PGA Tour fan favorite Matt Kuchar contending at Fortinet Championship

One of the vital standard gamers on the PGA Tour is contending in Northern California.

Recent off a 7-under 65, Matt Kuchar heads into the ultimate spherical of the Fortinet Championship trailing Sahith Theegala by three strokes.

He didn’t make a single bogey and made seven birdies, together with a chip-in on the par-3 seventeenth.

“It’s an thrilling place to be,” Kuchar mentioned when requested about his place on the leaderboard.

“Actually an amazing leaderboard, some actually good names up there on the high. I’m thrilled to be a part of these names and searching ahead to having some enjoyable on the market. Pay attention, that is form of why all of us play. You need to have an opportunity come Sunday, and golf will get much more enjoyable while you’ve bought an opportunity to win a match on Sunday.”

Kuchar at all times appears to have enjoyable on the golf course, whether or not he’s in competition or lacking the minimize. His smile is infectious, his dad jokes are contagious, and seemingly everybody on tour loves him.

He additionally works arduous at his sport, though he has not recorded a high 10 because the Valero Texas Open in April.

“Every part’s form of feeling fairly good,” Kuchar famous. “I put in some nice work with my coach, Chris O’Connell. I really feel as assured as I’ve been shortly of form of understanding my swing and understanding what I’m making an attempt to do to hit the pictures I need to hit.”

Kuchar has rolled the ball properly on the greens, too.

He leads all the Fortinet Championship area in strokes gained placing, as he has gained a whopping 8.632 strokes on the greens.

However a former U.S. Open champion gave Kuchar the spark he wanted with the flat stick.

“Shout out to Gary Woodland. I went all the way down to see him final week, checking in and seeing the children,” Kuchar defined.

Picture by Jamie Squire/Getty Photographs

“We began speaking store, speaking golf, and he shared with me among the issues he’s been engaged on along with his placing. I went out to the placing inexperienced right here on Tuesday, gave it a strive, and thought, holy cow, that works for me, too. So huge due to Gary as a result of I’ve definitely carried out properly with the putter in my hand this week.”

Now Kuchar, ranked 66th within the FedEx Cup standings, hopes to maintain the nice mojo going.

Ought to he end throughout the high 5, Kuchar would slide as much as 59th or larger within the standings, which might show monumental for Kuchar with six occasions left on the PGA Tour Fall.

These ranked 51st to sixtieth after the autumn season routinely qualify for The Sentry and the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am, the primary two signature occasions of 2024.

“It’s a singular time to determine the place everyone stands within the sport of golf,” Kuchar defined.

“I’m making an attempt to get inside the highest 60 to get a few exemptions into the elevated occasions. However hear, I really like taking part in, love having an opportunity to compete. Being out right here at Silverado, it’s a unbelievable resort, a unbelievable golf course. That is one which no matter the place on the schedule it’s, I’m prone to discover myself right here.”

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Remember to try @_PlayingThrough too.