Jim Furyk Shoots First 58 in PGA Tour History
- Dan Hauser
- 8 Aug, 2016
Russell Knox might have won this week’s Travelers Championship, but the talk of the golf world occurred early on Sunday, several hours before Knox and the rest of those in contention teed off.
Going off in the 3rd group out in the morning, almost five and a half hours before the final group of the day, Furyk played the front nine in 8-under 37 that included six birdies and an eagle on the third hole. He added three more birdies to start his back nine, eventually making seven in a row when his birdie putt dropped on the 12th to get to 11-under on the day through 12 holes. While it was at that moment that everyone watching knew this round was going to be one for the record books, Furyk said he had a feeling something special was happening when he was still on the front nine.
“Late in the front nine I had a special feeling, and to turn in 27 you can’t help but think about it, especially on a par-70 golf course,” Furyk said. “To turn around and make the putts on 10, 11 and 12 and already be 11 under par with six to play, it just kind of became a little bit of a mental game.”
Furyk was already the most recent golfer to shoot a 59, doing so in the second round at the 2013 BMW Championship. He is now the first to ever shoot a 58 on the PGA Tour and also the first to break 60 twice on the PGA Tour. Furyk said he had a similar feeling Sunday to how he felt when he was shooting his 59 in 2013.
“I had that ‘Here we go again’ (feeling). I shot 8 under on the front nine there, 8 under today. I remembered the mental battle, the grind,” Furyk said. “It was tougher conditions at Conway (Farms), but a little smoother round of golf today than there.”
Furyk’s 58 was the second in as many weeks on a PGA Tour sanctioned circuit. Just last week, Stephan Jaeger opened the Ellie Mae Classic with a 58 en route to a record smashing victory. Unfortunately for Furyk, neither historical round resulted in a victory. Zach Johnson finished three shots ahead of Furyk in 2013, while yesterday Knox recorded his first win on American soil, besting Furyk by three shots.
Win or no win, the significance was not lost on Furyk after his round Sunday.
“There’s a lot of great rounds by a lot of great players ahead of me that have never reached 58,” Furyk said. “To hold that record … on the PGA Tour is phenomenal. To have a little small place in history is something you dream of.”
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
