over Whee Kim, and appeared to be in total control of his game, a mere 18-hole stroll from the inevitable win.

Of course, things aren’t always that easy on the PGA TOUR. Kim fell off the pace in a big way on Sunday, mustering just two birdies on the day, offset by a pair of bogeys on his way to an even-par round of 71.

Instead, it was Danny Lee, who opened the day five shots off the lead, that gave Kuchar the biggest scare. The 28-year-old had carded just three bogeys all week heading into the final round, allowing him to stay at least loosely within striking distance.

By the turn, Lee cut Kuchar’s lead to three. Kuchar made a surprising pair of bogeys back to back on Nos. 14 and 15. Lee made bogey on 15, but bounced back with a birdie on the par-3 16th, and suddenly, what had been a five-shot cushion was down to one for Kuchar.

However, it was Kuchar’s day, and he was not to be denied. Both players made pars on the final two holes, and the 40-year-old out of Georgia Tech was victorious once again.

On the “you don’t see this every day” line, Kuchar pulled off this victory using a local caddie. As a late commit to the Mayakoba, Kuchar’s regular looper, John Wood, had made other plans for this week that he couldn’t change on short notice. With other caddies he knows also otherwise occupied (and even with his wife, Sybi, filling in on Zach Johnson’s bag), Kuchar had no other choice but to look to the tournament director for assistance.

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Enter David, known locally as “el Tucan”. Kuchar says that it was an easy adjustment for him to make, and the two got on well on the course.

“It’s been good,” Kuchar said on Friday. “I think both of us are pretty easygoing. It’s been quite easy. He’s a steady rock out there and it’s been fun to have a local, some guy who can kind of point me in the right direction and who knows the ropes around here. I’ve enjoyed it.”

It’s safe to say that both Kuchar and “El Tucan” are enjoying themselves far more this evening. Kuchar’s win gave him nearly $1.3 million in prize money, and David is likely enjoying his cut – especially if it’s anywhere near the “traditional” arrangement of between five and ten percent.

Matt Kuchar may have gone four years between victories, but he’s proving each week that he still belongs at least in the conversation of the upper echelon of the PGA TOUR. He continues to thrive on ball-striker’s courses, and when conditions demand a certain level of accuracy and maturity. He’s never going to overpower a course, but he’s seen it all, and he knows how to handle his business.

Congratulations to Matt Kuchar on his eighth PGA TOUR win. Don’t expect it to be his last.