Jim Furyk began the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship a full 16 shots off the lead, with an 8:41 a.m. tee time and hopes maybe his plane could get airborne a little early.
The PGA Tour’s first 58 has a way of changing those plans. Though he didn’t win – Russell Knox did – Furyk’s history-making feat stole the thunder at TPC River Highlands.
“It’s kind of a reminder no matter how bad you feel with your swing you’re never that far away,” said Furyk, who hit all 14 fairways and was a perfect 18-for-18 in greens in regulation.
The fireworks began at No.3, holing a wedge from 135 yards away for eagle. He followed with five birdies in his next six holes, completing the front nine in 8-under-par 27. Three more birdies to start the back got him to 11-under, with plenty of time to go even lower than the 59 he’d fired at the 2013 BMW Championship.
A makeable birdie chance at No.14 just missed, and a 7-foot birdie at the 15th spun out of the cup. The breakthrough came at the par-3 16th, curling a 23-footer into the hole to get to 12-under. Two more pars completed the triumph.
“I’ve got like 300 pictures at home with ‘59’ on them,” Furyk quipped in a post-round media scrum. “Gotta throw all that crap away.”
Following the record-setting round, Furyk reviewed his scorecard, hole by hole. Here’s a transcript from an archived post.
JIM FURYK RECAPS HISTORIC ROUND
Hole 1 – Par 4 – 434 yards (Par, E)
“(No. 1) Driver, 9-iron, about 15 feet, and I missed the putt.”
Hole 2 – Par 4 – 341 yards (Birdie, -1)
“No. 2, driver, 60-degree wedge, probably about 15 feet, made the putt.”
Hole 3 – Par 4 – 341 yards (Eagle, -3)
“3 was a driver and a pitching wedge that I holed.”
Hole 4 – Par 4 – 481 yards (Birdie, -4)
“4, I hit driver, ball was in a divot and hit a 4-iron to about four feet, one of the best shots of the day.
Hole 5 – Par 3 – 223 yards (Par, -4)
“No. 5, I hit a hybrid probably to about 25 feet, two-putt.”
Hole 6 – Par 5 – 574 yards (Birdie, -5)
“No. 6, I hit a driver and a 3-wood, almost pin high, or just a little short left of the pin. Was probably about three yards off the green. I putted it up to about four feet and made that for birdie.”
Hole 7 – Par 4 – 443 yards (Birdie, -6)
“No. 7, driver, 9-iron to about a foot.”
Hole 8 – Par 3 – 202 yards (Birdie, -7)
“No. 8, 4-iron, about 12 to 15 feet, made that for birdie.”
Hole 9 – Par 3 – 406 yards (Birdie, -8)
“No. 9 was a hybrid, pitching wedge to about a foot.”
Out: 8-under par 27
Hole 10 – Par 3 – 462 yards (Birdie, -9)
“10 was driver, 8-iron, about 12 feet. Again, fix up the putt distances.”
Hole 11 – Par 3 – 158 yards (Birdie, -10)
“11 was 9-iron, probably about 15 feet, made that.”
Hole 12 – Par 4 – 411 yards (Birdie, -11)
“12 was 3-wood, 9-iron, about six feet.”
Hole 13 – Par 5 – 523 yards (Par, -11)
“13, driver, drove it in a divot, so I had to lay up, otherwise I would have had a go. I hit a 7-iron and a sand wedge to about 25 feet.”
Hole 14 – Par 4 – 421 yards (Par, -11)
“14 was driver, 9-iron to about 10 feet.”
Hole 15 – Par 4 – 296 yards (Par, -11)
“15, I hit a driver just a few yards short of the green, hit a 7-iron bump-and-run probably about eight feet past and lipped it out.”
Hole 16 – Par 3 – 171 yards (Birdie, -12)
“16 was an 8-iron to about 20 feet.”
Hole 17 – Par 4 – 420 yards (Par, -12)
“17 was hybrid, 8-iron, probably about 30 feet past.”
Hole 18 – Par 4 – 444 yards (Par, -12)
“And 18 was driver, 9-iron to about 20 feet.”
In: 4-under par 31
Total: 12-under par 58
Part of the content in this post was excerpted from The Starter