Matt Kuchar apologises to local caddie, pays him $50,000

Matt Kuchar has issued an apology and agreed to pay $50,000 to the temporary caddie he worked alongside en route to his victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November. 

Kuchar, 40, last week defended his decision to pay just $5,000 (£3,900) of his $1.3 million winner's pay cheque to local caddie David Ortiz, who stepped in for his regular looper John Wood. 

It is expected that regular caddies receive 10% of a player's tournament cheque, but reports claim Ortiz had asked for $50,000 instead of the usual formalities. 

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The nine-time PGA Tour winner, who has earned more than $45 million in PGA Tour career earnings, revealed he would "not be losing any sleep" over the row upon confirming he had initially offered an additional $15,000 on the $5,000 he paid Ortiz, but that was quickly refused. 

“I made comments that were out of touch and insensitive, making a bad situation worse,” said Kuchar.

“They made it seem like I was marginalising David Ortiz and his financial situation, which was not my intention. I read them again and cringed.

“That is not who I am and not what I want to represent. In this situation I have not lived up to those values or to the expectations I’ve set for myself. I let myself, my family, my partners and those close to me down, but I also let David down.

“I plan to call David,  something that is long overdue, to apologise for the situation he has been put in, and I have made sure he has received the full total that he has requested.”