by April 20, 2014 was the last time that Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood won on their respective tours. That drought ended on Sunday for both players. Kuchar closed out his 54-hole lead in Mexico to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic, and Westy shot the lowest round of the day to win by three shots in South Africa.
Kuuuuuuuuuuuch
The past few years have been pretty frustrating for Matt Kuchar. He has notched thirty top 10s since 2015 but never closed out a victory. He got oh-so-close to winning a major before Jordan Spieth closed in a fury to win the 2017 Open Championship, but that was the last time he was in contention. His consistency is something that many professionals would kill for, but there is something special about winning. A favorite amongst his peers and a mentor to many, everyone on tour will be happy for Kuch. (And of course he closed it out with a dad joke) Leaderboard
Lee the Kiwi
One shot back of Kuchar in solo second was New Zealand’s Danny Lee. Starting the day five back of the lead, he shot a final-round 65 to get into contention. He ultimately came up one shot short, but this will help him build some confidence heading into 2019. Lee is coming off a disappointing 2018 campaign where he finished 103rd in the FedEx Cup standings, but he already has two top 10s this fall. Danny is a quiet guy but has a great personality. His fellow competitors love to play with him, and golf is better when he is around.
Other Leaderboard Notes
The rest of the top 5 was filled out by a group of characters that are all on the come-up. J.J. Spaun, Richy Werenski and Brice Garnett each had their best PGA Tour season in 2018. Spaun finished with the best FedExCup rank of the bunch at 51, but all three possess the ability to win on tour.
Jim Furyk turned back the clocks this weekend as well with his T-6 in Mexico. The 48-year-old has dropped outside the top 250 in the world but finished with his 3rd top 10 of the calendar year.
Jordan Spieth missed the cut in his final event of the year. He will head into the offseason where he will get married and put a very unmemorable 2018 season behind him.
Westwood 1
It was a great day to be a 40+ year old in professional golf. Lee Westwood won for the first time since 2015 on Sunday, and it was his first European Tour title since 2014. His golf game has been filled with a lot of poor play over the last two seasons. His recent results have been much more encouraging, but he has fallen apart on many weekends in 2018. Sunday bucked that trend when Westy shot the lowest round of the day to close out his 23rd European Tour title. All is good on Westwood Island. Leaderboard
Bernhard and his Minions
We’re sensing a trend. Vijay Singh showed signs of his old self on Sunday and fired a final-round 61 to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Starting the day in 6th place, the Fijian made 10 birdies on his way to his third win of the season.
Three wins was still not enough to top the dominant Bernhard Langer for the season-long race. Langer won the Charles Schwab Cup after a season that included fourteen top 10s, six runner-ups, and two victories. This is his 5th Schwab Cup title and his fourth in the last five seasons. Leaderboard
Shotgun Start Boom times return to Westwood Island
There’s nothing but sunshine and rainbows on Westwood Island and Andy has never been happier or better positioned in the real estate market. We break down Lee Westwood ending a four-year winless drought on the European Tour after his inspiring Sunday charge at the Nedbank in South Africa. Then we cover a similar comeback story on the PGA Tour, where Matt Kuchar ended his own four-year winless streak by taking the Mayakoba Classic by a shot. With both players using temporary caddies, we also address how much impact a caddie can have on a veteran player. Finally, we end with a Sunday Scaries segment and our favorite things we saw this week. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify
New The Yolk with Doak
The Yolk with Doak is back! Tom joins Andy to talk about his new project at Sand Valley, golf in England and much more. Listen to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or the website.
Quick Hooks
Suzy Whaley was named the first female president of the PGA this week. Full story
The 2nd stage of Q-School wrapped up, here are the results and who will be playing on the Web.com Tour in 2019.
Gaby Lopez became the first Mexican-born winner on the LPGA Tour since Lorena Ochoa at the Blue Bay.
Matt Kuchar used a local caddy this week, and he had the time of his life. Full Story
