RIO DE JANEIRO -- Upon arriving in Brazil for the Olympic golf tournament, it was apparent that Matt Kuchar was all-in on the Games -- maybe even more on the other events that were taking place around Rio than his own.
When at a pre-tournament news conference Kuchar began extolling the virtues of the modern pentathlon and managed to explain the five disciplines of the competition -- well, the irony wasn't lost on those who were fully aware that just a few days earlier, Kuchar had expressed ignorance concerning the golf format here.
But there was Kuchar on Sunday, that goofy grin from ear to ear, beaming.
His final-round 63 wasn't enough to make up a 7-shot deficit on eventual winner Justin Rose, but it did bring Kuchar a medal. A very nice bronze medal that will rank among his finest golf achievements.
"It's just an amazing week,'' said Kuchar, 38, who has seven PGA Tour victories, the biggest coming at the 2012 Players Championship. "I keep expressing the feeling of just sheer pride. I knew when I was out there playing, there were times I knew I was in third place. Certainly didn't want to lose that, but also wanted to keep pushing forward.
"It was a funny position to be in, but while I was out there, playing that back nine, the sense of being an Olympic medalist really hit me. There were times I kind of had to back off a few times and re-gather my thoughts and composure to make sure I tried to continue to hit good shots and keep making birdies.''
At week's end, Kuchar led the four Americans, who got off to a slow start on Thursday, making their quest for medals all the more difficult.
Congrats to @JustinRose99 @henrikstenson and Kuch! Great finish and great fnl rd by Kuch for #TeamUSA. Will be a goal to represent 🇺🇸 in2020
— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) August 14, 2016
Bubba Watson tied for eighth after a final-round 70 left him at 277, 7-under par and 6 shots behind third-place Kuchar.
Patrick Reed rallied with a final-round 64 that jumped him to a tie for 11th.
And Rickie Fowler, after a third-round 64 gave him hope, was 10 strokes worse Sunday, shooting 74 to tie for 37th.
"I was grinning from ear to ear every time I looked at the leaderboard and saw him (Kuchar) making pars and birdies; he was going to get a medal,'' Watson said. "As long as he signed the scorecard the right way, he was going to get a medal.
"It's a thrill of a lifetime to be associated with that, and then to see Matt do that. That's what every athlete wants to do, shoot a good number, race their race the best way they know how and win a medal. And that's what he did.''
Kuchar actually might have gone lower, and moved up higher on the leaderboard.
After making birdies on four holes on the front side to make things interesting, Kuchar eagled the par-5 10th, navigated the tough holes on the back side, then birdied the 15th. That got him to 7 under for his round.
But after driving the green at the par-4 16th, Kuchar was left with a 75-foot eagle putt; he ran it well by and missed the birdie putt. He knocked it close at the par-3 17th for a birdie to get to 8 under for the round, meaning a birdie at the 18th hole would give him a chance to tie for the lead.
Kuchar, however, put his approach left of the green, misjudged the pitch shot, and left himself a 12-foot birdie putt that he missed, settling for a 63 -- and missing a shot at the silver by 1 stroke.
Still, a 63 matched the low round of the week, and for a guy who wasn't supposed to be here -- and wasn't aware of how it all worked -- it was a good achievement.
"We're all fans of sport, Olympics come around only once every four years and as a fan of sport you just can't wait to watch and root on the guys for your country and just see great things happen,'' Kuchar said. "For me, I grew up that way. I grew up a fan of sport. I had the dreams most boys have of hoping to compete in an Olympics, hoping to win a medal.
"The sport I ended up choosing was the sport that through my lifetime has not been an Olympic sport. When it did become an Olympic sport, the lights went off and I said, 'How amazing, I can't believe I now potentially have the opportunity.'
"I had a great last couple months of golf that crept me inside the top 15 in the World Ranking, which was able to qualify me to make the U.S. team. It took a couple guys not playing for me to get in, and I thought this might just be fate. This might be fate for me to make the team and if I make the team, I might as well make the most of it.
"And it was to just be a part of it, to say that you're an Olympian. It is really a dream come true. And then to make the most of it, to return home with a medal, is amazing.''