Kuchar bags four-shot Sony Open triumph

US V ETER AN Matt Kuchar shook of f a slow sta r t a nd pul led away for a four-shot victory over Andrew Putnam on Sunday in the US PGA Tour Sony Open in Hawaii.

Kuchar birdied six of his last 10 holes in a four-under par 66 at Waia lae Countr y Club in Honolulu, finishing the week wit h a 22-under par tota l of 258.

The 40-yea r-old four-t ime Ryder Cup tea m member – who won a bronze medal for t he United States at t he 2016 Rio Oly mpics – won for t he second t i me i n t he 2018-19 sea son a f ter h i s v ic tor y i n t he Maya koba C l a s sic i n November.

“Boy, to win two out of three events – it’s crazy to comprehend,” s a id Kucha r, who missed the Tour Championship last year for the first time in eig ht yea rs but has now taken his tally of US PGA Tour titles to nine.

He led by two going into the final round. Three bogeys in his first five holes saw the usually steady Kuchar, who had just one bogey in the first three rounds, surrender the lead to Putnam.

“It was not at a ll what I was look i ng for,” Kucha r s a id, add i ng t hat he j u s t t old h i msel f to st ay c on f ident. “Some of those bogeys – there was a t hree-putt a nd a bad wedge shot. T hat ’s just so uncharacteristic.”

Sure enough he snapped out of it.

A birdie at the ninth saw him ma ke t he t u r n level w it h Putnam – who had two birdies in his first nine holes.

Kuchar added birdies at 10, 12, 15, 16 and the par-five 18th to sea l t he win as Putnam, who was tied for the lead after a birdie at 13, bogeyed 14 from a bunker on the way to a twounder 68 for solo second on 262.

“Andrew was tough,” Kuchar sa id. “He was bat t l i ng me, took the lead and it was nice to have t hat pressu re a nd come t hrough, make some birdies coming in.

“Getting t hat birdie on 15, getting that birdie on 16 – man that made 18 awfully nice to play,” added t he America n, who is now well on his way to making a fifth US Presidents Cup team.

Australian Marc Leishman had six birdies in a six-under 64 to sha re t hi rd place on 17-under 263 with Canadian Corey Conners and Americans Hudson Swafford and Chez Reavie.

Swafford a lso signed for a bogey-free 64, while Conners had seven birdies and a bogey i n his si x-under ef for t a nd Reav ie closed wit h a t hreeunder 67.