- Johnson beats his rivals before Irene hits town
- Your Daily Phil at The Barclays Round 3
- The Barclays by numbers
- Kuchar leads as Barclays heads into an 18-hole shootout
- Par 3 over water breaks hearts and minds
- Your Daily Phil at The Barclays: Round 2
- Hurricane Irene cuts The Barclays to 54 holes
- Drivable par 4 steals the show
- Your Daily Phil at The Barclays
- Hurricane Irene threatens to throw The Barclays into chaos
- Mickelson, Donald & Bradley chase $10 million bonus
- Military caddies loop for the stars
- America's Baby Faced Assassin
- Donald banking on world domination
America's Baby Faced Assassin
The ever-grinning defending champion Matt Kuchar admits to having a well hidden mean streak.
By Paul Mahoney
Defending champion Matt Kuchar is flashing his trademark perma-grin at The Barclays Championship and going about his business in his ho-hum nothing bothers me gentle, polite way.
But don't let his likable manner fool you. Like England's quietly spoken Luke Donald, Kuchar is America's Silent Baby Faced Assassin. And he has a dark side. As Dr David Banner used to say in the Incredible Hulk just before he turned green and the buttons popped on his shirt: "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." The affable and jolly Kuchar does indeed lose his temper. No, really. "It's been a while, but yes, yes, absolutely. I get frustrated," Kuchar said. He didn't help his attempted new ‘hard man' image by smiling. Again. "It comes out more in other sports: tennis and ping-pong. It's kind of my outlet. It may bring out a little more of the fire or anger. I can assure you that the fire is still there with golf. The temper will show itself every now and then but fortunately it's not that often." But before his rivals start cowering behind the sofa, Kuchar has got his range rage under control. "It's been maybe when I was 12 since I've broken a tennis racquet," he said smiling. "I've done pretty well with tennis lately, but I think the competitive nature comes out more in that one on one type of sport."
The Barclays rotates around New Jersey's country clubs and so Kuchar has the unusual prospect of defending his title not at Ridgewood where he won last year but along the Turnpike at Plainfield. "To come to an old fashioned Donald Ross course like this, it feels like this is how golf was envisioned here early on," Kuchar said. "Of all the events on the PGA Tour I don't know I could have lucked out any better than to have won The Barclays. I remember the days after, all the publications took out huge win ads and friends and family sent me newspapers. And now I've got friends coming up to New York and New Jersey seeing my face on huge billboards in Times Square."
Winning The Barclays solidified Kuchar's spot on the 2010 Ryder Cup team and elevated him to a regular contender on tour and propelled him into the World's Top 10. "It has been my biggest win on the PGA Tour," he said. "It's a great feeling to have. A field of 125 guys so you feel like it is at its best and deepest. To go ahead and win a tournament like that is a fantastic feeling."
Kuchar is 12th in the FedEx Cup points standings and World No.12. He, like many, spoke about the absence of the World No.36. That's how far Tiger Woods has spiralled down the rankings. "Tiger is the most exciting player. It will be good to have him back," Kuchar said. "But it's maybe been a blessing in disguise to have him out. The tour has been able to show that it is still a great place to showcase talent and to entertain. That it generates huge amounts of revenue for local communities and charities. If Tiger was still dominating the way he was, we may not have got to know Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson the way we have." Add Kuchar to that list along with newly minted PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley. Weird things continue to happen to Bradley's life since he won at Atlanta Athletic Club. "A kid asked me today to autograph his forehead," Bradley said. "And I have had texts from Greg Norman and Tom Brady, who was my childhood hero." Bradley is the latest fresh face to root for on the PGA Tour.
Kuchar's blinding grin and Carey Grant drawl make him an easy guy to root for too. He has yet to recreate that winning feeling from last year but before you start to feel too sorry for him, he has won $3 million in prize money from yet another consistent season that has notched up eight top 10s. Then there's the small matter of a $1.44 million first prize at The Barclays and a $10 million bonus to the winner of the FedEx Cup. Kuchar finished runner-up to Jim Furyk in last year's end-of-season knockout and plans revenge. "That darned Jim Furyk just pipped me and I'm hoping to move up one spot this year," he said. "Gosh, having $10 million on the line is pretty exciting." Kuchar, of course, smiled.
