Matt Kuchar

While the youth movement is going strong on the PGA Tour today, Matt Kuchar took a few extra years to find his stroke before becoming one of the most consistent players on tour over the last five seasons. With over $15 million in tournament winnings and 7 tour victories, Kuchar is known for his steady play although he has struggled to close in major tournaments when in contention over the last few years.

Kuchar grew up in Winter Park, Florida and went to college at Georgia Tech. He was a two-time first-team All-American and lost in the semi-finals of the 1996 US Amateur Championships to Tiger Woods, but returned to win the title a year later in 1997. In 1998, Kuchar won the Haskins Award as the nation’s top golfer and had the low score for an amateur at both The Masters and US Open. In 2000, Kuchar turned pro where he looked like he would make an immediate impact on the PGA Tour.

Kuchar won his first tour event in 2002 at the Honda Open, but he struggled in the middle of the decade and by 2005, he lost his tour card. After participating on the Nationwide Tour for nearly two years, he earned his card back in 2007. After two more middling years in 2007 and 2008, Kuchar broke through in 2009 and finally won for the second time on tour at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, 7 years after his first tour win. In 2010, Kuchar finished as the leading money winner on tour.

Kuchar enjoyed very little success in his first decade of major tournaments, missing the cut in 11 of his first 12 tournaments after turning pro. In 2010, he turned things around and has had incredible success in majors….about as much as one can have without actually winning. He has made 17 of 19 cuts and has an impressive six Top 10 finishes in that stretch. He has been especially good in The Masters with three consecutive Top 10 finishes.

Kuchar’s game breaks down well for most courses as he plays a strong all around game. He is never going to be a long hitter, which should limit him to some degree, but he plays so well in all other facets that longer courses do not slow him down much compared with the big hitters. He ranks near the top in terms of accuracy, greens in regulation, strokes gained tee to green and strokes gained putting. When he does get off of the fairways and into more difficult terrain, he scrambles very well to keep himself out of trouble.

Since reinventing his swing mid career, there is little not to like about Kuchar’s game. His one flaw is that he has a bit of SergioFuryk-ulitis and struggles to close, particularly in big tournaments. We do not anticipate Kuchar winning often this year as that is not his style. Kuchar is a bit of a bridesmaid among the elite of the game. However, he is consistent in terms of finishing among the leaders throughout the year and will make the cut above 90% of the time. He is currently ranked 12th in the world. If he takes a few weeks off or has a couple of quiet weeks of below average results and his price drops, be sure to add him to your roster. This week at the WGC Cadillac Classic marks one of the best opportunities to do just that.