How the Kuchar cash row really trumped the lot

WHEN the Mea Culpa for Mayakoba finally arrived on Friday night, it came far too late to salvage Matt Kuchar’s shattered reputation for decency. But at least it might spare him from being a more unpopular American in Mexico this week than Donald Trump.

The reluctance of a man who has won £36million during his career to properly reward a caddie who was by his side when he returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in four years was bizarre and the worst story in a bad start to the year for golf, from Sergio Garcia damaging greens, to some widely-panned new rules.

Finally Kuchar backed down on Friday and admitted he had got it hopelessly wrong, that he had to pay David Ortiz the proportionate amount that common humanity demanded. There was a grace in his apology that had been so absent in a smug TV interview he had given two days earlier.

How on earth could Kuchar have ended up in such a mess? A man everyone felt was one of the good guys? This pitiful tale began at the Mayakoba Classic last November, where Kuchar earned his victory to universal acclaim and lauded his temporary caddie Ortiz as ‘his lucky charm’.

Then it emerged the lucky charm had been paid just a £780 bonus, on top of the £3,000 agreed. Given that Kuchar had collected over a £1m, you can understand why those living in the real world were disgusted.

Ortiz complained to Kuchar’s manager, Mark Steinberg, who offered him £11,600. Ortiz, who thought he was getting a bonus of £38,900, turned it down. ‘They can keep their money,’ he said. ‘Fair is fair and I feel like I was taken advantage of by placing my trust in Matt.’

Kuchar kept digging. When it was put to him his regular caddie, John Wood would have got £101,000 as a stock bonus, the player replied: ‘I’m not losing any sleep over this, it’s something that I’m quite happy with, making £4,000 is a great week.’

Perhaps it was the heckling that Kuchar received at the Genesis Open that prompted a dramatic Uturn. ‘Go low, Kuch, go low. Just not on the gratuity!’ one fan cried out. By Friday evening, Kuch had had a Scrooge-like conversion.

In a statement, he said: ‘This week I made comments that were out of touch and insensitive and made a bad situation worse. I read them again and I cringed. I let myself, my family, my partners and those close to me down but I also let David down.’

Ortiz will get his £38,900. Kuchar will also make a donation to the Mayakoba Classic ‘for philanthropic causes’.

This week, Kuchar will be part of a field playing for £7.7m in a World Golf Championship event. The fact it is being staged in Mexico is a fate he deserves.