Current:Home > FinanceMatt Kuchar bizarrely stops playing on 72nd hole of Wyndham Championship -TrueNorth Finance Path
Matt Kuchar bizarrely stops playing on 72nd hole of Wyndham Championship
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:48:45
Aaron Rai won his first PGA Tour title on Sunday, claiming a two-stroke win at the Wyndham Championship.
But the tournament didn't officially end as darkness fell on Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
That's because Matt Kuchar bizarrely stopped playing after hitting his tee shot on the 18th hole, opting to mark his ball in the pine straw 212 yards from the hole and walk the course with the other players in the last group as they completed their rounds.
"It has been a really bizarre sequence of events," said CBS Sports analyst Trevor Immelman as the network's broadcast came to a close.
Kuchar led the tournament after 36 holes, but was out of contention at 11-under when he stepped to the 18th tee to conclude a marathon, 36-hole day stemming from weather delays due to Tropical Storm Debby.
With the sun already set and visibility declining, tournament officials informed Kuchar, Chad Ramey and Max Greyserman that rather than blow the horn to suspend play, they would be allowed to finish the hole then or complete it the next day.
In an apparent attempt to finish quickly, Kuchar unknowingly hit into the group ahead of him, one that included Rai – who led Greyserman by one stroke at the time.
"Why did he tee off on 18 when the fairway wasn’t clear? To me that was the egregious error," Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie later said. "It was completely disrespectful."
After Kuchar's ball landed left of the fairway, he informed officials he would finish his round Monday morning – even though he had no chance of advancing to the PGA Tour's playoffs. As things turned out, Rai birdied the final hole to push his lead to two strokes and Greyserman closed with a par to finish second.
As the sun rose again on Monday, Kuchar was the only player back out on the course to make the results official.
He hit his second shot on the green and parred the hole to finish in a tie for 12th, earning him $134,695.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (542)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Aleeza Ben Shalom on matchmaking and breaking up with A.I.
- A Shopping Editor's Must-Haves Under $55 From Kim Kardashian's SKIMS
- B. J. Novak Says He and Mindy Kaling Were Reckless Idiots During Past Romance
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Alan Arkin has died — the star of 'Get Smart' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' was 89
- NEA announces 2024 Jazz Masters including Terence Blanchard and Gary Bartz
- Fossils of massive ancient marine reptile found on remote Arctic island
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- An original Princess Leia dress, expected to fetch $2 million at auction, went unsold
Ranking
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Courteney Cox Spills the Royal Tea on Prince Harry Allegedly Doing Mushrooms at Her House
- Sex Lives of College Girls' Reneé Rapp Recalls Terrible Time While Filming Season 1
- When Whistler's model didn't show up, his mom stepped in — and made art history
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Khloe Kardashian Has the Perfect Response to Critical Comment About Tumor Removal Bandage
- Chris Pine Finally Addresses That Harry Styles #SpitGate Incident
- How the Little-Known Story of the Battle of Versailles Influenced Fashion Forever
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Queen Latifah and Billy Crystal are among the 2023 Kennedy Center honorees
Woman traveling with 4 kidnapped Americans in Mexico alerted police when they didn't meet up with her in Texas
Frasier Revival: Find Out Which Cheers Original Cast Member Is Returning
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
It's going to be a weird year at the Emmys: Here are our predictions
Alan Arkin has died — the star of 'Get Smart' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' was 89
Taylor Swift just made Billboard history, again