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Sergio Garcia’s missed tap in putt leads to controversy in his match against Matt Kuchar at WGC-Match Play
Emotions were running high during Saturday’s last sixteen match between Sergio Garcia and Matt Kuchar at the WGC-Match Play, with an incident on the seventh causing great contention.
Trailing by one, Garcia faced a seven-foot putt for par on the seventh green to win the hole, but when he saw his putt fail to drop and settle an inch or two away from the cup, the Spaniard hastily tapped the ball with the back of his putter and missed his bogey attempt. Despite Kuchar saying after that he would have conceded the putt had Garcia given him the opportunity, Garcia lost the hole.
Matt Kuchar did not have a chance to concede Sergio Garcia's second putt.
Therefore, Garcia lost the hole.
Kuchar told the official he wanted to give Garcia the putt, but that cannot be done retroactively. pic.twitter.com/AJFF8N5J7h
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 30, 2019
The situation didn’t seem to sit well with Garcia, who could be seen talking animatedly to Kuchar on the 10th hole, and his reaction to a missed putt on the eight green projected his frustration to all.
Sergio Garcia out there doing Sergio things again ???? #PGA pic.twitter.com/Bm6z8tSJvQ
— Jamie in Green Bay (@jamieingreenbay) March 30, 2019
Following the match, both Garcia and Kuchar shared their side of the story, and when asked about the incident on the seventh hole, the Spaniard admitted that he had “screwed it up”.
“It’s quite simple. I screwed it up, it’s as simple as that. Obviously I missed my putt and I kind of tapped it with the back of my putter before he said anything. Yeah, it’s a loss of hole. I understand that. The only issue that it was, was that Kooch was like, I didn’t see it good, but I don’t want to take the hole. I don’t want to do this like this. So I was like okay, it’s fine, what do you want to do? Because there are many options that you can do if you don’t want to take the hole, even though I’ve already lost that hole. But obviously he didn’t like any of the options that were there.”
Asked after the match, Kuchar shed further light on the incident and the options which Garcia alluded to, with the idea of conceding a hole to even things up following Garcia’s mistake not sitting well with the American.
“I kind of made a mess of things with the hole. Ended up making about a 15-footer for a bogey. Sergio had about a 10-footer, I think, for par. I made my putt, walked to the back of the green. Sergio I saw missed it. And as I looked up again, I saw he had missed the next one.
And I saw him off the green, I said, “Sergio, I didn’t say anything, I’m not sure how this works out.” I didn’t want that to be an issue. So I asked Robby Ware, I said, “Listen, I don’t know how to handle this, but I didn’t concede the putt, Sergio missed the putt.” Sergio said, totally his mistake. He knew he made a mistake. I said, I didn’t want that to be how a hole was won or lost. And he said, “Well, you can concede a hole.” I’m not sure I’m ready to concede a hole.”
Surprised by Kuchar’s admission that Garcia had suggested that he concede a hole to make things fair, the media then asked Kuchar to elaborate on what happened from that point. The 40-year-old then stated how he didn’t like Garcia’s idea and when asked what about the idea he didn’t like, Kuchar had this to say
“What didn’t I like about it? It’s hard to say other than I kind of just stuck to what the rules official said the rule was.”
Kuchar defeated Garcia 2 up and plays Lucas Bjerregaard in the semi-finals today, with their match teeing off at 9.20 AM ET.
What’s your take, WRXers?
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As anticipation mounts for the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in a few weeks, the PGA Tour makes a pit stop in McKinney, Texas to play The CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
Last year was the third time TPC Craig Ranch hosted the Byron Nelson. Prior to 2021, the event was held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
TPC Craig Ranch is a 7,414-yard par-71 that features Bentgrass greens. The event historically plays relatively easy, and that has remained the case in the three editions at TPC Craig Ranch.
The course structure may provide some additional intrigue with the par-3 17th featuring a stadium setup called “Ranch 17” which is reminiscent of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The course also has both long and difficult par-4s mixed with drivable par-4s, which should create some exciting moments.
There are 156 golfers in the field this week, and many stars will be taking the week off to prepare for 2023’s second major championship in a few weeks and a “signature event” at Quail Hollow next week. Notable players in the field include Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Min Woo Lee, Alex Noren, Adam Scott and Will Zalatoris.
Past Winners of the AT&T Byron Nelson
- 2023: Jason Day (-23 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2022: K.H. Lee (-26 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2021: K.H. Lee (-25 at TPC Craig Ranch)
- 2019: Sung Kang (-23)
- 2018: Aaron Wise (-23)
- 2017: Billy Horschel (-12)
- 2016: Sergio Garcia (-15)
- 2015: Steven Bowditch (-18)
Key Stats at TPC Craig Ranch
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for TPC Craig Ranch to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their last 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach remains the best measure of current form.
Hot iron play will be at a premium this week. Last year, Jason Day gained 6.4 strokes on approach, which was fourth in the field. In 2022, K.H. Lee was ninth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 5.2 strokes. In his 2021 victory, he was second in the field and gained 8.3 strokes on the field in the category.
Strokes Gaines: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Keith Mitchell (+1.02)
- Henrik Norlander (+0.99)
- Ryan Moore (+0.98)
- Ben Martin (0.80)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Fairways are wide at TPC Craig Ranch.
Distance will certainly be helpful, and there aren’t too many difficult holes on the course. Golfers who put themselves in position off of the tee this week should have a sizable advantage.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds
- Peter Kuest (+0.93)
- Kevin Daugherty (+0.91)
- Alejandro Tosti (+0.83)
- Keith Mitchell (+0.82)
- Kevin Tway (+0.74)
Birdie or Better %
There aren’t many hazards on the course, and all of the par-5s should be reachable in two for the majority of the players in the field. I am anticipating a birdie fest, and this statistic should be helpful in finding the birdie-makers.
Birdie or Better % Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Wesley Bryan (31%)
- Kelly Kraft (26.2%)
- Peter Kuest (25.9%)
- Matti Schmid (25.7%
- Jimmy Stanger (25.2%)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass)
Many golfers on TOUR have some major putting surface variance in their statistics and prefer Bentgrass to other surfaces.
Bentgrass is common in Texas, and we often see golfers who play well in Texas continue to do so, finding a great feel around the greens.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bentgrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Maverick McNealy (+0.92)
- Aaron Baddeley (+0.87)
- Callum Tarren (+0.86)
- Harry Hall (+0.81)
- Nick Hardy (+0.69)
Course History
This statistic will tell us which players have performed the best at TPC Craig Ranch over the past three seasons.
Course History Over Past 12 Rounds:
- Jordan Spieth (+2.69)
- K.H. Lee (+2.59)
- Seamus Power (+1.84)
- Ryan Palmer (+1.76)
- Adam Scott (+1.72)
CJ CUP Byron Nelson Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: OTT (24%), Birdie or Better % (18%), Course History (17%) and SG: Putting Bentgrass (16%).
- Alex Noren
- Adam Scott
- Keith Mitchell
- Si Woo Kim
- Stephen Jaeger
- Jordan Spieth
- Jhonnatan Vegas
- Nate Lashley
- Brice Garnett
- Tom Hoge
2024 CJ CUP Byron Nelson Picks
Byeong Hun An +3000 (DraftKings)
Byeong Hun put together an excellent performance at The Masters, finishing T16, which ties his best ever finish at a major championship (also T16 at 2019 U.S. Open). The South Korean gained 9.16 strokes from tee to green, which ranked 2nd in the field behind only the champion, Scottie Scheffler.
An’s next start at Harbour Town didn’t go as well (67th), but he still had a fantastic ball striking week. The 32-year-old bled strokes both around and on the greens, which was his eventual undoing. In his past three starts, An has gained significant strokes on the field both off the tee and on approach.
Benny had a strong start at last year’s Byron Nelson, finishing in a tie for 14th. With limited challenges on the course, he shouldn’t have to do much scrambling. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 17th in the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in the field in birdie or better percentage. The putter is up and down per usual, but his ceiling putting weeks with his LAB Golf putter in 2024 are higher than they’ve been in past seasons.
An is starting to become my “white whale” of the PGA Tour, but I believe in his talent and TPC Craig Ranch is a course that should suit his excellent tee to green play.
Mackenzie Hughes +5500 (FanDuel)
Mackenzie Hughes is quietly putting together a very good season. He finished in a tie for 3rd at the Valspar Championship and followed that up with a T14 at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
In his past 36 rounds in Texas, the Canadian ranks 5th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total. Last year, he finished in a tie for 14th at this event and gained strokes putting and off the tee. Mackenzie played well that week despite being in extremely poor form. He missed two cuts in a row prior to the event, and four consecutive cuts immediately after. His irons were off that week, but in 2024, we’ve seen an improvement in Hughes’ approach game. He now comes to the event playing some steady golf. He’s gained strokes on approach in four of his past five events and is hitting the ball very well from tee to green.
Hughes has two victories on the PGA Tour, both coming in relatively low-scoring affairs (-17 in each). He will need to go a bit deeper to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson but has the type of putter that can keep pace in a birdie barrage.
Seamus Power +7000 (FanDuel)
After struggling over the past few seasons with injuries, Seamus Power seems as if he is rounding back into the form that made him a really consistent player on the PGA Tour.
Power finished T12 in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage, which is encouraging considering it was a “signature event” with a very strong field. For the week, the Irishman gained 4.4 strokes on approach and 2.8 strokes putting, which is the combination he’s used in the past to contend on Tour.
In his three trips to TPC Craig Ranch, Power is yet to finish outside of the top-20, with his best finish being a T9 in 2019. He ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course. The 37-year-old thrives on easy tracks and has won in 2021 (Barbasol Championship) and 2022 (Butterfield Bermuda) on easier layouts with weaker fields.
Power has the game to go extremely low and I believe he can get back in the winner’s circle for the third time in four years.
Chan Kim +10000 (FanDuel)
Chan Kim has been striking the ball beautifully this season and is a proven winner with two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 as well as eight career Japan Tour wins.
At last week’s Zurich Classic, Kim and his partner Doug Ghim finished in a tie for 28th. Prior to that, the South Korean T14 at the Valero Texas Open and T6 at the Corales Puntacana Championship. His success this season in Texas as well as he propensity to play his best golf on the PGA Tour’s easier courses make him and ideal fit for TPC Craig Ranch.
2024 has given plenty of longshot winners on the PGA Tour, and with a birdie fest like this, I believe there’s a strong chance we get another this week in McKinney, Texas.
Alejandro Tosti +10000 (FanDuel)
Alejandro Tosti is one of the most polarizing players on the PGA Tour thus far in the 2024 season. His antics can rub many the wrong way, but he’s shown on a few occasions that he has what it takes to compete in Tour events.
This season, Tosti has been elite off the tee. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The Argentine hits it long and straight, which works at any course on earth. He got a taste of contention a few starts ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, finishing in a tie for 2nd place.
Tosti had a fantastic year in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour, where going low is a prerequisite to success. If this turns to a shootout, which it likely will, the 27-year-old has the ability to set the pace. Tosti will look to become the second Argentine to win in Texas in the past two seasons after Emiliano Grillo emerged victorious at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
C.T. Pan +15000 (FanDuel)
Outside of a T3 at the Mexico Open, C.T. Pan doesn’t have strong results this season in terms of finishes. However, over his past two starts, Pan’s iron play has come alive. At The Players, he gained 6.6 strokes on approach. At the Valero Texas Open, he gained 3.7. At last week’s Zurich Classic, Pan and his partner Kevin Yu finished T28. For a player who can get extremely hot with his scoring clubs, I believe he’s playing better than the results have shown over the past month or so.
Last season, Pan finished 4th at TPC Craig Ranch and was spectacular across all the major stat categories. In his past 36 qualifying rounds, he ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total in Texas.
Pan has won on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage and is always a player that I believe has what it takes to win on a Sunday if he finds himself in contention.
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Layton
Apr 1, 2019 at 1:44 pm
I don’t believe kuchar did anything wrong he did not concede the putt so sergio should have taken it more seriously. Yes I do believe he should have conceded a 2 inch putt sergio should have made a 2 inch putt i am a 25 handicap and have never missed that short of a putt but we all make mistakes.
Kuchsux
Mar 31, 2019 at 10:52 pm
No surprise that Kuckar didn’t give something to a Latino. He’s a big “build the wall” guy.
DB
Apr 1, 2019 at 9:21 am
LOL. Garcia is Spanish. You know, descendant of the conquistadors who conquered Latin America.
ST
Mar 31, 2019 at 10:36 pm
If the roles were reversed Garcia or most anyone else would be destroyed in the media.
Dig deeper, there is a lot out there showing what phony Kuch is.
Karls Barkley
Mar 31, 2019 at 8:36 pm
Glad Ku’cheapo didn’t get the dub ya!!
Kuch Sucks
Mar 31, 2019 at 9:35 pm
Kuch is a douchebag.
Kuchisapunk
Mar 31, 2019 at 9:38 pm
I stopped buying bridgestone because of Kuch.
San
Mar 31, 2019 at 7:50 pm
This is cut and dry?! Sergio messed up! It’s not about integrity or sportsmanship on Kuchs part. If an opponent makes a totally stupid mistake, heck no that shouldn’t mean one should concede a hole to even it up!your supposed to know better than to make stupid mistakes at that level!
Bruce Reid
Apr 1, 2019 at 9:49 am
Totally agree. After reading the comments I understand we are a minority but rules are rules. Anyone other than Sergio would man up and go on
Swirley
Mar 31, 2019 at 6:54 pm
I can’t wait for tomorrow where we get to see the Top 6 Instagram #golfwrx posts. Seriously.
Gmon
Mar 31, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Sergio has played plenty of Matchplay, he knows better!
Its ALL on him, as usual. Grow up, Sergio!
Benny
Mar 31, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Guys what went down happens ALL THE TIME in match play. It was a foot gimmy and its Kuchar who is the baby here. He was the one who went to the official. He was the one who said he didn’t concede. Kuchar was the one who asked what the rule is on this and ultimately he caused the penalty or reversed call.
I personally have lost any and all consideration with Kuchar. With what he said about to the caddy in respinse. Than the exploitation of that caddy’s livlyhood. The dude is selfish, snobby, uses others as jokes and will stab you in the back while taking the last penny in your pocket.
This is what Sergio was pissed about. It’s match play and short gimmies are gimmies. If Tiger did that NOTHING would have been said.
Kuchar sucks and I hope this hurts his persona even more. I would love to punch the dude right in his smug mug.
Vince
Mar 31, 2019 at 6:22 pm
This is such baloney. There’s no controversy here, Garcia is 100% at fault for losing the hole….and that’s the end of the story. You dislike Kuchar which is your prerogative, but don’t spin your BS.
Matf el cheapo
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:47 pm
Vince , your wrong. Sergio would have made that putt 1 mil out of 1 mil times, that’s why putt is conceded. Matt cheapo could’ve continued to the next hole without calling in an official, but cheapo wanted to win at all cost.
Alex
Mar 31, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Totally agree mate. Kuch was trying to use the rule to his advantage. If he felt so bad he could have gone onto the next hole. Purposely called an official over to claim the hole and pretend to keep his nice guy persona. But there’s been too many times where he’s shown his selfishness already. Asked Westwood to putt from half a foot in a matchplay once just to try to have mind games, then the caddie situation and now this, can’t stand fakes who pretends to be a nice guy. Sergio would never have done what Kuch did, he gave Rickie a putt from 20 feet after all.
Petrhenry
Mar 31, 2019 at 5:12 pm
Sergio made his mistake but Kuch had a chance to do the right thing and be a bigger man. He didn’t, a few years ago Sergio fave Rickie a good good when he was 4 feet away and Rickie was 20 feet away because he felt he took too long to play. Much less offense but he showed he’d rather lose than win without good sportsmanship. And like someone said in this thread, all over the world if someone misses from an inch like that when you were going to give the putt then u’d say it’s ok that was good. Kuch should have ar least given Sergio the putt on the next hole. Thay would show good sportsmanship without giving Sergio the hole instead of what Kuch showed, gamesmanship.
SV
Mar 31, 2019 at 5:00 pm
This happens all the time at golf clubs up and down the country – your opponent misses a tap in you were about to concede – and you ALWAYS give it to them afterwards. You are within your rights to take it, but you do the decent thing and let them have it – Matt should have done the same. Spirit of the game – not letter of the law
Brice
Mar 31, 2019 at 10:19 pm
Oh yeah? Do they play for millions of dollars, FedEx Cup and OWGR points at “golf clubs up and down the country” or is it not the same at all? What an idiotic argument: “We do things differently at my local muni track during friendly matches! These tour pros should do the same!” Sergio messed up, Kuchar is under no obligation whatsoever to right that wrong. I bet you think every kid deserves a participation trophy too, right? Also I’m pretty certain those that have laid the blueprint for this game would’ve been on Kuch’s side 100%. You think Hogan and Snead would’ve rolled over and given someone a break after making a stupid mistake during competition? Not a chance.
JP
Mar 31, 2019 at 5:00 pm
DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE ON #16 when Sergio took the drop from the drainage grate he had his caddy come over and clean his ball with a towel before taking his free drop. Right in front of the rules official. Nobody said anything – What am I missing?
CK
Mar 31, 2019 at 6:31 pm
You’re missing the fact that you can clean your ball when taking relief
Brad
Mar 31, 2019 at 3:25 pm
I think the fault was with Sergio’s rash behavior, In this case it just went sour. I think Matt Kucher just didn’t have enough time to consider and utter a declaration of concession for the close putt. I have been following Matt Kucher’s career for many years and he has good traits. Honesty and talent iare two of his best traits. I agree you cannot concede something that already took place, i.e. the 2nd putt by Sergio.
Sergio, you are a great golfer, but Sometimes, sh-t happens. Suck it up and go on. No foul by Kuch on this one!
Tinker Hathead
Mar 31, 2019 at 3:00 pm
I would love to have something to fault Kuchar for but in this case he’s totally in the right. Sergio is doubly in the wrong for not waiting for the concession and missing a 4 incher, but also even asking Kuchar to GIVE him a hole for his f-up. Nothing shady about playing by the rules and you NEVER have to concede a putt so play as if it’s stroke play until u hear “pick it up.”
Jose Pinatas
Mar 31, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Pay your Caddie Kuchar…..
CrashTestDummy
Mar 31, 2019 at 1:35 pm
To me, there is no debate. There are specific rules for match play that should be upheld. The putt wasn’t conceded so he shouldn’t of hit it. Basic rule of match play. Everyone knows it and should follow it.
It reminds me of when Annika Sorenstam chipped in at the Solheim Cup and Kelly Robbins told her to replay the shot because she played out of turn. Sorenstam said it was unsportmanslike but playing in turn is a big part of the game. Robbins was well within her right to make her replay the shot and I didn’t think it was unsportmanlike at all. If anything, playing out of turn and sinking the chip to put pressure on the other player is borderline unsportmanlike.
Donna Keehn
Mar 31, 2019 at 1:24 pm
Hmmm.. Remember the solheim cup where Allison Lee picked up a much longer putt then sergio did , only to have Suzanne petterson retrack that it wasnt a gimme! It ruined suzannes reputation ! But since it happened to an american player we thought it was deplorable! So, Sergio racks a 5 inch putt that 100% was going to be conceded , we Americans go after him! Hypocritical and not the way I want us to be looked at as americans.. double standard Both made the assumption that putts were conceded. Different fan reactions both biased to Americans.
Jamie
Mar 31, 2019 at 12:56 pm
Sergio grows up finally and admits an embarrassing mistake without being pressured to admit it. Good for him.
L
Mar 31, 2019 at 12:44 pm
I love it. More dirt to throw at Sergio.
And more dirt for Kuch to swallow.
They must have done something silly in their past lives for this stuff to follow them everywhere in this new tech world
dat
Mar 31, 2019 at 12:01 pm
What a joke group!
russell platt
Mar 31, 2019 at 12:00 pm
Sergio really livens the game up, and this is a pro event as others have stated. C’mon Sergio, be a pro!!
Leo
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:50 am
I dislike Sergio. But, during the match, live, even after sergio had missed the putt, the official announced “The hole is halved in 4….”. Is this not “official”? Isn’t what happened the official’s call? I honestly don’t know, so asking this as a legitimate question. If the putt can not be conceded retroactively, why can the official’s call of the match be changed retroactively. The answer seems to be that perhaps the official made a mistake in making his call prematurely. At any rate, if Kooch “would have” conceded the putt anyway, why not just let it go and move on? I get that both players have Cup experience and “know better”, and bc of that there is an argument for what Kooch did. In that case however, it seems to just rub salt in the wound to say “I would have given that putt….”.
Drew
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:19 am
Obviously this is Sergio’s mistake and his own fault. He should not have asked Kuch to concede a hole to him because of his screw up. Own it, move on and win a hole back yourself. I personally don’t see that Kuch did anything wrong here. He didn’t owe Sergio anything.
underachiever
Mar 31, 2019 at 2:21 pm
+1
Jack
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:18 am
Well it has been said many,many,many times on GolfWrx that Kuchar was really bad guy So I guess it “must” be true.
However Sergio said himself that he really had “really screwed it up”.
I’m inclined to agree that Sergio totaly screwed up…
Scott Bangerter
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:15 am
What controversy?! You violate the rules; you lose. You act like a tool; you’re a loser. No one needs to concede a hole to make you “feel better” for either.
E
Mar 31, 2019 at 11:10 am
Sergio is an idiot and he got what he deserved. If someone asked me to concede a hole bc they pulled some crap like that i would have a hard time not laughing in their face.
ActualFacts
Mar 31, 2019 at 10:53 am
Once again, Sergio acts like a bratty and entitled adolescent, with no home training, in defeat. I don’t understand why any company would desire him as a brand ambassador when he constantly displays behavior tendencies of a juvenile delinquent on top of his already poor sportsmanship. Grow up already!
DB
Mar 31, 2019 at 10:30 am
This is a huge error by a top ranked professional golfer, has he ever made that mistake in a Ryder Cup match? Any time I have ever played match-play, if I am left with any put inside a foot, I will look at the other player and listen to hear if they concede the putt before I hit it. Sergio is a great ball striker but he is the epitome of a head case. His poor choices over the course of his professional career have been sub-par at best.
David Landig
Mar 31, 2019 at 9:44 am
Sergio likes to act like he has integrity but he doesn’t. If you’re going to own it, own it. Don’t try to put some of the blame on Kuch. Sergio needs a nook……..
Eli69
Mar 31, 2019 at 9:37 am
I’m surprised Sergio did’t start ripping up more greens. Golf is tired of Sergio’s behavior. He is 39 not 12.
Branson
Mar 31, 2019 at 9:01 am
Completely Sergio’s fault. Don’t put yourself in the position to have to ask your opponent To concede a hole and then be mad when they don’t. This isn’t a practive round it’s a WGC. Act like you’ve been there before,
JP
Mar 31, 2019 at 8:55 am
Maybe Sergio can take to social media and get Kuchar to give him $50,000 ala Tuscan Sam.