Apparently Matt Kuchar took issue with David Feherty’s comment on Sunday’s edition of “Morning Drive” that nobody would be able to shoot a score as low as 64 in the final round of the RBC Heritage. Feherty opined that the rain and the wind would make Harbour Town GC a Sunday beast, but Kuchar begged to differ, his could-have-been-better, could-have-been-worse 7-under 64 giving him an 11-under 273 and a one-stroke victory over Luke Donald, who for the fifth time finished in the top three at Hilton Head without getting to don the tartan jacket. Kuchar’s 64 tied the record for best final round by a winner at the Heritage.
Best final-round score by a winner at the RBC Heritage
Score
Player
Year
64
Matt Kuchar
2014
64
Brandt Snedeker
2011
64
Brian Gay
2009
64
Stewart Cink
2004
Best final-round performances by Matt Kuchar
Score
Tournament
Finish
63
2010 Humana
T-2
64
2014 RBC Heritage
Won
64
2009 Humana
T-25
Kuchar’s Sunday score offset a second-round 73, which was one of the highest final-round scores by a winner in 2013-14 and one of seven rounds over par by an eventual winner on Tour this year.
PGA Tour winners in 2013-14 despite shooting one round over par
Player
Score
Tournament
Round
Zach Johnson
74
Hyundai T of C
Third round
Jimmy Walker
74
AT&T Pebble Beach
Fourth round
Russell Henley
72
Honda Classic
Fourth round
Patrick Reed
75
WGC-Cadillac
Second round
John Senden
72
Valspar Champ.
First round
Bubba Watson
74
Masters
Third round
Matt Kuchar
73
RBC Heritage
Second round
The victory was Kuchar’s fourth straight top-10 finish and culminates a month where the now seven-time PGA Tour winner could have – some might say should have – won every time. Kuchar was T-4 at the Valero Texas Open, second at the Shell Houston Open and fifth at the Masters. He held the lead on Sunday in the Texas events and was one stroke back of the 54-hole leaders at the Masters. He is the first player with top-10 finishes in four consecutive PGA Tour events since Ryan Moore in 2012. (Unlike Kuchar, who played all four weeks, Moore and Dustin Johnson, who also accomplished the feat in 2012, had built in off-weeks during their streaks, as their runs came partially during the PGA Tour Playoffs.) Here are the players with three straight weeks in the top 10 since 2013.
Most consecutive weeks with top-10 finishes since 2013
Weeks
Player
Year
Tournaments
4
Matt Kuchar
2013-14
T-4-Texas, 2-Houston, 5-Masters, 1-Heritage
3
Zach Johnson
2013-14
1-Hyundai, T-8 Sony, T-3 Humana
3
Brandt Snedeker
2013
T-2-Farmers, 2-Phoenix, 1-Pebble
3
Charles Howell III
2013
T-3 Sony, T-2 Humana, T-9 Farmers
3
Daniel Summerhays
2013
T-9 Greenbrier, T-4 John Deere, T-2 Sanderson Farms
3
Graeme McDowell
2013
T-5 Match Play, T-9 Honda, T-3 Doral
3
Jim Furyk
2013
T-9 Canada, T-9 Bridgestone, 2-PGA
3
Scott Stallings
2013
T-4 Colonial, T-4 Memorial, T-2 FedEx St. Jude
3
Zach Johnson
2013
T-4 Bridgestone, T-8 PGA, T-5 Wyndham
In his four-week run, Kuchar has finished in the top 10 in greens in regulation twice and driving accuracy three times. His putting – as might be expected from anyone watching his stunning three-putt from four feet on the 17th hole Sunday at Hilton Head – has been unremarkable.
Matt Kuchar’s statistical ranking the last four weeks
Tournament
Driv. Dist.
Accuracy
GIR
Putts per round
Scrambling
Texas
60
7
T-28
T-5
5
Houston
49
26
1
T-44
T-58
Masters
46
T-7
T-14
T-16
8
Heritage
56
T-7
1
T-36
11
Season rank
152
31
33
T-61
16
Kuchar’s comeback Sunday made a bridesmaid of Luke Donald at the Heritage for the third time. He has finished in the top three at Harbour Town five times without winning. There is only one other player with five top-three finishes, but no wins, at the same PGA Tour event since 2000. You know who he is. He’ll try to end his drought at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June.
Most top-three finishes in one event without winning: 2000-2014
Player
Top 3s
Tournament
Seconds
Thirds
Luke Donald
5
RBC Heritage
2009, 2011, 2014
2010, 2013
Phil Mickelson
5
U.S. Open
2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013
Mike Weir
4
AT&T Pebble Beach
2005, 2009
2003, 2006
Charles Howell III
4
Sony Open
2007, 2012
2005, 2013
Vijay Singh
4
WGC-Cadillac
2003, 2008
2000, 2002
Harbour Town’s smallish green complexes yielded its usual low number of putts. Chesson Hadley and Jordan Spieth led the field with 102 putts. They are among the fewest putts taken at a tournament in 2013-14.
Fewest putts, one tournament 2013-14
Putts
Player
Tournament
Finish
100
James Driscoll
Humana
T-18
101
Scott Langley
Humana
T-18
101
Will Mackenzie
Valero Texas
T-2
102
Chad Collins
Humana
T-8
102
Brian Harman
Northern Trust
T-3
102
John Daly
Sony Open
T-32
102
Pat Perez
Valero Texas
T-11
102
Chesson Hadley
Heritage
T-38
102
Jordan Spieth
Heritage
T-12
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