The Devil In Matt Kuchar

The man takes childlike pleasure in playing games. You can see it on Tour, where Mr. Nice Guy has beamed his way to a winning career—and where, when he’s not “Aw, shucks”-ing it up, he’s talking trash with the best of ’em.

- Ryan Asselta

AT JUST A GAP WEDGE SHORT OF 40 YEARS OLD, Matt Kuchar is, arguably, in the prime of his life. The man universally and affectionately known as “Kuch” exudes a palpable sense of contentment and joy. The deep tan he’s sporting on the mid-winter day when we meet? Evidence of a work/vacation in Southwest Florida. The smile? Well, that’s just Kuch.

He first made waves in golf when he won the 1997 U.S. Amateur asalankyteen.Inthe20yearssince,Kuchar has been a model of consistency on the PGA Tour, a quietly fierce competitor with a glass-half-full appreciation of his numbers: seven career wins, 95 top 10s, loads of bank and an Olympic bronze.

But still no major. Kuchar cemented his place in the “Best Player to Never Bag a Big One” discussion with a heart-wrenching runner-up finish at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, where Jordan Spieth’s back-nine heroics left Kuchar a little chastened—but with an even more enhanced aura as a good-guy family man.

Which isn’t to say he’s a saint. Notoriously, Kuchar is as quick with a wisecrack as he is with a grin. When it comes to needling...no one is safe.

You’re one of the most popular guys on Tour. We hear “Koooooch” week in, week out. Yet it seems the public doesn’t know you all that well. You’re not active on social media. In fact, the Matt Kuchar on Twitter is a real estate guy in Colorado. Would you agree that you’re a bit of a mystery to golf fans?