Kuchar's 68 Takes Memorial


Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to maintain the two-shot cushion he enjoyed starting Sunday's final round to win the Memorial Tournament at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

The 34-year-old finished at 12-under 276, two strokes ahead of Kevin Chappell, who also shot a 68, and three in front of Kyle Stanley (71). The victory, Kuchar's second of the year following his win in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, was worth $1.116 million and 500 FedEx Cup points.

"This is such an amazing feeling. This never gets old," said Kuchar, who won for the sixth time in his career and is now runner-up to Tiger Woods in the season-long FedEx Cup standings. "To have Jack Nicklaus congratulate me is a real treat. This is as special as it gets."

Kuchar led by as many as four strokes on the back nine, but Chappell made things interesting with four birdies on the final six holes. Kuchar countered with a birdie on the par-5 15th - then had a bogey on the par-3 16th, before closing with a birdie on the par-4 last to seal the win.

"There at the end, it got scary," Kuchar said. "(Chappell) made a great run at the end."

Sharing fourth at 282 were Scott Stallings (67) and Bill Haas (71), while another stroke back were Russell Henley (69) and Australia's Matt Jones (72).

No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy closed with a 72 to finish tied for 57th at 6-over 294, while No. 1 Woods also shot a 72 to end up T-65 at 8-over 296.

Woods had his second triple-bogey in two days, with Sunday's coming on the par-3 12th hole. Woods, a five-time champion at Memorial and a four-time winner this year, finished 72 holes with the highest aggregate score of his PGA Tour career.

Woods proved that he's human after all. "It happens," said the 78-time Tour winner. "It happens to us all."

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