Yet for the second tournament in a row, the runner-up drew just as much attention as the champion. This time around, it was Matt Kuchar's turn.
To casual observers of the game, that name may not sound familiar. But one only needs to trace back to the 1998 U.S. Open, the last time Kuchar was in the spotlight.
The sophomore from Georgia Tech entered the second major of the year as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. After a decent showing at the Masters, where he was the low amateur with the even par score, Kuchar displayed even more potential at the tough Olympic Club.
The amateur played like a pro that week, finishing tied for 14th at nine over and again as the top amateur in the field. Besides, he beat Woods by one stroke.
Ironically, Kuchar was paired with Leonard during the first two rounds, as they were on the last day at Augusta, and Kuchar’s caddie on both occasions was his father Peter, who caused much controversy with his noisy cheerleading antics that left Leonard and other golfers upset.
Leonard was especially distracted, shooting 71 and 75 while his partner opened with 70-69. As bad as his father was, however, Matt Kuchar was clearly the crowd favourite that week, and anything negative Leonard would have said about Peter Kuchar would have been viewed as jealousy from someone who couldn’t understand the feel-good father and son story.
The Kuchars’ memorable week culminated on Sunday, when the fans at the grand stand at the 18th hole sang “Happy Birthday” for Matt’s 20th birthday. And culminate it did, because Kuchar’s name would not be heard again for quite a while.
Here’s what happened. First, the young Florida native went back to Georgia Tech to finish his school and play in a few more NCAA championships and the U.S. Amateurs.
Kuchar could have turned pro in 1998, when he was offered huge sum of money in endorsement deals thanks to his infectious smile and solid game that quickly endeared him to galleries. Yet he stayed in school, and didn’t turn pro until late 2000. That he attended college all four years was both admirable and surprising, especially given that teenagers like Ty Tryon and Kevin Na will turn professional even before finishing their high school.
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