Kuchar finishes off delayed Wyndham Championship with par on 18
Matt Kuchar returned to Sedgefield Country Club on Monday morning to finish the Wyndham Championship after singlehandedly forcing a delay while the rest of the field finished out the final round.
Kuchar marked his errant tee shot on the 72nd hole on Sunday due to darkness. He was in a tie for 12th when he walked off the course, while leader and eventual winner Aaron Rai was in the group ahead. Kuchar's playing partner, Max Greyserman, had a chance to tie the lead with a birdie when Kuchar packed it in for the day.
Kuchar drew plenty of criticism Sunday night, as his bizarre decision forced several volunteers and employees to return to the venue after a difficult week of ensuring the course was in shape due to poor weather conditions. He eventually apologized to the staff after making a long-awaited par to finish his tournament.
"It stinks," Kuchar said, per PGATOUR.com's Kevin Prise. "Nobody wants to be that guy that's showing up today, one person, one hole. Not even one hole, half a hole to putt. So apologies to the tournament, to everybody that had to come out. I know it stinks, I know the ramifications, I know it stinks. Certainly, I apologize to force everybody to come out here."
He added: "Last night was dark … I think had I been in the fairway with a normal shot, I probably would have attempted to finish … Coming back in the morning, I never would have taken that drop last night, I never would have thought to ask. I knew I was in a terrible situation; I was praying to make bogey from where I was. To walk away with par, nearly birdie, is a huge bonus."
The nine-time PGA TOUR winner said Sunday his refusal to play in the dark was an attempt to set an example for Greyserman, who had much more on the line when finishing the round.
The par left Kuchar in a tie for 12th with a $134,695 payday. A birdie would have gotten him $223,833, and a bogey would have dropped him to $77,025. However, he needed a victory to make for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, which he's qualified for each year since its inception in 2007.
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