Matt Kuchar came to his ninth Masters with high expectations that went unfulfilled after finishing 2-over 290 with Sunday’s even-par round.
Fellow Georgia Tech alum Cameron Tringale came to his first Masters with expectations that were mostly met by finishing 1-over 289 with Sunday’s 2-over round.
“I learned a lot, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Tringale said. “I felt my game would suit this golf course pretty well. I think it does. There’s a lot to learn.”
Tringale said the greens were faster on Sunday than in the previous rounds, which he didn’t expect perhaps showing his inexperience.
“I’ll put that in the memory bank and be hopefully be back next time a little more prepared,” he said.
Tringale said the highlights of the week were an eagle on No. 13 on Friday, which resulted in an ovation and he will eventually receive a pair of crystal glasses in a that will be put in a to-be-determined location. Separate from the tournament, Tringale said having his brother, Jon, caddie for him during Wednesday’s par-3 contest.
“He loves this tournament more than life so to have him with me was pretty special,” he said.
Kuchar wasn’t as happy after his round.
He had high hopes coming into the week based upon his history of three consecutive top-10 finishes in the tournament and some new weapons in his game.
Kuchar has been working on hitting his long irons higher with more spin, which would give him more weapons with which to attack Augusta National and try to win his first major.
However, he said he couldn’t accurately control the distances of those higher shots this week. On the par-3 16th, which Kuchar said was a birdie hole, his tee shot landed behind the green. He walked off with a bogey.
“I just wasn’t quite as sharp as I’d liked,” he said. “Seems the past couple of weeks I felt like things were going the right direction heading into this week and I just haven’t been able to put together anything good. It’s tough. It’s felt like it’s coming along and I feel like I’ve improved the tools I have to play places like this.”
Kuchar’s week started with trouble hitting the ball straight off the tee, which made it difficult for him to score with the ease of others in the first two rounds.
He will now turn his attention to defending his title at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town next week, and then playing in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play April 29-May 3 and The Players Championship May 7-10.
Kuchar said he’s not ready to give up on winning the Masters yet despite his substandard results this week.
“I wouldn’t say this place is tailor-made for me but I’ve had some good runs the past two years,” he said. “There’s really been chances. I hope it’s in the cards.”
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