Matt Kuchar's reputation solid at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — This time last year, Matt Kuchar was wrapping up his 10th Masters, still in search of his first major, still the runaway winner of any “who’s the nicest guy in golf?” survey.
What a difference a year makes.
Since then, Kuchar ended up in the heart of one of the ugliest ethical/moral social media debates golf has seen in quite some time. After winning a tournament but paying a temporary caddy a tiny fraction of his overall purse, Kuchar became the subject of social media scorn.
He resolved the matter in February by paying the caddy more than 10 times the original agreed amount, but only after his nice-guy reputation came under fire.
Now, two months later, how’s his reputation in the controversy’s wake?
Patrons on the grounds of Augusta National are as divided as the rest of the golf world on The Caddy Question; in a highly unscientific survey conducted as Kuchar walked the final few holes of the course, responses ran from contempt to full-throated support, with a smattering of “no comments” and a few patrons who claimed hadn’t even heard of the story.
To recap: Kuchar’s regular caddy, John Wood, couldn’t make the Mayakoba Classic in November, and so Kuchar hired a local caddy, David Ortiz, for an escalating handshake deal: $1,000 if Kuchar missed the cut, $2,000 if he made the cut, $3,000 for finishing in the top 20, and $4,000 for finishing in the top 10. Then, Kuchar went out and won the tournament, pocketing a purse of almost $1.3 million. When Ortiz revealed that Kuchar had paid him only $5,000 — the top amount, plus a $1,000 bonus — outrage boiled over on Twitter.
Ortiz spurned Kuchar’s initial offer of $15,000, and Kuchar finally agreed to pay $50,000, along with a donation to a local children’s charity. “My entire Tour career, I have tried to show respect and positivity,” Kuchar said in a statement. “In this situation, I have not lived up to those values or to the expectations I've set for myself. I let myself, my family, my partners and those close to me down, but I also let David down.”
The story’s done, but opinions remain close to the surface. Augusta National is far too genteel a locale to allow for patrons to heckle Kuchar the way they did at, say, the Genesis Open … but scratch the surface, and opinions are right there.
“Disgusting,” said a London man willing only to identify himself as “Murray.” “You treat someone the way you want to be treated. He thought he was going to get by on the cheap.”
“If that’s what they agreed on, you can’t come back for more,” said Mike Schell of Pittsburgh. “I didn’t like the way [Ortiz] used the press as a negotiating tool.”
What’s indisputable is that Kuchar remains a fan favorite. Chants of “KUUUUUCH” rang through the pines on every hole, right on up to the shadow of the Augusta National clubhouse.
“I’ve always admired him as a golfer,” Murray said. “But I don’t think he handled [the situation] particularly well. He belittled the guy. If you’re willing to pay your caddy, you ought to pay the same to another caddy.”
A typical caddie take after a victory is 10 percent.
“He’s always been so chill, such a nice guy,” said Timothy Swimmer of Charlotte. “I’ve always respected him.”
That dichotomy — between the well-earned Nicest Guy In Golf rep and the out-of-touch cheapskate mantle that Twitter threw onto his shoulders — is at the heart of Kuch’s story, and it’s why he’ll almost surely survive these last few months with just a tiny dent on his reputation. Both Kuchar’s critics and his supporters can draw the definition of what’s “right” in this case —a deal is a deal versus pay the man his money — to suit their own arguments.
One patron who couldn’t be any less biased: Kuchar’s father Peter. Speaking just outside the scorers’ building after Kuchar’s round, Peter Kuchar waved off the idea that the controversy had any kind of lingering impact. “It’s long gone,” he told Yahoo Sports. “The only people still bringing it up are guys like you.”
Peter Kuchar then laid down the family line, calling Ortiz’s action “blackmail.”
“This was a handshake deal. I’ve seen hundreds of Wednesday handshakes, and everybody abided by them until this one.”
Kuchar, who has placed in the top eight in four of his past seven majors, put himself on the first page of the leaderboard with a 3-under round that left him at 4-under, three strokes behind the clubhouse leaders. It’s a long way to go until Sunday afternoon, but if Kuchar can pull off a win, he’ll have a new storyline attached to his name … which would likely be just fine with him.
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