THE FLATS –Matt Kuchar turns back the clock with runner-up finish in Mexico … Andy Ogletree continues to close on in Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merit titles … More details below in this week’s Georgia Tech #ProJackets Report.
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KUCHAR SETTLES FOR RUNNER-UP FINISH IN MEXICO
Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas turned back the clock at the World Wide Technology Championship. The accomplished forty-something pros shared the 54-hole lead at El Cardonal at Diamante, creating new memories for old fans. It appeared for much of the weekend that one of them would hoist the title and snap a lengthy victory drought.
Yet they’ll depart Mexico with wistfulness, sharing second place at 25 under, at the receiving end of Erik van Rooyen’s final-nine 28 (punctuated by a closing eagle) for a two-stroke victory.
Kuchar hasn’t won on TOUR since 2019; Villegas’ drought dates to 2014. Each held the solo lead at one point Sunday – Villegas was 4 under through six; Kuchar led by himself with just two holes remaining. This week marked the first TOUR event to be played at a Tiger Woods design, so perhaps it was fitting that two of Woods’ contemporaries jockeyed for the title through the weekend.
“I think as anybody knows, you never know when you wake up the next morning if golf will still be there for you,” Kuchar added. “I’ve felt good now for a while. I felt like this is kind of the best ownership I’ve had of my golf swing and kind of what I’m doing with the golf ball. Held steady all week. A good solid week of golf for me.”
The two veterans have won FedExCup Playoffs events, competed in international team competitions and combined for approximately $80 million in PGA TOUR earnings. They’ve both featured in the top 10 on the Official World Golf Ranking and have identifiable traits that connect them with fans – think Villegas’ long-used Spider-Man green-reading technique, or Kuchar’s daffy grin. But they’re not done striving to compete at the highest level or make new memories, as they proved this week.
Kuchar, the 2018 World Wide Technology Championship winner earned his 15th runner-up finish on TOUR in his 535th career start. He also jumped from No. 66 to No. 52 in the FedEx Cup points list, which would make him eligible for two more signature events in 2024 if he remains in the top 60.
Meanwhile, Chesson Hadley turned in a tie for seventh place with a closing 63 and moved up to No. 104 in the FedEx Cup points standings, solidifying his position for 2024 with two events remaining.
Back-to-back birdies for Matt Kuchar 🐦🐦
He gains a share of the lead @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/QYqR74za9s
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 5, 2023
🎯🎯
Co-leaders Matt Kuchar and @CamiloVillegasR go right at it on No. 12 @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/S7YSoZHf0M
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 5, 2023
Satisfying roll and a finger snap from @ChessonHadley 🫰 pic.twitter.com/kODgs6VZDb
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 3, 2023
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OGLETREE CLOSER TO SEALING TOP SPOT IN ASIAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT
The final three weeks of this year’s International Series began in Shenzhen last Thursday, with Andy Ogletree leading the race to claim a place with LIV Golf in 2024.
Ogletree takes a healthy lead at the top of the series’ order of merit into the Volvo China Open at Hidden Grace Golf Club, with Spain’s David Puig and Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent more than US$500,000 behind, in second and third respectively.
Victories in Qatar and England, plus top-10s in Singapore, Oman and Scotland, have propelled the American to the top of the rankings, making the 25-year-old the runaway favourite to join the likes of Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and others in the team league next year.
But with stops in Hong Kong and Indonesia to also come this month, and some US$360,000 for the winner of each tournament, even the fifth-place Wade Orsmby will fancy his chances of challenging for the order of merit title.
Ogletree had a chance to wrap up The International Series Order of Merit with two International Series events remaining. He needed to finish in outright third or better at the Volvo China Open last weekend, but he closed with a 69 to finish in a tie for seventh. Ogletree continues to own a healthy lead and will likely seal the top spot – and full membership in next year’s LIV Golf League – at next week’s Hong Kong Open.
- More from South China Morning Post
- Ogletree’s international run fuels enthusiasm for LIV’s golden ticket
.@andy_ogletree from way downtown 💯https://t.co/QQChqRrghk #VolvoChinaOpen #InternationalSeries #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/i3JB5LtnHv
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) November 5, 2023
All eyes will be on @andy_ogletree at this week’s @VolvoChinaOpen, as The International Series Order of Merit leader goes in search of the golden ticket to the @livgolf_league that comes with top spot in the standings. 🙌#VolvoChinaOpen #InternationalSeries #whereitsAT
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) November 1, 2023
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KUCHAR HAD THE WILDEST ROUND WE’LL EVER SEE
After his second straight round of 65 in the Wide World Technology Open on Friday, an upbeat Matt Kuchar recalled that when he left his family at home to head for this week’s tournament in Mexico, he had a good feeling about the week. “Never know,” he said. “I’ve certainly said that before and it’s not gone quite as planned. Golf is a fickle creature.”
Fickle, exhilarating, confounding and utterly maddening. Kuchar would add those adjectives after what he experienced in the third round on Saturday at El Cardonal Diamante in Los Cabos.
The exhilarating: Kuchar opened the round with an eagle and three more birdies against a bogey, then made three more birdies to shoot seven-under 29 on his front side. And when the Georgian made another three straight birdies from 12 through 14, he reached 24 under overall and had a six-shot lead.
The coronation walk to a 10th career victory seemed on.
Matt Kuchar makes a quadruple bogey on 15.
His lead shrinks from six to two shots @WWTChampionship. pic.twitter.com/Kyp6yFZGD1
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 4, 2023
