Peter Kuchar, a former tennis star who gained a measure of attention for his antics caddying for son Matt Kuchar in the 1998 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, has died, though no cause of death has bewen reported. He was 73.
Matt Kuchar was scheduled to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week, but withdrew upon receiving the news that Peter had passed away while on a cruise with his wife Meg to celebrate her 70th birthday.
“My Pop was a huge fan of sport and passed on his love of competition to me,” Matt Kuchar said in a statement to Golf Channel. “He was a wonderful person — an incredible grandfather, a loving husband and best friend to my mother, and the best father I could have ever hoped for. An avid pickleball player and outdoorsman, Pop was a man of great character and a character in his own right.
“He is the person that introduced me to the game of golf, a tie that will always remain between us. Those memories, and so many more, will be with me and our family forever. He will be missed more than words can express. We appreciate the support and privacy while we grieve as a family.”
Peter caddied for Matt when the latter won the U.S. Amateur in 1997, then caddied for him again in the Masters and U.S. Open the following year. In the U.S. Open that year, a few professional golfers were critical of the way Peter acted in the wake of his son holing a chip for birdie. Matt, meanwhile, has called those days of his father caddying for him career highlights.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
