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While Aaron Rai won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, August 11, Matt Kuchar was the only player who decided to go for a Monday finish. However, the decision might have cost him big time.
On Sunday, Kuchar entered the final round of the Wyndham Championship with Max Greyserman and Chad Ramey. As it was getting dark, most of the players had completed their rounds except for the trio. They were given the option to either continue playing on Sunday or resume the next day.
Greyserman and Ramey decided to complete their rounds, but Kuchar opted for a Monday finish, seemingly to avoid risks due to poor visibility on the course. At that time, he was on the second shot of the 72nd hole.
"Last night was dark," Kuchar said on Monday, via PGA Tour's official website. "I think had I been in the fairway with a normal shot, I probably would have attempted to finish."
The following day, Matt Kuchar made a par on the 18th and finished T12, eight spots lower than where he was after 54 holes. For his 12th-place finish, he took home $144,965, but a birdie on the final hole would have boosted his earnings by $100,000.
Explaining his decision to play the final hole on Monday, Matt Kuchar told Golf Channel that he wanted to set an example for Max Greyserman, who was leading until the final few holes.
"We were so far past when we should’ve stopped playing," he was quoted as saying via NBC Sports. "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."
Earlier on Sunday, Greyserman made a quadruple bogey and a double bogey in the last five holes, costing him the title. On the other hand, Aaron Rai fired a 64 in the final round and went error-free to seal his maiden PGA Tour win and secure a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Did Matt Kuchar qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs?
The T12 finish at the Wyndham Championship didn't help Matt Kuchar qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He entered the tournament at 113th in the FedEx Cup standings and only moved to 103rd after the final round.
The 46-year-old golfer had a disappointing season, missing 11 cuts in 20 starts. His T3 finish at the 3M Open last month was his only top-ten finish. For the uninitiated, he has been winless on the PGA Tour since his 2019 Sony Open victory.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs will begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which will be played from Thursday, August 15, to Sunday, August 18, at TPC Southwind in Memphis. The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings have qualified for the playoffs.
