Ailing Kuchar, wills himself to share of lead

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Matt Kuchar takes advantage of an opportunity to get off his feet next to the 11th green Saturday.

LEMONT, Ill. -- The diagnosis? Matt Kuchar is sick.

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That's about the most specific the doctor could be on Thursday after he examined the ailing Kuchar, who nonetheless had just shot a 64 to grab the lead at the BMW Championship.

"Pretty much they didn't have much to say whether it's a viral or bacterial," Kuchar recalled. "They said by the time you run tests and get the tests back, you'll be home. There's no use in doing that."

The physician prescribed some antibiotics, which should kick in if the illness is bacterial. But medicine or no medicine, Kuchar hung tough on Friday, gutting out a 72 and maintaining a share of the lead at 6 under with Charlie Wi.

"It's probably the worst feeling I've had out here," Kuchar said quietly after he finished his round. "It was a struggle, but I learned young you never quit. Fortunately I had a few putts go in and made a respectable round out of it."

Kuchar was clearly suffering on Friday as he made four bogeys in his first six holes. But he turned things around on the back nine when he rolled in birdie putts of 30 and 20 feet, respectively, at Nos. 12 and 13; two-putted for another from 42 feet at the par-5 15th and finished off the spurt with a 7-footer at the 16th hole.

"It was definitely a wild day," Kuchar said, forcing a weak smile. "I'm glad to be here. I felt terrible all day. I am very excited to get home and get in bed. Nice to bring it back."

Kuchar said the birdie putt on the 12th hole that kicked off the back-nine binge was his best of the round.

"I hit a great iron shot on the par 3, made a (30)-footer for birdie, and that kind of made me feel a little better again, seeing the putt go in,' Kuchar said. "I knew that some good things would happen if I could just kind of hang in there the best I could."

And they did, even though Kuchar said he felt like a "zombie" during the second round. It was an exercise of mind over matter as he kept pushing himself to perform.

"I just kept talking to myself, hang in there, hang in there, gut it out," Kuchar said. "... You never know when things can turn around for you in the game of golf. Fortunately I got a few breaks to go my way and made a pretty reasonable round out of it.

"I was as weak as could be, and I tried for the four or five seconds over the ball to flip the switch on and really give it what I had and go back to walking around without a whole lot of energy."

Even with all the energy rapidly draining from his body, though, Kuchar would have owned sole possession of the lead had he been able to hole a 5-footer for par after missing the green at the 17th hole.

As they say, beware the ailing golfer.