British Open: First major title slips away from Matt Kuchar

For his second-place finish in the British Open, Matt Kuchar leaves Royal Birkdale with a check worth $1,067,000.

And without the Claret Jug.

That’s a painful reality for someone who has earned more money than any current player — about $40 million — without a major championship to his name. When the wheels were coming off Jordan Spieth’s game Sunday, Kuchar finally saw his dreams coming into focus.

When Spieth got in trouble on No. 13, missing the fairway by about 100 yards to the right, Kuchar waited for 21 minutes while the situation was sorted out and knew opportunity was knocking.

“We knew we were going to be there for awhile,” said Kuchar, who was standing by his ball in the fairway. “We made ourselves comfy and told some stories. Certainly it wasn’t anything I was ever going to be upset with.”

Kuchar hit his approach to about 15 feet and just missed the birdie putt. Still, with Spieth taking a bogey, Kuchar overtook him for the first time in the tournament.

“All of a sudden, I now have a 1-shot lead after that hole in the British Open with five to go,” Kuchar said. “I’m playing really well. Hitting a lot of good shots. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing — he really turned it up.”

Over the next four holes, Spieth went birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie. Even with two birdies of his own, Kuchar saw his lead evaporate.

“I can only control what I do, how I play,” Kuchar said. “Jordan is a great champion and certainly played that way in the finishing stretch today. It was impressive stuff when a guy does something like that. All you can really do is sit back, tip your cap and say, ‘Well done.’ It was certainly a show that he put on.”

On 18, when Kuchar was in a greenside bunker to the left, he still thought he had a prayer, even though he was trailing by two shots and Spieth was on the green.

“I knew Jordan had 40, 50 feet for birdie,” he said. “I knew he had a long shot. I figured ending up in that bunker wasn’t going to be so bad. I feel pretty confident in my bunker game. I was going for broke with the shot. I thought, ‘I still have a chance to hole this, and put some pressure on him.

“I walk up and find it plugged on the edge. Still had a dream that maybe, maybe it’s possible. Certainly a one-in-a-million shot, but who knows? Once that bunker shot didn’t go in, I knew it was over.”

Kuchar said missing out this time only strengthens his resolve to one day win a major.

“Yes, it certainly does,” he said. “As tough as it is to be this close and finish second, I’m sure that it will lead to me continuing to work hard, push me harder to try to finish one place better.

“I think things like these continue to push people. And I know what it will do to me. To be so close, to taste a victory and not be able to get it. Hard, but I’ll look forward to the challenge of trying again.”