El Camaleon Golf Course in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, hosted the PGA TOUR and the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic where Matt Kuchar would shoot a 2-under par round of 69 to reach 22-under par (64-64-65-69) for the tournament, earning him a one-stroke victory over Danny Lee, for his 8th PGA TOUR victory and his first in over four years! His 22-under par total also broke the tournament scoring record and also his best 72-hole score on TOUR.
It wasn’t easy though as Kuchar survived some shaky play down the stretch and rattled in a par putt from just inside three feet on 18 win. With the win, Kuchar earned a spot in a handful of prestigious tournaments, first on the calendar being the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.
This week marked a return to form for a player who was used to being in the upper echelon but had fallen off. Kuchar was 76th in the FedExCup last season after being in the top 20 for eight straight years. He missed cuts, which he said was “not in my vocabulary” and “extremely frustrating.” He missed the TOUR Championship. He turned 40. He came to Mayakoba without knowing exactly where his game was. He’d worked hard with his instructor, Chris O’Connell, leading into his only other start of this season, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, but finished T57. He was hitting the ball well, but not scoring.
He still wants to win a major, and to play on the U.S. Presidents Cup next year. He even spoke of potentially reeling off multiple victories in 2019. First, though, Kuchar will be headed to the Australian Open, followed by the World Cup. His season of frustration, the doubts about his future, the existential angst of a milestone birthday—all of it had been wiped away. Congratulations, Matt!
Source: PGA TOUR
