Current:Home > InvestMatt Kuchar bizarrely stops playing on 72nd hole of Wyndham Championship -Elevate Capital Network
Matt Kuchar bizarrely stops playing on 72nd hole of Wyndham Championship
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:16:46
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! (1)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts
- Former USC star Reggie Bush files defamation lawsuit against NCAA: It's about truth
- What we know — and don’t know — about the crash of a Russian mercenary’s plane
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Bachelor Nation's Hannah Godwin Details Marrying Best Friend Dylan Barbour
- Attention road trippers! These apps play vacation planner, make life on the road a dream
- Fantasy football: Tua Tagovailoa, Calvin Ridley among riskiest picks in 2023 drafts
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Horoscopes Today, August 23, 2023
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- BTK killer's Kansas home searched in connection to unsolved missing persons and murder cases
- Terry Dubrow Reveals Romantic Birthday Plans With Wife Heather After Life-Threatening Blood Clot Scare
- Why Taylor Armstrong Is Confident Kyle Richards & Mauricio Umansky Will Work Through Marriage Troubles
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Devastating losses: Economic toll from fires in Maui at least $4B, according to Moody's
- Visitors to Lincoln Memorial say America has its flaws but see gains made since March on Washington
- How 'Back to the Future: The Musical' created a DeLorean that flies
Recommendation
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Alec Baldwin's request to dismiss 'Rust' civil lawsuit denied by judge
CIA stairwell attack among flood of sexual misconduct complaints at spy agency
Fran Drescher says actors strike she’s leading is an ‘inflection point’ that goes beyond Hollywood
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Biden proposes vast new marine sanctuary in partnership with California tribe
Former residents of a New Hampshire youth center demand federal investigation into abuse claims
Artist loses bid to remove panels covering anti-slavery murals at Vermont school