How low could he go?
That was the only question when Jim Furyk made the turn Sunday at The Travelers.
He just shot an eight-under par 27 on the front nine at TPC River Highlands and a sub-60 score was in the works. “I told Fluff let’s forget about the front nine and go fire a good number on the back nine,” Furyk recounted, talking about his conversation with his long-time caddie.
Furyk was already in the “59 Club” already. He did that back in 2010 at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms and went on to win the FedEx Cup. But Sunday was in a class by itself.
Furyk added four more back nine birdies and shot the first-ever round of 58 on the PGA Tour.
“Basically flawless,” is how Furyk’s caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan described what transpired. “He played an unbelievably great round of golf. Fifty-eight is special — lowest round that’s ever been shot on the PGA Tour. He did that very easily,” said Cowan, who has been on Furyk’s bag for 17 years.
Furyk gave no indication that the 58 was coming. He has been struggling with his game, struggled to make the cut on the number Friday after rounds of 73-66 then shot two-over par 72 on Saturday and started 16 shots in back of leader Daniel Berger. “The key putt of the week was the seven-footer I made at nine (his 36th hole) for par to make the cut,” Furyk pointed out.
“My swing got a little long at the PGA. I spoke to my dad after Saturday so I tried to shorten it up and tighten it up.”
It worked.
Furyk hit all 18 greens, 13-of-14 fairways and had just 24 putts on his way to 10 birdies and an eagle when he holed out from 135-yards at the par four third.
“I had that ‘here we go again feeling'” Furyk said, recalling his front nine and recalling what he did in 2010 at Conway Farms. “I’m hittin’ it well, puttin’ it well, just stay out of your own way,” Furyk said of his thoughts as he went to the back nine.
“It was tougher conditions at Conway (Farms) — smoother conditions today,” Furyk pointed out.
After he birdied six-through-nine, he birdied 10, 11 and 12 to start the final nine. “It was easy. I put it on cruise and tired to stay out of my own way,” Furyk said.
As crazy as the 58 number sounds, it could have been lower. Furyk failed the birdie the par five 12 then at the drivable par four 15th, he was just off the front of the green, chipped to six-feet then saw the birdie putt lip out.
After his tee shot at the 18th, Furyk gave it a fist pump as his drive found the fairway and he knew he’d have a short-iron into the green. He hit a nine-iron 35 feet short and almost made that.
He tapped in for history and at age 46, became the oldest player to shoot a sub-60 score.
“What a great feeling,” Furyk said with a huge smile.
“I had 85 messages on my phone,” Furyk said after the round.
More were coming.
That’s what happens when you shoot 58.
