Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Stat attack!: RBC Heritage review

Thumbnail

Michael Breed’s apparel and footwear provided by FootJoy.

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

ScorePlayerYear
64Matt Kuchar2014
64Brandt Snedeker2011
64 Brian Gay2009
64Stewart Cink2004

Best final-round performances by Matt Kuchar

ScoreTournamentFinish
632010 HumanaT-2
642014 RBC HeritageWon
642009 HumanaT-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

PlayerScoreTournamentRound
Zach Johnson74Hyundai T of CThird round
Jimmy Walker74AT&T Pebble BeachFourth round
Russell Henley72Honda ClassicFourth round
Patrick Reed75WGC-CadillacSecond round
John Senden72Valspar Champ.First round
Bubba Watson74MastersThird round
Matt Kuchar73RBC HeritageSecond 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

WeeksPlayerYearTournaments
4Matt Kuchar2013-14T-4-Texas, 2-Houston, 5-Masters, 1-Heritage
3Zach Johnson2013-141-Hyundai, T-8 Sony, T-3 Humana
3Brandt Snedeker 2013T-2-Farmers, 2-Phoenix, 1-Pebble
3Charles Howell III2013T-3 Sony, T-2 Humana, T-9 Farmers
3Daniel Summerhays2013T-9 Greenbrier, T-4 John Deere, T-2 Sanderson Farms
3Graeme McDowell2013T-5 Match Play, T-9 Honda, T-3 Doral
3Jim Furyk2013

T-9 Canada, T-9 Bridgestone, 2-PGA

3Scott Stallings2013T-4 Colonial, T-4 Memorial, T-2 FedEx St. Jude
3Zach Johnson2013T-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

TournamentDriv. Dist.AccuracyGIRPutts per roundScrambling
Texas607T-28T-55
Houston49261T-44T-58
Masters46T-7T-14T-168
Heritage56T-71T-3611
Season rank1523133T-6116

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

PlayerTop 3sTournamentSecondsThirds
Luke Donald5RBC Heritage2009, 2011, 20142010, 2013
Phil Mickelson5U.S. Open2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013
Mike Weir4AT&T Pebble Beach2005, 20092003, 2006
Charles Howell III4Sony Open2007, 20122005, 2013
Vijay Singh4WGC-Cadillac2003, 20082000, 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

PuttsPlayerTournamentFinish
100James DriscollHumanaT-18
101Scott LangleyHumanaT-18
101Will MackenzieValero TexasT-2
102Chad CollinsHumanaT-8
102Brian HarmanNorthern TrustT-3
102John DalySony OpenT-32
102 Pat PerezValero TexasT-11
102Chesson HadleyHeritageT-38
102Jordan SpiethHeritageT-12