Stay in school, kids

Matt Kuchar is one of those rare individuals who never has to force a smile. In fact, there are times when he simply can't keep that grin off his 23-year-old face.

Last Sunday was such occasion.

Battling inclement weather conditions in the first couple of rounds at the Honda Classic, Kuchar quietly climbed up the leaderboard on Sunday. With the third-round leaders Mike Weir and little-known Brett Wetterich struggling to shoot in the 70s, Kuchar sneaked through the small window of opportunity and came out victorious at the end.

It was far from easy, though: Kuchar had to shoot 31 on the final nine holes, needing just eight putts in the last eight holes. His final round score of 66 was good enough to beat Brad Faxon-off to a great start and now the leading money winner on the Tour-and Joey Sindelar, the 1988 Honda Classic winner who was looking for his first win since 1990.

In just his 17th professional start and in his first final-round contention of the season, Kuchar showed such great poise that NBC's analyst Johnny Miller couldn't stop gushing about the young pro. Matt's putting stroke, praised by Miller as a textbook one if there ever was one, held up consistently in the critical stretch.

Kuchar was supposed to be a lesser one among all those so-called "young guns" of the Tour. David Gossett won last year, and Charles Howell III stole the spotlight with his prodigious length of the tee. Then the 17-year-old Ty Tryon became the talk of the town, although the kid has yet to make a cut as a professional.

Plus, Kuchar had always had his share of doubters. There were many who criticized his decision to return to Georgia Tech for education when, after the memorable Masters and the U.S. Open in 1998, he could have turned professional and grabbed, in his words, 'seven-figure' dollars in endorsement deals alone. The 1997 U.S. Amateur champ didn't turn pro until 2000, but even that decision came with some hesitation. Enamoured with the legacy of Bobby Jones, another Georgia Tech alum, Kuchar seriously thought about staying amateur in golf and pursuing a career in the finance management or investment banking.

When he did become professional, the road to the PGA Tour was bumpy. Stints with the Canadian Tour and the Buy.com Tour followed. All in all, Kuchar had many people to prove wrong and must have felt vindicated when he got that first win. But he is too nice a guy to point fingers and say "I told you so." And throughout the final round on Sunday, he played with the calm and self-assurance of someone with nothing to prove.

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