PGA Tour: Matt Kuchar Talks Tough Conditions at Sony Open in Hawaii

PGA Tour Professional Matt Kuchar speaks with the media on the tough conditions at this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii and additionally speaks on the legacy of the late golf course architect Pete Dye.

Q. Matt, I know there was some wind last week, but you played here for a long time. Have you seen some wind around here like this?
MATT KUCHAR: It was hard work out there. This I don’t recall in a long time. Funny, I was looking at last year’s book, and the first hole the most I had to the front of the green was like 135 yards all week.

I had about 170 today. It was straight downwind. Amazing how different from last year. This year, it’s crazy windy but really soft, and so we’re seeing still few guys under par.

What a challenge. This wind is blowing as hard as I recall it blowing.

Q. What was the most difficult aspect of the game for you today with the conditions?
MATT KUCHAR: Handful of those holes was some crosswinds. Some of these fairways you’re playing in doglegs and you got wind blowing either hard left to right or hard right to left, and, boy, those get challenging. Thankfully softer fairways at least get the ball in and it’s pretty much standing over the putt.

Still, you see the ball turn sideways out here and those are tricky.

Q. Find some difficulty on the greens with some of the crosswind putts?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, anything you leave yourself — you don’t want to (indiscernible). With this much wind, wind has a big time affect on what happens with the roll of the ball, and just your steadiness over the ball.

You watch that putter go back and sometimes that wind starts shaking it. It’s a scary proposition.

Thankfully I didn’t leave myself too many four or five footers.

Matt Kuchar on Pete Dye

Q. A loss today in the golf world.
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, sorry to hear that. What a legend out here. I mean, he’s left quite a mark on our game and quit a great impression from what he’s done. I’ve been fortunate and had some success at Pete Dye courses, Hilton Head and PLAYERS Championship, couple of my favorite golf courses we play all year. So he’s left quite a mark.

And one of the cool things about golf course architecture is you really do leave a lasting mark. His courses are going to be around. Both Hilton Head and PLAYERS have stood the test of time and they’ll continue to stand the test of time.

It’s an awesome thing that he’s left for us.

Q. It’s probably pretty iconic, his design, right? Like you said, everything is unique and you can tell a Pete Dye.
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, you sure can. You sure can. I’ve had some good fun. They tend to be challenging, hard courses, but I’ve had some nice results and some good feelings towards Pete Dye golf courses.

Q. And today, mate, you obviously started pretty well given the conditions.
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, boy, hard work. I’m happy to be done, scorecard in. It’s challenging out there. There are so many holes with these crosswind tee shots that you’re hitting into doglegs, and trying to find the fairways is hard work.

And then standing over putts just it’s hard. You feel yourself get blown around. You know the ball is going to get blown around once you hit it. Everything about out here is challenging, minus the soft conditions. The soft conditions helped I think immensely with the scores.

I think if we had conditions like last year as far as firmness goes, it would hard to hit half the greens. But with the greens as soft as they are, the fairways as soft as they are, I think you’re seeing some guys with still some good scores due to the softness.

Q. With the conditions in particular, were there any holes that were just maybe different than what you were used to the way it was playing today?
MATT KUCHAR: Well, I got notes from last year, and I was just looking the 1st hole. 1st hole plays nearly straight downwind today. I mean, it’s blowing 25 miles an hour. I had kind of 165 to the front.

I don’t think last year — and then all the wind I’ve got, at most I had it blowing was five miles an hour. Most I had to the front of one was 135. So it’s a 30-yard difference, and the wind is helping 20 miles an hour more amount of help.

It was just that much firmer and faster the ball rolling a ton last year. So it was interesting. I figure there is no way I would have further — I would be further away on the 1st hole because it just was nearly straight downwind.

It was 30 yards back from where I was all week last year.

Q. Oh, wow. Coming down the stretch, it looked like you had three or four putts the last few holes that could’ve made it close to going in.
MATT KUCHAR: I think everybody has those. One of those things with golf. Made a couple on the front side. I had a couple nice putts go in on the front. Anything outside of five feet and even outside of three feet is tricky.

Had a couple looks at it, but we all do. We all do.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

January 9, 2020