For all intents and purposes, Aaron Rai has won the 2024 Wyndham Championship, held at Sedgefield Country Club this weekend.
However, the tournament will technically continue on Monday morning. For one golfer.
That’s because Matt Kuchar, who was playing in the final threesome on Sunday, chose not to hit his second shot on the 72nd hole. The 46-year-old, who is out of contention in a 10-way tie for 12th place, will finish his final hole on Monday.
Late in CBS’s broadcast of the tournament on Sunday, Kuchar was seen 212 yards from the 18th hole when he bent down and marked his ball in the rough.
“Matt Kuchar has said he won’t play any more golf today,” on-course reporter Dottie Pepper told announcer Jim Nantz and the audience at home.
CBS analyst Trevor Immelman noted that the horn hadn’t blown to signal darkness. Rules official Orlando Pope then joined the broadcast to say that since it was after sunset, they had opted to tell Kuchar, Max Greyserman, and Chad Ramey so that they could finish quickly.
While Greyserman and Ramey then finished the hole, Kuchar decided to end play and return Monday morning to complete his round and tournament.
Nantz, perplexed by the decision, dropped a subtle dig regarding whether or not Kuchar’s Monday performance will be televised.
🚨☠️🏌️♂️#WATCH — Matt Kuchar pulls the plug on 18. He cannot make the FedEx Cup playoffs (103rd). He’ll be back tomorrow to finish out 💀
“I don’t expect we’ll be bringing you that coverage tomorrow.” -Jim Nantz
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 12, 2024
“He’s gonna come out here tomorrow, I don’t think there’s gonna be anybody to watch it,” said Nantz. “I don’t expect we’re gonna be bringing you that coverage tomorrow.”
The move was bizarre for several reasons. One, Kuchar had rushed to the tee on his previous shot. Had he hit the fairway, he might have struck Rai, who was preparing to hit his second shot. And two, due to his performance this weekend, Kuchar has already been eliminated from the FedExCup 70-man playoffs.
To be fair, you could make the case that Kuchar decided to hold off on the shot because his finish could make a huge difference in his take-home pay. If he hits par, he’s in line to take $134,695. If he birdies the hole, he’ll take home $223,833. Conversely, if he ends up with a bogey, his earnings fall to $77,025.
The difference between a 10-way for 12th and a seven-way tie for 21st is ~$58,000. Matt Kuchar has made $59.8 million in his career.
Cannot believe I’m typing any of these words.
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) August 12, 2024
Afterward, Kuchar told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis that he did it to try and help Greyserman, who was in 2nd place behind Rai.
“I was trying to set an example for Max,” Kuchar told Lewis. “We were so far past when we should’ve stopped playing. We saw what Max did on hole 16; they should’ve blown the hole there. I feel bad, the poor kid should’ve won this tournament. By me not playing, it may show Max he has an important shot to hit.”
That explanation rang hollow to several golf media members.
“Why did he tee off on 18?” Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee said. “Because if he had hit a good drive, it would’ve got down there and possibly disrupt the flow of Aaron Rai and the group in front of them. … He could’ve stopped long before this if he wanted to stop.”
“Max can make his own decision,” added Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie. “To say I wanted to influence this other player in his decision-making, that is a bizarre statement.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.