Fansided

Matt Kuchar finally does right thing in caddie controversy

By David Salituro

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 09: Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates his birdie with his caddie on the 15th green during the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 09, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 09: Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates his birdie with his caddie on the 15th green during the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 09, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Matt Kuchar saw his reputation taking a hit over his pay to caddie David “El Tucan” Ortiz, so on Friday he finally made the right decision.

Matt Kuchar is used to many things in his PGA Tour career. Top-10 finishes. A wide smile. Adoring fans yelling “Kuuuuch” every time he holes a putt. One thing he’s not used to, however, is controversy. But that’s exactly what happened this week as a dispute over caddie pay threatened to ruin Kuchar’s stellar reputation.

The controversy stems from the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico in November. Kuchar made a late decision to play the event. His regular caddie, John Wood, couldn’t make it to Mexico in time, so Kuchar was forced to enlist the help of a local caddie with knowledge of the course.

That caddie’s name was David Ortiz, popularly known in the area as “El Tucan.” With El Tucan carrying his bag, Kuchar went on to shoot 22-under and win the tournament by a shot for his eighth career PGA Tour title. The drama of the week, however, was just beginning.

Normal PGA Tour caddies usually get 10 per cent of winnings. With Kuchar earning nearly $1.3 million for his win, his caddie stood to earn around $130,000. Instead, Ortiz was handed an envelope after the tournament containing $5,000, not even one per cent.

Earlier this week Ortiz did an interview with Michael Bamberger of Golf.com, explaining he feels ripped off by Kuchar. “Matt is a good person and a great player. He treated me very well. I am only disappointed by how it all finished,” Ortiz told Bamberger.

He also noted he has no intention of working with Kuchar again. “No thank you. I’m a little pissed, a little bit confused.”

Kuchar responded to Ortiz a few days later, but his attempt at damage control only made the situation worse. He came off as arrogant and insensitive, saying he won’t “lose sleep over this” and suggesting Ortiz should’ve been happy to receive the $5,000.

Suddenly Kuchar, the positive, smiling fan favorite was being criticized, the efforts he’s made throughout his career to building up his reputation coming undone. He needed to make things right, and on Friday he did. Kuchar released a statement saying he was paying Ortiz the $50,000 he was asking for and expressing regret over letting the controversy become such a firestorm.

“This week, I made comments that were out of touch and insensitive, making a bad situation worse. They made it seem like I was marginalizing David Ortiz and his financial situation, which was not my attention,” Kuchar said.

“In this situation, I have not lived up to those values or to the expectations I’ve set for myself. I let myself, my family, my partners and those close to me down, but I also let David down. I plan to call David tonight, something that is long overdue, to apologize for the situation he has been put in, and I have made sure he has received the full total that he has requested.”

Kuchar also revealed he plans to donate money to charities in Mexico and apologized to his legion of fans.

His goodwill gesture may be months overdue, but in the end he did the right thing. Now he just has to hope the damage done to his reputation can be repaired.

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