Matt Kuchar had a good day this weekend at the 3M Open, finishing in a tie for third place, and the PGA Tour veteran is hoping to extend his season a little further.
Kuchar shot an even-par 71 on Sunday to finish at 15 under par, two strokes behind winner Jonathan Vegas.
For the week, the former Georgia Tech golfer shot 68-67-63-70, and Saturday’s 63 was a big accomplishment for him, propelling him up the leaderboard and into contention for the win.
He may not have earned himself a win on Sunday, but this week has given him confidence heading into the rest of the season.
“It was a good week,” Kuchar said. “It was fun to have a chance to win on Sunday. I haven’t had an opportunity like this in a while, so to have a brief lead in the final group on Sunday was an exciting day. I wish I could have done better.”
“I feel like my short game let me down a little bit. I don’t think I got any balls up and down on the green today which I missed. One of my strengths is I’m pretty good at scrambling. It was a challenging day today. Par was a good score. I got a lot of birdies today but I needed a few to get going.”
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
He started the day with a birdie on the second hole, but lost a stroke on the fourth hole. He birdied the fifth hole to tie for even par, but then made consecutive bogeys to finish 36 strokes behind.
Kuchar got his final birdie on the par-5 12th hole but didn’t score anything after that, finishing with six pars in the closing stages.
The 46-year-old is the only player to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs since the series began in 2007 and will be trying to keep that streak alive.
“It’s in my mind, I know it’s in the back of my mind,” he said. “I don’t want to miss the playoffs. I don’t know where this will take me, but it’s certainly within reach. I’m basically in Greensboro again with that in mind and looking to finish in the top 70.”
He was ranked 153rd this week in the FedExCup standings. This result could jump him up to 111th. It’s unlikely, but Kuchar could still find a way into the top 70. This result is a big help for the veteran, whose lead wasn’t as big as it was a week ago.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
