Jim Furyk Surprises with Lead at PGA; Estimates Secret Green Speeds

Jim Furyk was one shot off the course record of 64 in his opening round at the PGA Championship. It was a bit of a surprise, based on his recent play.

While Furyk’s strengths as a ballstriker match the challenge of Oak Hill Country Club, this year he has had two missed cuts in three majors. His last victory was almost three years ago, a huge one, the Tour Championship in 2010. There, he had to make a putt in the rain for $10 million.

Maybe it took him from then to now to figure out what to do with the money and adjust to the mega-success of that win. There’s no way he'll ever need another dollar, so he’s now playing for history.

Furyk said it was inconsistency that held him back in recent seasons, particularly this year:

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I felt like I played a couple good events in there from the Masters to the British, but never really strung four rounds together, or always had a lapse in the middle of the day that maybe ruined a round. A lot of it, I didn’t feel that comfortable with the putter, which, I think it put a lot of pressure on the rest of my game.

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He said he had patches where he was not driving well and not putting well. He has worked on both areas since the British Open.

The best shot of his round was probably the second on the 18th, which was his ninth hole. He played it driver, 4-iron. “Any time you get a tap in at 18, that’s always fun.”    

When asked about the chance he had to win the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, he answered that there were plenty of times that he had not finished in a major the way he wanted, and he was sure it was the same for other golfers:

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I look back to the ’98 Masters. I bogeyed 15 and hit it in the water and lost by two. ’98 Birkdale, was tied for the lead coming down the stretch and didn’t hit one bad shot and lost by two because I didn’t knock in a putt. U.S. Open at Winged Foot, the U.S. Open at Oakmont, the U.S. Open at Olympic.  

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He imagined Fred Couples and David Duval would also point to the ’98 Masters. They finished in a tie for second.

“I played with David Duval, and he should have won by five,” Furyk recalled.

He said if a golfer plays 25 years and wins one event every year, he’d have more than a 20 wins, which is a great career. “You’ve won over 20 times and you’re going to lose 24 times a year,” said the 16-time PGA Tour winner. “This sport beats you up.”

How fast are the greens?

Kerry Haig, PGA of America course setup guru, would not give a stimp speed. According to Furyk, “They are fast enough that you have to put a little thought into it. Probably 11 and a half.”

Kathy Bissell is a golf writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the USGA, PGA Tour or PGA of America.