The American finished tied for third just two shots behind eventual winner Bubba Watson and the runner-up in the playoff Louis Oosthuizen after making a strong challenge on the back nine.
The 33-year-old eagled the par-five 15th to briefly get himself into the lead but then a bogey on the 16th and pars on the last three holes left him just short.
It was a great recovery from the blow of a double-bogey on the ninth which could easily have knocked him out of contention.
"It was a good run," said Kuchar. "I so wish I could have hole nine over again.
"I three‑putted from about seven feet. Felt like I hit my approach shot in a place I couldn't get up‑and‑down, and as I was walking off with a double, it was a real killer. But I stayed in it."
The Floridian, from Winter Park, has shown that ability to stick with it throughout a career which has yet to really live up to high expectations.
Back in 1998, Kuchar played the Masters as an amateur and finished tied for 21st, a result which prompted his move into the professional ranks where he was viewed as a talent of the future.
Yet the decade that followed was one of missed cuts and failed attempts to qualify for majors sprinkled with a couple of wins on the PGA Tour.
A belated breakthrough year came in 2010, when he finished tied for sixth in the U.S. Open and tied for 10th in the PGA Championship.
"I've always felt like I was never going to give up," he said.
"I've played a lot of rounds of golf where things weren't going well and I stuck with it knowing that there was going to be a situation and a time like this ... it was great to see those efforts pay off.
"Those amateur days were a real treat. That was a special time. To be an amateur, to have a shot, to be playing well in the Masters was really special, and especially for a first time.
"When I come back here, I still feel like that same 19‑year‑old kid, and now to be back and to have a chance to win the title was really exciting."
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