When it came to apologizing to a temporary caddie, pro golfer Matt Kuchar made birdie.
Kuchar apologized Friday for comments he made regarding David “El Tucan” Ortiz, a temporary caddie who assisted him in his win during November’s Mayakoba Classic in Mexico. He also agreed to pay the caddie $50,000 after originally only paying Ortiz $5,000 immediately following the win, British news outlet The Telegraph reported.
“This week, I made comments that were out of touch and insensitive,” the 40-year-old Ryder Cup star said in a statement tweeted TWTR, +0.87% out by the PGA Tour. “They made it seem like I was marginalizing David Ortiz and his financial situation, which was not my intention.”
Statement from Matt Kuchar pic.twitter.com/fZWsK8RjzE
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) February 15, 2019
For winning the golf tournament, Kuchar had received $1.3 million. Had his regular caddie John Wood assisted him, Wood would likely have received $130,000, since Tour caddies typically earn 10% of the winnings. Wood was unavailable during the Mayakoba Classic because of a prior commitment.
Kuchar attracted criticism since the tournament for the low pay Ortiz received, culminating in controversial comments he made that minimized the situation with Ortiz. “For a guy who makes $200 a day, a $5,000 week is a really big week,” the golf star was reported as saying while gearing up for this week’s Genesis Open. “I’m not losing any sleep over it.”
According to The Telegraph, Kuchar ranks 10th on the PGA Tour’s all-time earnings list, having been awarded more than $46 million throughout his career.
