Finally after a dozen years it’s been a happy return to northern Scotland for American Matt Kuchar.
Kuchar was a member of the 1999 USA Walker Cup side that competed at nearby Nairn, but losing out to a GB & I side boasting now World No. 1 Luke Donald.
Matt Kuchar finally finding comfort on the fairways of Scotland. (Photo - Stuart Adams)
And like many
competing at the new Castle Stuart course for this week’s Barclays Scottish Open, Kuchar’s been attracted back to the region looking for the ideal warm-up ahead of next week’s Open Championship.
The 33-year old Floridian has found the Gil Hanse course, located less than five miles to the west of Nairn, to his liking in carding rounds of 70 and 66 for an eight under par tally.
If left last year’s PGA Tour No. 1 trailing just three strokes behind the leading threesome of Graeme McDowell and the Scottish pair of Peter Whiteford and Scott Jamieson.
“It’s a great golf course, and it’s also forgiving for a links course as there is not the pot bunkers or penalising rough, and the fairways are fairly wide,” said Kuchar.
“But I’ve come here purely to get the feel of links golf and playing those different shots, those lower shots you need to play, and also using the ground a bit more.
“So I’m definitely glad I came over because Gil Hanse has done a fantastic job in designing the course, and it’s just a beautiful place.
“My wife’s also heard great things about Inverness and the region, so she came over but will be back home next week during the week of The Open, as she has to look after our kids.”
However up until last year’s Open Championship, Scotland continued to prove an unpopular hunting ground for Kuchar.
He had played in six Open Championship’s since 1998, including the three in Scotland (2002, 2009 and 2010) but not to getting to the Home of Golf twelve months ago did Kuhar finally make a first halfway cut in golf’s oldest Major.
“I am trying to get better and better at links golf, so it was pleasing to finally make the cut last year at St. Andrews, as it was the first time ever I played all four days in The Open,” he said.
While competing in the losing 1999 Walker Cup team, Kuchar highlighted his amateur career two years earlier in winning the 1997 U.S. Amateur. He was also the ‘Low Amateur’ in the 1998 U.S. Masters and U.S. Open.
Kuchar turned pro in 2000 and had his first win on the PGA Tour in 2002 by capturing the Honda Classic, before finding himself on the secondary Nationwide Tour in 2006.
But a 10th place finish that year saw the Florida-born Kuchar back on the main Tour.
It would be seven years before Kuchar again won the PGA Tour when he clinched the 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship in a play-off.
However last year proved the defining year in Kuchar’s career.
Kuchar finished eighth on the USA points list to qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup and before heading to Wales he defeated Scotland’s Martin Laird in a play-off to win the Barclays Championship in New Jersey.
The affable American returned home and celebrated a decade in the pro ranks winning the 2010 Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average and the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Award for the leading money earner.
Kuchar has highlighted this season with second at the Memorial along with seven other top-10s.
On June 21st last month, Kuchar celebrated his 33rd birthday teaming with Zach Johnson to win the CVS Caremark Charity Classic in Rhode Island.
