GLOBAL GOLF POST AMATEUR COVERAGE :: Worth The Wait

BY JIM NUGENT

 

Listen up, world No. 1 amateur Patrick Cantlay. Pay attention, world No. 3 Jordan Spieth. Recently crowned Players champion Matt Kuchar has a message for you.

You guys were toddlers when Kuchar won the U.S. Amateur in 1997. And you probably hadn't yet picked up a golf club in 1998 when Kuchar, still an amateur, dazzled the world of golf at The Masters and the U.S. Open. So pay attention, and learn a little history.

Kuchar was a sophomore at Georgia Tech when he won the Amateur at Cog Hill in Chicago in 1997, the year after Tiger Woods won it for the third straight time. Kucharwas a pretty good college player at the time, and after he won, he returned to campus life in Atlanta. But what happened in 1998 by virtue of the spoils of victory at Cog Hill changed everything.

Kuchar, then 19 years young, was all over the airwaves at the 1998 Masters, and his 1,000-watt grin captivated golfs largest television viewing audience. He shot even-par 288, fifth-best at the time among amateurs in the history of the tournament. Two months later, he proved that Augusta was no fluke; he challenged for the lead in the third round of the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, and eventually finished 14th, the best finish by an amateur since 1971.

Almost overnight, Kuchar had become white hot. The agents were hovering, and equipment companies were talking millions. With his engaging smile and slightly over-exuberant father on the bag, Kuchar's clubs spoke volumes while that smile and friendly demeanor charmed millions. Pro success and fame was just a signature away.

Except that Kuchar said "no." He walked away from it and stayed in school. People shook their heads ... they didn't understand why the kid with big game and a bigger smile would walk from the almighty dollar. He returned for his junior year, and then aborted a plan to turn pro in early January 1999. He graduated on time from Tech, and thought seriously about life as a career amateur. Eventually, he had to know how far his golf could take him, so he left the amateur game. To date, he has won nearly $20 million in his 11-year pro career. To read the rest of this article click here

 

THE GLOBAL GOLF POST SUPPORTS AMATEUR GOLF IN GB& I