History of Matt Kuchar in Timeline

Matt Kuchar is an American professional golfer with nine PGA Tour wins. After early success in the 2000s, he experienced a slump. He revitalized his career around 2008 by developing a new, one-plane swing, leading to improved performance. In 2010, Kuchar was the PGA Tour's leading money winner.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1904: Last Olympic Golf Medal Before Kuchar

The 2016 Summer Olympics saw Kuchar win the first Olympic bronze medal awarded for golf since the 1904 Summer Olympics.

June 21, 1978: Matthew Kuchar's Birth

On June 21, 1978, Matthew Gregory Kuchar was born. He is an American professional golfer.

Others born on this day/year

1996: U.S. Amateur Semi-Final Loss

In 1996, Kuchar narrowly lost in the semi-finals of the U.S. Amateur championship to Tiger Woods.

1996: Graduation from Seminole High School

In 1996, Matt Kuchar graduated from Seminole High School in Sanford.

1997: U.S. Amateur Championship Win

In 1997, Kuchar won the U.S. Amateur championship.

1998: Low Amateur at Majors

In 1998, Kuchar was the low amateur at both The Masters and U.S. Open.

1998: Haskins Award

In 1998, Matt Kuchar received the Haskins Award as the nation's top collegiate golfer.

November 2000: Turned Professional

In November 2000, Matt Kuchar turned professional after briefly working for a financial services firm.

2001: PGA Tour Exemptions

In 2001, Kuchar received sponsors' exemptions to some PGA Tour tournaments and earned enough money to be fully exempt for the 2002 season.

2002: PGA Tour Exemption

In 2002, Kuchar was fully exempt from the PGA Tour.

2002: First PGA Tour Win

In 2002, Kuchar's first win on the PGA Tour came at the Honda Classic.

2005: Lost Tour Card

In 2005, a tough year caused Matt Kuchar to win under $403,000, 159th on the money list, which caused a loss of his tour card.

2006: Nationwide Tour

In 2006, Matt Kuchar played on the Nationwide Tour and won its Henrico County Open and finished tenth on the Nationwide Tour money list to earn back his PGA Tour card for 2007.

2007: Retained Tour Card

In 2007, Kuchar retained his card for the next two seasons by finishing 115th on the money list.

2008: Swing Rejuvenation

From 2008 onward, Matt Kuchar rejuvenated his golf game and built a new, one-plane swing, leading to improved results.

2008: Retained Tour Card

In 2008, Kuchar retained his tour card for the next two seasons by finishing 70th on the money list.

2009: HSBC Champions Becomes a WGC Event

In 2009, the HSBC Champions became a WGC event.

2009: Turning Stone Resort Championship Win

Seven years after his first PGA Tour win, Kuchar won for a second time during the Fall Series in 2009 at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, prevailing in a playoff over Vaughn Taylor.

2010: Ryder Cup Team and Barclays Win

In 2010, Kuchar made the Ryder Cup team and won The Barclays. He also won the Vardon Trophy, Byron Nelson Award, and Arnold Palmer Award.

2010: PGA Tour Money Winner

In 2010, Matt Kuchar was the PGA Tour's leading money winner.

June 2011: Second at Memorial Tournament

In June 2011, Kuchar finished tied for second at the Memorial Tournament and reached his highest ranking of world number six.

2011: Top-10 Finishes

In 2011, Kuchar started the year with three consecutive top-10 finishes in the first three weeks of the season.

2012: Players Championship Win

In 2012, Kuchar won The Players Championship, which is the flagship event of the PGA Tour, marking his biggest tournament victory to date and moving him to a career-high world ranking of number five.

February 2013: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Victory

In February 2013, Kuchar won his first World Golf Championship event, defeating Hunter Mahan in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

2013: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Appearance

In 2013, Matt Kuchar went on to win the title at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

2013: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship Win

In 2013, Matt Kuchar won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, defeating Hunter Mahan. He also won the Memorial Tournament in early June.

2013: Australian Events

Late in 2013, Kuchar finished runner-up at the Australian Masters and fourth in the World Cup of Golf.

2015: PGA Championship and Fiji International

In 2015, Kuchar had his best performance in the season's majors at the PGA Championship and won the Fiji International.

2015: Non Chronological Order

The results before 2015 are not in chronological order.

2016: Olympic Bronze Medal

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Kuchar won the first Olympic bronze medal awarded for golf since 1904.

2017: PGA Tour Season

During the 2017 season, Kuchar had nine top-10 finishes, tied for fourth at the Masters, and finished second at the Open Championship.

2017: Second Place Finish at The Open Championship

In 2017, Kuchar finished in second place at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

November 11, 2018: Mayakoba Golf Classic Win

On November 11, 2018, Kuchar won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun, Mexico, leading to a controversy over the amount he paid his caddie.

2018: McIlroy's Roast

At the end of the 2018 PGA Tour regular season, Rory McIlroy jokingly roasted Matt Kuchar over the caddie pay controversy.

2018: Ryder Cup Vice-Captain

In 2018, Jim Furyk named Kuchar as a non-playing vice-captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, which lost to the European team.

January 13, 2019: Sony Open Win

On January 13, 2019, Kuchar won the Sony Open in Hawaii.

February 15, 2019: Caddie Controversy Apology

On February 15, 2019, Kuchar apologized and agreed to pay his caddie, David Giral Ortiz, the requested $50,000 and donate an unspecified amount to local Cancun charities due to the caddie pay controversy.