Matt Kuchar survived some shaky play down the stretch and rattled in a par putt from just inside three feet on 18 to shoot a final-round 69 for a one-stroke victory over Danny Lee (65) at the Mayakoba Golf Classic on Sunday.

J.J. Spaun (66) and Richy Werenski (67) tied for third, three back.

“It feels extra sweet having kind of had to suffer through a year of not playing great in 2018,” said Kuchar, whose last victory before today came at the 2014 RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, South Carolina. “Being four years removed since my last victory I realize how difficult it is to win on the PGA TOUR.”

With the win, Kuchar earned a spot in a handful of prestigious tournaments, first on the calendar being the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January.

With his regular caddie, John Wood, at a reunion, Kuchar won with a club caddie, David “Toucan” Ortiz, who had been assigned to him by the tournament director. Ortiz, a father of two from Playa del Carmen who caddies every day at El Camaleon Golf Club, was in tears as he accepted congratulations and rolled up the flag on 18 as a souvenir.

Although he went into Sunday with a four-shot lead, and kept a nice cushion for much of the day, Kuchar bogeyed the 14th and 15th holes, missing putts inside 10 and 5 feet, respectively, to make it close. With Lee on his heels, he closed with three pars to win.

The last one might have been the hardest. With mud on the back of his ball, which sat on the front fringe, he wasn’t sure how hard to hit it. He guessed mostly right, and the ball rolled to a stop nearly three feet short. It was a straight putt, but felt like a very long three feet.

“I certainly made it exciting coming in,” said Kuchar, who moves to fifth in the FedExCup. “It wasn’t the finish I was hoping for; I would have liked to have been able to five- or six-putt that final green. Winning out here is so difficult. The strength of field every week is awfully good.”

This week marked a return to form for a player who was used to being in the upper echelon but had fallen off. Kuchar was 76th in the FedExCup last season after being in the top 20 for eight straight years. He missed cuts, which he said was “not in my vocabulary” and “extremely frustrating.” He missed the TOUR Championship. He turned 40.

All of which led to some big questions.

Could he win in his 40s, like Fred Funk, the 2007 winner here? Could he reel off multiple wins, like Vijay Singh? Could he reach 10 or even 15, or was all of that wishful thinking?

Kuchar imagined hoisting more trophies, but also couldn’t be sure he wasn’t done winning.

“I’ve thought the other side,” he said. “I’ve thought, man, kids are getting younger and stronger and it’s more and more challenging for a guy that plays my style of golf to win and win multiple times.”

He came to Mayakoba without knowing exactly where his game was. He’d worked hard with his instructor, Chris O’Connell, leading into his only other start of this season, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, but finished T57. He was hitting the ball well, but not scoring.

He did both in Mexico, where he stayed in a casita on the beach with his wife, Sybi, and their two sons, Cameron, 11, and Carson, 9. Kuchar shot 64-64-65 over the first three rounds, leaving no doubt as to the state of his game. Even with his relatively ho-hum 69 on Sunday he broke the tournament record at 22-under and broke a win drought of four and a half years.

It was also his best 72-hole score on TOUR.

After wiggling in that final three-footer, he hugged his caddie, Ortiz, tossed his putter to the turf and embraced his sons. He kissed Sybi, who caddied for four holes in the first round after Kuchar’s playing partner Zach Johnson lost his caddie, Damon Green, to illness (heat).

The family savored the moment together.

“My kids have now gotten into it,” Kuchar said. “And so we do a lot of kind of family afternoon time on the golf course. It’s really been kind of one of those great, you know, father-son and even the whole family, even Sybi will come along and we’ll cram four people in a cart and just go out and play nine holes or six holes or four holes, whatever we have time for.

“I’ve really enjoyed those sessions,” he added. “My life has evolved. I used to only go out and be by myself or with a competitive match, and now having some kids to bring along, it’s really been rewarding. Fun times for me on the golf course.”

He still wants to win a major, and to play on the U.S. Presidents Cup next year. He even spoke of potentially reeling off multiple victories in 2019. First, though, Kuchar was headed to this week’s Australian Open, followed by the World Cup. His season of frustration, the doubts about his future, the existential angst of a milestone birthday—all of it had been wiped away.

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Koepka walked out of Sunday’s brawl in South Korea without a scratch on him as he claimed THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES by four shots.

Just glancing at the leaderboard, which shows the reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year closing with an 8-under 64 – including a 7-under 29 on the back nine to shoot 21 under – makes it appear this wasn’t a contest on Jeju Island.

Oh but it was. It’s just Koepka is fast developing the reputation as the clutch king. Give him a sniff of the trophy and you’re going to need a mighty effort to keep it from him.

In fact, sometimes a mighty effort won’t be enough.

Gary Woodland shot 63 on Sunday, joining the lead on a handful of occasions.

But Koepka – who had the pressure of the tournament and the fact he could claim world No. 1 status on his shoulders – answered with authority every time.

Earlier it had been Ian Poulter who applied a little heat. And then as Woodland made his move so too did Ryan Palmer, the Texan closing with seven straight birdies to post a number he thought might get Koepka thinking.

It got him thinking all right. It got him charged up. Motivated to respond. But he always felt like it was his tournament.

Having already landed a few heavy blows, Woodland went for a haymaker punch with birdie on 16 to tie the lead again.

Koepka absorbed it and fired one of his own back on 15.

“I always felt like I was in control, I felt like I was playing good and I felt like he played a great round, but I always felt like I was in control, which is a good feeling,” Koepka said.

We’d seen this fight before in 2018. Firstly at the U.S. Open as Tommy Fleetwood provided a birdie blitz at Shinnecock Hills but Koepka just held firm.

Then at the PGA Championship as a rejuvenated Tiger Woods and an emotion filled Adam Scott came after him on Sunday, Koepka answered the call. Almost robotic.

This is where Koepka has his fun. He craves the challenge. It allows him to dig into the well where he feels the golf world has slighted him.

The one where he’s not been given the credit he feels he deserves. He can make a statement.

“I’m not somebody that’s going to panic if things go the wrong way, pretty sure everybody can tell that,” he said.

“I just kind of hang in there, wait for my holes, I know I’m going to have some good looks and when I do, you’ve got to capitalize on them.”

While 15 was a critical punch, the 16th hole was the killer blow.

A poor drive into a bunker turned into a slightly hooked approach into the rough. Pressure and tension were surely building but Koepka not only recovered from the tough spot – he chipped in for birdie.

The roars were felt by Woodland, who would miss his par putt on 17 moments later. Forget the standing eight count, it was a knockout.

“I knew it was good when I hit it, I just didn’t know it was going to be in. For that to drop definitely felt like I had won the tournament right then and there,” Koepka said.

“Pressure is all what you put on yourself. Pressure comes from fear. If you start thinking about the result or what might happen if you do something, that’s the only time there’s pressure because if you get any of these guys out here on the driving range, they can all flag it.

“So I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen if I hit this shot or if I hit this close and make birdie here I can turn this into three birdies. I’m not thinking that. I’m just thinking, okay, how do I get it close to the flag or whatever I’m trying to aim it, get it there and then make the putt.”

Yep. Robotic.

His journey to the top of the world rankings though has been anything but.

This was his 12th victory worldwide, including four wins on the European Challenge Tour where he started his career.

He now has wins in seven countries – the U.S., South Korea, Spain, Italy, Japan, Turkey and Scotland.

Five of them are PGA TOUR wins. Three are major championships. Three of them have come in the last 11 starts.

Koepka has now won three of five times he has held the lead or co-lead after 54 holes.

The last three.

While this is just event three of a 46 event season, the win has him slated as an early favorite for the FedExCup. The win moved him to third on the standings, just 45 points behind leader Marc Leishman.

Since the three-event Asian swing has been in full effect the eventual season long champion started their quest with a win on the continent.

Justin Thomas won the CIMB Classic in the 2016-17 season before going on to claim the FedExCup and last season Justin Rose prevailed at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions in China.

Koepka heads to China now as the man with the target on his back.

“I just need to keep winning. I feel like to win a few more regular TOUR events and then keep adding majors. I feel like my game’s set up for that,” he says ominously.

“I’ve gotten so much confidence off winning those majors where it’s incredible every time I tee it up I feel like I really have a good chance to win whether I have my A-game or not.

“I’m so excited right now, you have no idea. I just can’t wait to go play again.”