Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
An emotional moment for Matt Kuchar heightened by surprise family visit.
SOUTHPORT, England — An emotional Sunday for
Matt Kuchar got even more so when he learned his wife and two young sons had made the trip to England to watch him play the final round of the British Open.
They were waiting for him as he walked off the green after his second-place finish to Jordan Spieth. Kuchar hugged his wife,
Sybi, and comforted the grade-school-age boys, both of whom were crying.
“I talked to them last night on the phone,” he said. “Thought they were in Colorado. It was a great surprise. A teary surprise. And it’s great to have loved ones here.
“Certainly my family means a lot. They’re a big support team. Golf is a selfish game, and what they go through, it’s an amazing support to help me try to be my best. It was very, very cool to have them here.”
The poignancy of the moment was not lost on Spieth.
“I noticed it when I walked up and saw his family hugging him, and I think Cameron is his oldest, and was in tears,” he said. “At that moment I’m so happy. And at the same time I see that and I think, ‘Man, put this in perspective. He’s a dad.’ I’m not a dad, I don’t think that way. And I was able to kind of get a little glimpse into what that’s like.”
Guiding hand: Among those waiting for Spieth when he walked off the green was his coach, Cameron McCormick, who also struggled to hold back tears.
“Words don’t describe it, really,” McCormick said. “I guess that’s the stuff legends are made of. When you’re pushed back to the wall and you’re in a corner and you keep punching … that just shows his tenacity and resilience and the heart that he has. And (caddie Michael
Greller) as well. They work so well as a team. It fills me with pride.”
When Spieth sliced his drive on No. 13 and it appeared the wheels were coming off, McCormick blamed himself.
McCormick said he was thinking, “What else could I have done? Was it something I didn’t pick up on with his manner in his pre-round warmup? At the same time, after what happened on 13 I looked forward and said, ‘There are some scoring holes coming up and he knows that.’
“He’s always been a player that can shift into a different gear. And this was an amazing example of that.”
Local favorite: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy finished with a 67, his best round of the tournament, and tied for fourth. He has won four majors — all but the Masters — so he has high expectations for himself. He concedes that going almost three years without winning a fifth bothers him. “You look at Jack Nicklaus, he went through a stretch where he didn’t win a major in three years,” he said. “I’m not comparing myself to Jack. It’s hard to win them. It’s very hard.
“We have a 20- or 30-year window of where we can. And I got off to a great start in my career. But yes, I feel like three years has been too long. At the same time I’m not going to rush it . ... I’m going to play my game. And hopefully my chance arrives and I’m able to take it.”
Low score, high hopes:
Branden Grace shot an even-par 70 on Sunday, a day after becoming the first player to shoot 62 in a major. An eight-stroke difference is something of a come-down, of course, but Grace was plenty happy with his tie for sixth.
“My wife told me this morning, ‘The week’s already been such a bonus,’ ” he said. “Obviously being in the history books. Now I can go out and enjoy today, whether it goes good or bad.”