How to win the PGA Championship: A hole-by-hole guide to Bethpage Black

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Matt Kuchar ended more than four years without a PGA TOUR victory Sunday by closing with a 2-under 69 and holding up through a few nervous moments down the stretch to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Kuchar had a four-shot lead going into the final round. But after making two bogeys over the first 67 holes in the tournament, he made two bogeys in two holes on Nos. 14 and 15, and his lead shrunk to one shot when Danny Lee made a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 16th hole. Lee finished with two pars for a 65. Kuchar still wasn’t entirely in the clear. His 15-foot birdie attempt rolled about 3 feet by the hole on No. 17 and he had to make that for par. And on the 18th, he left his 30-foot birdie putt about 3 feet short and had to roll that in to win by one shot. “I didn’t want a 3-footer on the last hole,” Kuchar said. “I was hoping to have a three or four-shot lead for some wiggle room. But man, that felt awfully good.” The 40-year-old Kuchar had gone 115 starts on the PGA TOUR since his last victory in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in April 2014. It comes at the end of what had been a disappointing year in which Kuchar finished out of the top 70 of the FedExCup standings for the first time since 2007, and he failed to make the Ryder Cup team for the first time in 10 years. “My 2018 wasn’t what I wanted,” Kuchar said. “This is a high note. It’s amazing thing to get a win. I go from `Hola’ to `Aloha.’ I’m pretty excited about that.” Kuchar qualifies for the Sentry Tournament of Champions to start next year at Kapalua. He finished at 22-under 262, breaking by one the 72-hole record at Mayakoba previously held by Harris English. Lee was the only player to make a sustained run at Kuchar, who had a four-shot lead to start the final round. PGA TOUR rookie Cameron Champ had a 12-foot eagle attempt on the 13th hole that would have brought him to within two shots, but he missed the putt and sent his next tee shot into the mangroves, making double bogey. Lee had six birdies in 13 holes, but missed a 6-foot par putt on the 15th, unaware that Kuchar made a bogey behind him. J.J. Spaun (66) and Richy Werenski (67) tied for third. Kuchar won for the eighth time on the PGA TOUR in a career marked more by consistency than trophies. This year, he had neither. He had only four top 10s — his best finish was a tie for fifth in Phoenix — and was coming off a tie for 57th in Las Vegas. He added Mayakoba at the last minute, and with his regular caddie having previous plans, Kuchar hired a local caddie from El Camaleon. He referred to the week as a “working vacation” because of the beaches and amenities at Mayakoba, though it felt like work at the end. “Golf is such a funny game,” Kuchar said. “It’s hard to predict when it’s going to come around.”

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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland – Max Homa’s back was sore and his legs were tired, but getting to play one of Scotland’s historic links was worth it. And it may have helped him get back in contention at the Genesis Scottish Open. RELATED: Leaderboard “A 66 helps the body feel a little better,” Homa said after shooting that score in the third round at the Renaissance Club. He’d played 36 holes a day earlier, following his second-round 71 at Renaissance Club with a casual round at course that he’d been hankering to play ever since he saw it on a No Laying Up video a few years ago. North Berwick’s West Links is just a nine-minute drive from the venue for this week’s Genesis Scottish Open and Homa wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to play a course that he thought “looked like the coolest course in the world” after seeing it on YouTube. “It became my favorite course I had never played,” Homa said. “I knew I was going to be beat but it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things and I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t play.” Homa had already passed on a round at historic Muirfield because his caddie’s clubs didn’t arrive on time. He wasn’t going to miss North Berwick, as well. Golf has been played on the course since the 17th century, and it is known as the home of the original Redan hole and for the ancient wall that runs through several of the holes. Homa teed off at 4:30 p.m. Friday with caddie Joe Greiner, swing coach Mark Blackburn and North Berwick assistant pro Scott Gillies. All four birdied the 18th hole around 8:30 p.m. and Homa was proud to report that he and Greiner, who are friends since childhood, “drummed” Blackburn and Gillies. Photo and video of the round started circulating on social media Friday night, as well. “Playing the first Redan makes it neat,” said Homa, who also eagled North Berwick’s par-5 eighth hole after hitting 3-wood from 212 yards. “It was one of the best golf experiences I’ve ever had.” He made the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open with a shot to spare after opening with consecutive 71s. He birdied his opening hole of the third round and added another eagle on the third hole. He made just one birdie over the next 15 holes, at the par-5 10th, but also was bogey-free for the day. After starting the third round in 38th place, he sat in the top 10 for most of Saturday. Homa ranks 10th in the FedExCup after two wins this season and a high finish could also help him in his Presidents Cup candidacy, as he sits eighth in the U.S. standings.

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