It wasn’t as easy as he had hoped, but in the end Matt Kuchar did just enough at the Mayakoba Golf Classic to snap a lengthy victory drought. Here’s how things ended up in Mexico, where Kuchar won for the first time since 2014:
Leaderboard: Matt Kuchar (-22), Danny Lee (-21), Richy Werenski (-19), J.J. Spaun (-19), Brice Garnett (-18)
What it means: Kuchar led after each of the first three rounds, and he carried a four-shot cushion into the final round near Cancun. But things tightened up on the back nine, as Kuchar bogeyed Nos. 14 and 15 to let the field back into the mix. But a trio of closing pars were just enough for Kuchar to hold off Lee, as he won for the first time since the 2014 RBC Heritage and captured his eighth career PGA Tour title.
Round of the day: Scott Piercy is leaving Mexico with some extra coin thanks to a final-round surge, shooting a 9-under 62 that served as the low score of the week. Piercy started the final round outside the top 30, but after a closing effort that included six birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the front nine, he moved all the way up into a tie for sixth at 17 under.
Best of the rest: Lee’s rally came up one shot short, but it was still a solid effort as he closed with a 6-under 65 to finish alone in second place. The Kiwi had seven birdies against just a single bogey, but couldn’t convert a mid-range birdie putt on the final green that likely would have gotten him into a playoff with Kuchar.
Biggest disappointment: Whee Kim had a spot in the final group alongside Kuchar, and he was hoping to add some pressure as one of the closest pursuers. But he failed to get anything going during the final round, making just two birdies against two bogeys en route to an even-par 71 that dropped him into a tie for 10th.
Quote of the day: “Golf’s such a funny game. It’s hard to predict when it’s going to come around.” – Kuchar
Source: Internet
