Theory emerges regarding Matt Kuchar’s controversial move to end tournament
Apr 25, 2024; Avondale, Louisiana, USA; Matt Kuchar waits his turn on the 16th green during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
PGA Tour golfer Matt Kuchar faced immense backlash Sunday for his polarizing decision to hold up the Wyndham Championship. But could there be more to the story than fans realized?
The 46-year-old golfer held up the entire tournament by refusing to finish his 72nd hole at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
With eventual winner Aaron Rai making his approach on the par-5 18th hole, Kuchar teed off and ended up marking his ball after one stroke. He then called it a day, postponing his final hole due to darkness. On Monday, Kuchar was the lone golfer who returned to finish half a hole.
Fans on X lambasted Kuchar for the controversial move. But one theory that’s gone viral on social media paints a different picture of what happened.
A fan with the username “Martin McSports” suggested that perhaps Kuchar did it in protest.
The veteran may have been frustrated at the slow pace that Rai and his group played with, thereby holding up the golfers behind them — Kuchar’s group included. The slow play resulted in later groups having to play in low light.
According to the theory, Kuchar held up the event as a proverbial middle finger to PGA Tour leadership and tournament officials for not stepping in to remedy the situation.
A different take on Kuchgate….I believe:
1)Kuch was furious about the pace of play, especially with Rai.
2)He was pissed at players, Tour Leadershp, & Rules officials for doing nothing about it.
3)He felt that Max’s meltdown & loss of a 4-stroke lead late in the round was…
— Martin McSports (@MartinMcSports) August 13, 2024
The fan account also posted a clip of Rai taking over a minute to size up a relatively short putt.
Part 2 of 2… pic.twitter.com/XIeHe0wtDQ
— Martin McSports (@MartinMcSports) August 13, 2024
Did Kuchar feed the intel to the mystery X user? Is Martin McSports secretly his burner account? Those are questions we’ll likely never have answered.
Kuchar made par on the 18th hole, finishing -11 and in a 10-way tie for 12th. The result earned him $145,000.
Tournament winner Rai was seven strokes ahead of Kuchar and took home $1,422,000 in prize money.
