It’s safe to say Dos Equis won’t be looking at Matt Kuchar to become their next “Most Interesting Man In the World.”
“It’s not boring,” the 32-year-old said about his Rockwellian life, “There’s just no dirt.”
A week ago, when Kuchar — one of golf’s true nice guys — had a chance to cap off his best year as a professional with a win at the Bridgestone Invitational, he provided a quick sketch of his life.
“It is very clean,” he said, almost apologetically. “I've married the coolest chick in the world and got two great little kids, and life is good for me.
“We unfortunately aren't out partying and don't have many stories to tell. We get the kids fed and they go to bed, and we kind of have to tiptoe around while they sleep, and we watch a movie or Seinfeld or whatever sort of rerun we can find. That's pretty much it. I'm a big fan of sleep.”
But he’s not dreaming now.
After the interminable delays caused by two mornings of rolling fog at Whistling Straits, Kuchar may have gotten little sleep but still has the clubhouse lead midway through the PGA Championship.
The Atlanta resident has only two bogeys on his card — fewest in the field — reflecting the world-class player he’s quietly become.
Kuchar, who’s ninth on the money list this year, plays a lot and has missed only two cuts.
He has nine top 10s — which leads the Tour — and has a second and two third-place finishes.
And he’s done well on the big stage. Only Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood have done better at majors this year. Heady company.
What’s missing from the resume, obviously, is a win.
He’s had his chances, but the two-time Tour winner hasn’t been able to close the deal, including last Sunday in Akron, where he was derailed by a 3-over-par 73.
Not that he’s going to press this weekend for that breakthrough, though.
The Georgia Tech graduate has a theory about winning.
“To win, there's definitely an element of luck involved,” he said. “You just can't control everything out there. I think the best way to approach a week is to give yourself a chance Sunday, and if fate is on your side, you find yourself in the winner's circle.”
Those who’ve watched Kuchar play this year say his steady progression since 2006 means it’s a question of when, and not if, he breaks through.
“I am never surprised by anything he does,” says Bryce Molder, Kuchar’s college teammate. “I played with him on Tuesday for 18 holes and nine holes Wednesday. He had 13 birdies. Let's just say I didn't.”
Not that anyone thought Kuchar couldn’t play.
Who can forget that big, beaming smile and the wide eyes when the then-U.S. Amatuer champion broke onto the national stage, in 1998, with good performances at the Masters — paired with Woods — and the U.S. Open.
But for many of the savants, it’s been a surprise that it’s taken this long for him to become a legitimate contender.
“Well, we thought it might happen a little sooner,” said Molder, one of only four, four-time All-Americans who‘s also only now coming into his own as a professional.
“Things happened. This game's tough. There's a lot of really good players. Sometimes it takes a little while to figure out how to play your best, how to maximize your efforts out here and I feel like he's just hitting his stride and I feel like I'm doing the same.”
Molder, for the record, has turned in rounds of 72 and 67 to stand three behind Kuchar’s lead.
Kuchar says the length of the journey so far has surprised him, but he recalls veterans telling him that there was a 10-year learning curve on the PGA Tour.
“It didn’t make much sense,” he said. “I went out and had a win straight away in 2002 and thought it would be smooth sailing, and yet here I am 10 years into it and I feel like just now, maybe there is something to this 10-year learning curve.”
Not that he has any regrets; the tough times have only made him stronger.
“I think sometimes paying the price and having to dig yourself out of things makes you a better person, a bigger person, and hopefully more prepared to go out and do well.”
Kuchar didn’t pause when asked whether he felt like an “old” 32 given his early success.
“I still feel like I’m the kid from ‘97 winning the U.S. Amateur and playing in the Masters in ‘98,” he said, breaking out an even wider smile.
“I feel like that is just a blink of an eye ago.”
