American Matt Kuchar has an extra special reason to successfully defend this week’s ISPA Handa World Cup of Golf.
Last Sunday, Kuchar let slip Australian Masters victory to Australia’s in-form Adam Scott when the US Ryder Cup star’s 7-iron second shot into the 18th green caught a green side bunker from where Kuchar took a double bogey on route to a 68 to hand Scott a two shot victory in the defence of his title.
Matt Kuchar looking to make ammends this week at Royal Melbourne. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
And Kuchar, who is no stranger to Australia including spending his honeymoon on Lizard Island off the Queensland coast, is hopeful he and new USA team mate, Kevin Streelman can keep the heavyweight World Cup trophy in USA hands after Kuchar and Gary Woodland won the event two years ago at Hainan Island in China.
“I’m excited about the week as it was a great week last week, you know, to challenge Adam Scott. He has been in such good form and to at least give him a run it was awfully good,” said Kuchar.
“I stood five back going into Sunday and gave him a real run.
“Unfortunately got a bad break on 18 and that’s part of golf. I think the great thing about golf is tomorrow I restart. You know, last week is forgotten about and the same goes for Adam. He won and that helps with confidence but you have got to do it all over again.
“I am looking forward to getting back out. I know I played some awfully good golf last week and look back to the 18th hole. I hit a fantastic drive. That’s one of the harder driving holes on the golf course.
“I hit a drive right down the middle and hit a 7-iron that I thought was going to be really good and it was a matter of two or three inches away from being really good.
“That’s one of the things I think you learn around Royal Melbourne is the fine line between good and bad here and it is very fine.
“There are places where you can be aggressive but those places are slim. I think with a lot of the holes out here a conservative approach is the way to go because that line, that margin for error is so small.
“I feel like having last week under my belt, just a little more course knowledge. I love playing and I thought to myself daily on a lot of the holes how much I enjoyed, how much I like the golf holes out here and I am pretty excited to get that going on week No.2 out here.”
