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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Just before Matt Kuchar stepped over a 3-foot putt to close out his third round at the U.S. Open, a hush that had fallen over the gallery lining the 18th green was suddenly broken.
“You’re a tightwad, Kuchar!” screamed one fan from the grandstand behind the green, a call that was clearly heard by Kuchar and playing competitor Chesson Hadley. It elicited an unsteady groan from the spectators in the immediate vicinity and was followed by a mix of boos and calls of “Kuuch.”
The comment harkened back to Kuchar’s mishandling of a compensation situation with his fill-in caddie at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in the fall, one of multiple controversial moments that have dotted a season in which the 40-year-old has played some of the best golf of his career.