By Michael Mayo
GolfWeb contributing editor

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He lit up 1998 with a 1,000-watt smile that never seemed to go away. Matt Kuchar marched up Magnolia Lane, grabbed the golf world by the heart and didn't want to let go. He delighted the galleries at Augusta National and kept it up at Olympic, playing his way onto major leaderboards and giving his father too much to cheer about.

But that was last year.

On Thursday, the cheering -- and the cheerleading -- stopped.

Kuchar wore a grimace, not a smile, as he made his way through the heat. He had already spent a day in the hospital earlier in the week for a stomach virus, and now golf was looking like work, not pleasure.

"Last year was a little more of a fairy tale," Kuchar said. "Being under the weather took the fairy tale out of it."

Kuchar shot 77 on Thursday.

He is no longer the hot amateur, eclipsed by Justin Rose at last year's Open Championship. Now there are other names in green on Augusta's scoreboards (amateurs are listed in green) stealing the attention.

Sergio Garcia of Spain, the 18-year-old British Amateur champion who looks about 12, shot even-par 72 on Thursday, eliciting praise from partner Tiger Woods.

Trevor Immelman of South Africa, 19, the U.S. Public Links winner, also shot 72 in his Masters debut. "I was so impressed with him," said compatriot Gary Player. "At 150 pounds, I don't know where he gets his power."

Kuchar was one of the biggest stories in 1998. (Allsport)

And Hank Kuehne, who took Kuchar's U.S. Amateur title last year, keeps wowing the galleries with his prodigious length. "Unbelievable," Jack Nicklaus said earlier in the week after watching Kuehne outdrive Woods by 30 yards. Kuehne shot 74 on Thursday.

"It was a lot more fun last year," Kuchar said. "I played much better. I was playing with Tiger Woods. It was great playing with Tom (Watson) and Stuart (Appleby) but I wasn't able to hold as many conversations because I didn't have the energy."

He seemed a lot older than 20 after Thursday's round, perspired and tired. Last year, when he opened with a 72 and went on to finish 21st after shooting 76, 68 and 72, seemed distant.

"Seeing him sick is much worse than seeing him make bogeys," said Meg Kuchar, his mother.

But he never thought of withdrawing.

"No way," Kuchar said. "Not in any tournament that was important to me. Hopefully some rest will be the ticket."

Last year he would turn sure bogeys into birdies, like the time he holed that impossible bunker shot at Olympic's 15th hole.

But on Thursday, the bogeys stayed bogeys, and worse. He double-bogeyed the 10th hole, found himself in a bunker at the 7th hole when he was supposed to be playing the 17th.

So much for any fireworks between Watson, a golf traditionalist, and Peter Kuchar, the proud father who made his share of enemies carrying his son's bag.

This time, his son didn't give him much to whoop and holler about. Birdies at nine and 16.

"We're going low (Friday)," Peter said after the opening round.

Kuchar still held hope for a recovery.

"Hopefully I'll wake up feeling great and ready to play," Kuchar said. "I still think making the cut is very possible."

But last year's major magic was gone.

Editor's Note: Mike Mayo, noted golf writer and sports columnist of South Florida's Sun-Sentinel, is a regular contributor to GolfWeb.