( CNN ) -- Matt Kuchar took home $ 1.7 million , the biggest prize in golf , for winning the Players Championship . It lifted him to a career-high fifth in the world rankings , but most importantly his family was there to see it . The American 's wife and two young sons raced onto the green after he clinched his fourth PGA Tour victory , and biggest by far . Also at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday were his dad and mom , who live nearby in Ponte Vedra Beach . `` It 's such an amazing feeling -- playing amongst the game 's best , to come out on top , to do it on Mother 's Day , staying here with Mom and Dad , with my wife and two kids here ... it really is magical , '' Kuchar said on the PGA Tour website . Kuchar , a top amateur who has never exploded on the professional scene , is known as one of golf 's nice guys , a Mr . Consistent who has made the halfway cut in his past 17 starts and tied for third at the Masters in April . It did n't even bother him that his final-round partner was Kevin Na , the third-round leader who was battling inner demons and heckling from the crowd as he struggled to get around the course in his allotted time . `` I feel like I 'm so lucky to be doing what I do . I 'm out there , I 'm enjoying myself , having a good time . The smile is there because I 'm having a good time , because I 'm loving playing golf , '' Kuchar rold reporters . `` Kevin knows that he 's fighting some demons with pulling the trigger , and in trying to help himself , he walks really fast . So he tries to offset his difficulty in actually hitting the ball by walking fast , getting up to his ball and trying to keep a similar pace of play . '' South Korea-born Na , who is a naturalized American , collapsed with a closing 76 to finish tied for seventh -- five shots behind Kuchar . `` I deserve it , '' Na said of the booing . `` I mean , I 'm being honest . But is it fair ? No . You put an average guy in between those ropes , trust me , they wo n't even pull it back . '' Na had little sympathy from Tiger Woods , who suggested penalty strokes for slow players . `` Strokes is money . What people do n't realize is that one shot is so valuable out here , '' the 2001 Players champion said after finishing tied for 40th , having closed with 73 . TPC Sawgrass is one of the toughest courses on the circuit , and even leading players such as Rory McIlroy struggle there . The U.S. Open champion missed the halfway cut for the third time at the $ 9.5 million tournament , but retained the No . 1 ranking after Luke Donald finished only sixth despite a closing 66 . The Englishman was two shots behind a group of four tied for second , including last weekend 's Quail Hollow winner Rickie Fowler , Texas Open champion Ben Curtis , 2007 Masters victor Zach Johnson and Scotland 's Martin Laird . But the spoils went to Kuchar , who claimed his first win since The Barclays in 2010 and can now take his place among some legendary names to have triumphed at the Players . `` I think one of the things that strikes me is walking every day through the champions ' tunnel , '' he said . `` Every player does it . And for me , I ca n't help but stop and gaze at all the photos going through champions tunnel , and to think I 'm going to be a part of that with Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd and Phil Mickelson and David Duval and Tiger Woods , it 's all the best of the best . `` To feel like I 'm going to see my picture up there next year is pretty cool . ''
American golfer Matt Kuchar climbs up world rankings after winning on next year . He finishes 1 shots clear at the $ 1.7 million Players Championship in South Korea . Final-round playing partner Kevin Na is booed by the crowd for his slow play . Kevin Na suggests scoring penalty for players who are too slow around course .