Midway through the back nine on Saturday, it seemed that Matt Kuchar was storming towards the World Wide Technology Championship, with the American 10-under through 15 holes and on 59 watch as he pulled six clear of the field.
However, as he made it to the 15th hole at the Tiger Woods designed El Cardonal Golf Course at Diamante, everything changed, with a wayward drive forcing a drop and, from there, multiple shots from around the green led to a quadruple bogey eight. This, followed by another bogey at the 16th, meant the chasing pack could close in on Kuchar, with Camillo Villegas forcing a seven shot swing in just two holes!
The quadruple bogey was the sixth of Kuchar's PGA Tour career with the American looking to pick up a first PGA Tour title since the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii, it certainly dented his chances of a win. The 45-year-old ended the day in a share of the lead with Villegas, who also hasn't won since the 2014 Wyndham Championship.
Following the quadruple bogey, Kuchar made a bogey at the 16th, which only compounded the misery when he looked up and saw Villegas had birdied both holes to make up seven strokes.
However, in typical Kuchar style, he remains upbeat, with the experienced American stating: "Listen, this course has some trickiness to it. That 15th hole is one I think we all have circled I think this could be a big number and for me it was today. Listen, it's golf. Every hole has the same value, the same importance to it. I shoot five-under and you could look at it multiple different ways. I shot five-under today, played really good golf. I really like the state of my game, so here I am. I'm pretty good at letting that stuff roll off my back. I let that one roll off my back and go try to play some good golf tomorrow."
There are a lot of interesting stories forming at the World Wide Technology Championship. One of those is Villegas, who isn't just looking for a first PGA Tour title in nine years, but the first since his daughter, Mia, tragically passed away in 2020 following a battle with cancer.
"Today was an interesting day, a little different than the first two. Putter wasn't as hot, but I think overall it was positive. I mean, I'm in the final group tomorrow, that's good," stated the Colombian.
"Emotionally I was pretty at peace on the golf course and made great birdies on No. 15 and 16, probably two of the holes that were playing the toughest. Matt was kind of running away, but golf is weird and he came back to us. We'll be back tomorrow, play good, keep staying aggressive. There's a lot of low scores on this golf course, see what happens."
Along with Villegas, South African, Erik Van Rooyen, sits just one shot back. Entering the week, he was 125th in the FedEx Cup Fall, which is directly on the line to be fully exempt for 2024. If he finishes strong on Sunday, he will likely lock up his status on the PGA Tour for next year.
