Matthew Gregory Kuchar Bio
Matthew Gregory Kuchar (born June 21, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and formerly the Nationwide Tour. He has won nine times on the PGA Tour. Kuchar briefly enjoyed success in the early 2000s before suffering a slump where he struggled to maintain his playing status on the PGA Tour. He rejuvenated himself and built a new, one-plane swing from 2008 onward leading to improved results. Kuchar was the PGA Tour’s leading money winner in 2010. Kuchar won The Players Championship in 2012, the flagship event of the PGA Tour, his biggest tournament victory to date. As a result, he moved to a career high number five in the world rankings and has spent over 40 weeks ranked inside its top-10. In February 2013, Kuchar won his first World Golf Championship event, defeating Hunter Mahan in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Kuchar won the first Olympic bronze medal awarded for golf since the 1904 Summer Olympics. Kuchar ended the 2025 season as the highest-earning PGA Tour player without a major championship win, with career earnings of over $61.5 million. The closest he has come was his second-place finish in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
Early Life and Background
Kuchar was born in Winter Park, Florida, to Peter, a life insurance salesman and college tennis pro, and Meg Kuchar, with one sibling, Rebecca. He went on to graduate from Seminole High School in Sanford in 1996. Kuchar attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he was a two-time first-team All-American on the Yellow Jackets’ golf team. After narrowly losing in the semi-finals of the 1996 U.S. Amateur championship to Tiger Woods, Kuchar won the title in 1997. He received the Haskins Award in 1998 as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. One of Kuchar’s teammates at Georgia Tech was future PGA Tour professional Bryce Molder. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management. In addition, he had some success at major championships in 1998. He was the low amateur at both The Masters and U.S. Open.
Path to Golf
Kuchar turned professional in November 2000, after working briefly for a financial services firm. He missed the sign-up deadline for the 2000 qualifying school. In 2001 he was given sponsors’ exemptions to some PGA Tour tournaments, and earned enough money to be fully exempt for the 2002 season. Kuchar’s first win on the PGA Tour came at the Honda Classic in 2002. A tough year in 2005 saw him win under $403,000, 159th on the money list, which caused a loss of his tour card. He failed to regain it at qualifying school and played on the Nationwide Tour in 2006. Kuchar won its Henrico County Open and finished tenth on the Nationwide Tour money list to earn back his PGA Tour card for 2007. He retained his card for the next two seasons by finishing 115th on the money list in 2007 and 70th in 2008.
Matthew Gregory Kuchar Career
Early Career (2000-2009)
Kuchar made the Ryder Cup team in 2010, taking the eighth and last merit position on the 12-man U.S. squad on August 15. At the time, Kuchar led the PGA Tour in top-10 finishes for the year, but had not won a tournament in 2010. The winless streak ended two weeks later at The Barclays on August 29, which was played at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey; Kuchar defeated Martin Laird on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Kuchar won the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award in 2010 for lowest scoring average and the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Award for leading the money list. Kuchar started off 2011 well with three consecutive top-10 finishes in the first three weeks of the season. He finished T6 at the opening PGA Tour event, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Maui. The following week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he played his way to a T5 finish and then at the Bob Hope Classic achieved a T7 finish. In February, Kuchar reached the semi-finals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he suffered a 6&5 defeat by eventual champion Luke Donald. Kuchar finished tied for second at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in June 2011 behind Steve Stricker. This was his eighth top-10 finish of the season and took him to his highest ranking to date of world number six. Kuchar finished second at The Barclays, two strokes behind the winner, Dustin Johnson. The tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to Hurricane Irene. This finish moved him to second in the FedEx Cup standings. Kuchar and Gary Woodland combined to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in November.
Breakthrough (2010-2012)
Kuchar had his best performance in a major championship at The Masters when he finished in a tie for third. Kuchar was tied for the lead on the back nine on Sunday, but bogeyed the par three 16th and finished two strokes out of the playoff between Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen. Kuchar won the biggest tournament of his career in May when he won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He shot a final round of 70 (−2) to win by two strokes over runners-up Rickie Fowler, Martin Laird, Ben Curtis, and Zach Johnson. He entered the final round in the last group, one stroke behind Kevin Na. After bogeying the first hole, he played a near-perfect round, except for a three-putt bogey on the 17th, to hold off the challengers. The win elevated Kuchar to a career high of number five in the world rankings. He won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February, defeating Hunter Mahan 2&1 in the final. Throughout the week, Kuchar was never more than one down in any of his matches and only trailed three times on his way to the win. He defeated Hiroyuki Fujita, Sergio García, Nicolas Colsaerts, Robert Garrigus and Jason Day en route to the final. Kuchar moved back into the world’s top 10 after this victory. His second win in 2013 came at the Memorial Tournament in early June.
Notable Works and Milestones
Kuchar’s signature work includes his victory at The Players Championship, which solidified his status as a top player on the PGA Tour. He has received numerous accolades, including the Haskins Award in 1998, the Byron Nelson Award, and the Vardon Trophy in 2010.
Matthew Gregory Kuchar Award Nominations
Throughout his career, Matthew Gregory Kuchar has received several nominations for prestigious awards, reflecting his consistent performance on the PGA Tour.
Matthew Gregory Kuchar Awards Won
Matthew Gregory Kuchar has won numerous awards during his career, including the Haskins Award in 1998 and multiple accolades in 2010, such as the Byron Nelson Award and the Vardon Trophy.
Matthew Gregory Kuchar Family
Kuchar is married to Sybi Parker, who was a tennis player at Georgia Tech. They live on St. Simons Island in Georgia and have two sons, Cameron Cole and Carson Wright.
Personal Life
Kuchar is a Christian and maintains a low profile regarding his personal life, focusing primarily on his professional career and family.
