\n.@TheSergioGarcia<\/a> and Matt Kuchar talked through Saturday's Match Play drama. ? pic.twitter.com\/Lb8ivncT78<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n The Scrambler<\/strong><\/td>\n Mo’ Golf<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n \n Bad temper? Yes. On Sportmanship? Garcia Clobbers Kuchar 9&8<\/strong><\/p>\n
Over the weekend, I watched the Kuchar \/ Garcia scenario unfolding on the 7th<\/sup> hole at the WGC-Match Play, and knew that it was going to be misinterpreted. The announcers\u2019 tenor immediately focused on Garcia\u2019s temper, but what was woefully under-analyzed was Kuchar\u2019s poor sportsmanship.<\/p>\n
Those who know me realize I am a fervent opponent of oversimplified, binary thinking and preach for appreciation of nuance. I knew this topic was fertile ground for the former, and I\u2019m here to advocate for the latter. <\/p>\n
I was traveling and didn\u2019t read much analysis about the incident until I saw than my colleague, Mo Golf, liked this tweet from John Huggan:<\/p>\n
\u201cRe the Sergio thing. Kuchar has no obligation to concede next hole. All Sergio\u2019s fault. Plus, real competitors \/ sportsmen don\u2019t ask to get away with anything when they screw up<\/u><\/strong>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
This aligned with other misleading headlines such as CBS Sports\u2019 offering of \u201cSergio Garcia wanted Matt Kuchar to concede a hole after botched putt.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n
Both these implied that Sergio Garcia was the poor sport and I\u2019m here to tell you it\u2019s the exact opposite. Was he upset? Yes. Why? Because he\u2019s a better sportsman than Matt Kuchar.<\/p>\n
Any implication that Sergio \u201casked for a concession\u201d to make up for his gaffe is dead wrong. He suggested it to Kuchar as a possibility when Matt indicated he didn\u2019t want to win that way. Here\u2019s Kuchar\u2019s quote from ASAP Sports:<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, “Listen, I don’t know how to handle this, but I didn’t concede the putt, Sergio missed the putt.” Sergio said, totally his mistake. He knew he made a mistake. I said, I didn’t want that to be how a hole was won or lost.<\/strong> And he said, “Well, you can concede a hole.” I’m not sure I’m ready to concede a hole.<\/strong>\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n
What made Sergio upset was Kuchar\u2019s inherent hypocrisy in those last two statements. And it\u2019s upsetting, because Sergio has a far greater sense of sportsmanship & authenticity. Sergio screws up with his temper, but also owns it.<\/p>\n
Bones Mackay indicated during the broadcast that Sergio has granted a similar type of concession when similar odd incidents have given him an advantage. Sergio\u2019s suggestion wasn\u2019t driven by pure self-interest. It was a reflection of an inherent sense of equity.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the difference.<\/p>\n
When Sergio says \u201cI feel bad winning that way,\u201d he remedies it. When Kuchar says \u201cI don\u2019t want to win that way,\u201d he means \u201cbut I don\u2019t want to give back the advantage I received, even though I fully intended to concede a 4 inch putt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sergio\u2019s reaction on 8 wasn\u2019t because he was mad about the rule. He admitted that he screwed up, both at the time and after the match. He was upset about Kuchar\u2019s phoniness and lack of genuine sportsmanship. <\/p>\n
Sergio would hold himself to a standard of not wanting to win due to a technical glitch when he knew in his heart of hearts that he intended to concede a putt. That\u2019s his inherent expectation of sportsmanship & integrity, and it confounds him when others don\u2019t have the same sense (especially when they articulate that they \u201cdon\u2019t want to win that way\u201d).<\/p>\n
Think of the positive press Kuchar would have received if he had \u201cevened\u201d things out by conceding the putt on 8. We\u2019d be reading how golf is truly a sport of gentlemen. Kuchar had the chance to be a decent sportsman, but made the conscious choice to pass.<\/p>\n
To be clear, Kuchar was under no \u201ctechnical\u201d obligation. But combined with the caddie fiasco earlier this year (where there was no \u201ctechnical obligation\u201d to pay a generous bonus), Kuchar is demonstrating a willingness to do the bare minimum in terms of character and sportsmanship.<\/p>\n
In terms of genuine sportsmanship, Garcia is the clear victor.<\/td>\n
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