back to list ]Furyk Hopes Fast Start Not Groundhog Day - September 4th
Posted by Jim Connelly (09/05/2009 07:38AM )NORTON, Mass. – Jim Furyk has every right in the world to be happy with Friday opening round at the Deutsche Bank Championship. His eight birdie, zero bogey 8-under-par 63 left him tied for the lead with Steve Stricker through one round of play.
What Furyk hopes, though, is Friday’s scorching opener isn’t a foreshadowing for what over the past two seasons has become groundhog’s day.
Since the start of the 2008, Furyk has spent a number of opening round talking to the media about a solid start. But after the final round in each of those events, Furyk has been absent from the winner’s circle.
Furyk hasn’t won on the PGA TOUR since 2007, when he won his second consecutive Canadian Open title. This season he came close, dueling to the very end with Tiger Woods at The Memorial. That day, he said adrenaline got the best of him when he over struck a putt on the 15th hole that ultimately cost him the title.
Now holding a share of the lead after one round at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., Furyk will focus on putting his solid start behind him and concentrate on replicating things in Saturday’s second round.
“You’re got to put today behind you,” said Furyk. “I’ll try to feed of the momentum and the things I did right.”
He can also feed off the way he finished his round. After opening with five birdies in the first six holes, things settled down quickly. But birdies at the par-4 14th and the par-4 17th left Furyk one back on the par-5 18th, the easiest hole on the course.
Furyk blasted a drive down the middle but was left with a downhill, side hill lie and the ball below his feet. With a slight breeze in his face and concern about the ball leaking right due to the lie, Furyk chose his 3-wood over a hybrid for the approach. Aiming 15 yards left of the pin, the ball drifted back right but couldn’t hold the green.
His lie looked pretty ominous, but Furyk didn’t seem to mind. He chipped out to 3 feet and made the putt for birdie to match Stricker’s 63.
“[The ball] was sitting most of the way down but the rough was brushed down in all directions,” said Furyk. “It was kind of like a bunker shot where I could take a good swing and land it softly.”
Now Furyk hopes a solid start turns translates to victory, something that only one opening-round leader has ever done at the Deutsche Bank Championship and his name starts with “W” and ends with “oods.”
“I’ve had a pretty solid year,” said Furyk. “I had a solid year in ’08 too but those haven’t translated to wins.
“I just can’t be thinking about that when I’m on the golf course. I’m trying my best and my hardest and as long as I can do that I’ll sleep at night.”
And tonight, Furyk can also sleep while holding a share of the lead.
