American golfer Matt Kuchar bizarrely refused to complete his final round of the Wyndham Championship until Monday despite being halfway through the 18th and final hole.
The tournament was won by England’s Aaron Rai, but Kuchar stole the show by deciding to stay on the North Carolina course an extra day to finish his round.
With the light fading due to an early suspension of play, Kuchar was chasing the light as they teed off the 18th hole in the final group, but while the American’s playing partners Max Greyserman and Chad Ramey finished the hole, Kuchar decided to stop and head back on Monday morning despite the rest of the field having finished.
The bizarre move is legal under golf rules, as the 46-year-old is no longer in with a chance of winning or earning a spot in the FedEx play-off qualifying round after playing 17 holes before retiring at one over par.
Kuchar decided to withdraw when he was tied with 10 other players for 12th. If Kuchar makes an eagle, he will move up to sixth place, which would earn him $276,500 (£216,747), an increase of $58,000 (£45,466) from the $134,000 (£105,042) he currently stands to earn. A birdie would move him into a tie for seventh place with $223,833.
The Florida-based golfer needed a win to continue his streak as the only player to reach the FedEx Cup play-offs every year since its inception in 2007.
According to reports in the United States, the 46-year-old was frustrated that a marshal had not warned him not to play the 18th hole when the group ahead of him was still on the fairway. “The tournament is over, but it’s not over,” the American commentator said.
“I was trying to set an example for Max,” Kuchar said. Golf Channel Asked about his decision, he said: “We were past the point where we should have stopped playing. We saw what Max did on the 16th hole (four putts for a double bogey). They should have blown the horn there.”
“I feel bad, the poor guy should have won this tournament. If I don’t play, I could show Max that he has a big chance to make it.”
Jim Nantz said: “It’s very strange. In fact, tomorrow morning we’ll have one player here, I guess around 8 o’clock.”
