THE MAYAKOBA GOLF CLASSIC TEES OFF on Thursday at the El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Matt Kuchar is the defending champion.
That 2018 victory turned sour for Kuchar when it was learned the veteran paid local caddie David Ortiz a pittance compared to the customary amount on the PGA Tour. The controversy played out on social and other media in the weeks that followed.
Eventually, Kuchar wrote a much larger check (an additional $45,000) to Ortiz and issued a public apology.
According to a New York Post story, the caddie doesn’t hold a grudge.
“Kuchar is a good person. I’m not angry,” Ortiz said. “Everything is good. Not paying was not good. But I have no anger.”
Ortiz planned to use the money to build a laundromat but changed his mind after anticipating that local workers might overcharge because of his windfall. The caddie is more in demand at the resort since carrying Kuchar’s bag to victory.
The hard-to-get money from Kuchar was life-changing.
“Fifty thousand dollars, for me, is big,” Ortiz added. “It’s everything to me and not much to [Kuchar]. The $50,000 I needed for my business and to fix my kitchen and bathroom at home and to buy a new cell phone.”
(H/T GolfChannel.com)
Good to hear…I always liked Kuchar and thought the whole affair last year was blown out of proportion.
md