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 |