It was a dream come true for Maurice and Jay Kuchar on Sunday afternoon.

Their grandson, Matt Kuchar, was coming up the 18th hole on the final day of the Masters with the television cameras focused on his finish. Kuchar, a Georgia Tech sophomore from Lake Mary, Fla., will be back in the Masters field next year after finishing in the top 24 with his even-par total of 288. The top 24 cutoff came at 1-over 289.

Kuchar was also the low amateur in the field, the first time that honor has been awarded since Tiger Woods in 1995.

Kuchar, 19, qualified for the Masters field by winning the 1997 U.S. Amateur. He was the 1997 ACC freshman of the year and was a third-team All-American.

``When he was 15 or 16, we knew that he had a chance to play in the Masters one day,'' grandfather Maurice said. ``To see him come up to the 18th hole on Sunday at the Masters is a dream come true. Our dream was to make the cut and to play the weekend. Maybe, in our wildest dreams we thought he would finish in the top 24. He told us, `Don't worry grandma and grandpa, I'm going to come through.'''

Grandmother Jay was equally proud. She said her grandson kept the same demeanor throughout the week.

``This was fantastic,'' Jay Kuchar said. ``He's a great kid and this was very exciting. I'm glad I was here because we are a very close-knit family. This is an Easter we will always remember.''

Kuchar, who was caddied by his father Peter, was happy to have the support of his family. If Kuchar was a pro, he would have received at least $40,000 for his finish. Amateurs cannot be paid for their finishes in pro events.

Matt was careful with an NCAA rule that limits a player to 24 days worth of competitive golf with school equipment. So Matt used his $100 allowance before Sunday's final round to purchase the Georgia Tech golf bag.

``Me and my grandfather, we have almost have a father-son relationship instead of a grandfather-grandson relationship,'' Kuchar said. ``I've had great support from my entire family.''

Kuchar said the walk up the 18th was ``as good as it gets.'' But it's back to being a college student this morning. He goes back to class in Atlanta, starting with an 8 a.m. management class.

His family expects him to make that transition back to college student easily today. Sister Becky said he has been down to earth throughout the week and hasn't let his success go to his head. Becky, 18, will be a freshman at Florida State in the fall.

``He played great on Thursday, and after we got home, all the TV stations were showing interviews of him, but he said he had enough of golf for the day and wanted to watch Seinfeld,'' Becky said.

He will play in the upcoming ACC Tournament at Uwharrie Point (N.C.) this week. He knows everyone will be asking him about his experience in the Masters, but he hopes once the competition gets started he will be back in focus.

Peter Kuchar was still in amazement that he and his son are coming back next year.

``I can't tell you how delighted I am that we are coming back,'' Peter Kuchar said.

Another amateur, Joel Kribel, made the cut but didn't have Kuchar's success. Kribel, a Stanford junior, finished 45th in the 46-man weekend field. The two amateurs stayed together in the Crow's Nest upstairs in the Augusta National clubhouse throughout the week.

Kribel will next compete in the upcoming Pacific-10 Conference championships.

``I didn't know him that well,'' Kribel said of Kuchar. ``I know him better now than I did before. It was nice that the crowd really took a liking to him.''

Kuchar's playing partner on Sunday was Justin Leonard. The 25-year-old Leonard was impressed with how relaxed Kuchar was in his first Masters appearance. It didn't surprise him at all that Kuchar made the cut.

Leonard said Kuchar just played his normal game.

``It's nice to see an amateur play like he did,'' Leonard said. ``When I was 19 or 20, I didn't have the game for this golf course.''