HONOLULU – There is nothing stress-free about PGA Tour golf. Even in victory, there are always moments when a player’s ability to deal with pressure is tested. But that has not really been the case this week for Matt Kuchar.
Through three rounds at the Sony Open, Kuchar has hit 30 of 42 fairways, which some would consider a Herculean feat on Waialae Country Club’s tight and turning fairways. Kuchar has hit 44 of 54 greens in regulation and he’s had just three putts for par that were longer than 4 feet.
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“There are certainly enough doglegs left, which aren’t my favorite. I hit a little bit of a fade. They’re tough tee balls,” said Kuchar, who leads Andrew Putnam by two strokes following a third-round 66. “There is kind of some indecision.”
Indecision, perhaps. But has it been stressful?
“It’s awful nice. It’s not often,” admits Kuchar, who is poised to win for the second time in his last three PGA Tour starts. “When you feel like you know what you’re doing with your golf swing and the golf ball is reacting the way you want it to, it’s a lot of fun.”
Kuchar has played 54 holes with just one bogey, which came on the par-4 15th hole on Friday when his approach shot found a greenside bunker and he failed to convert a 20-footer for par.