Nobody handed Jim Furyk his first major championship. He grabbed it and never let go, protecting his lead the way a lion protects his territory.
CLIFTON BROWNNobody handed Jim Furyk his first major championship. He grabbed it and never let go, protecting his lead the way a lion protects his territory.
Starting that Sunday's final round with a three-stroke lead, Furyk never gave his pursuers a reason to believe he would crack. He never led by fewer than three shots. He never lost his composure. He never strayed from his methodical game plan at Olympia Fields Country Club, a course that got some revenge on Sunday, allowing only six players in the field to shoot in the 60s.
By the time Furyk reached the 18th green on Sunday, greeted by a standing ovation for one of the Open's steadiest performances, nobody could deny Furyk's well-deserved place among golf's major championship winners.
Tying the Open's all-time scoring record (272), and winning his first major at 33, Furyk, who was eight under par, captured the Open by three strokes over Stephen Leaney of Australia (72), and by seven strokes over Mike Weir (71), and Kenny Perry (67), who tied for third place.
It was the eighth career victory for Furyk, who equaled the Open scoring record previously shared by Jack Nicklaus (1980), Lee Janzen (1993), and Tiger Woods (2000). That was company Furyk didn't mind keeping. And no longer will he be called one of the best players yet to win a major.
"I consider myself pretty young in my career, but as the years go on, it becomes that much tougher, that much more difficult, and you put that much more pressure on yourself,'' said Furyk, who won $1,080,000. "There's a lot of great players out there that haven't won a major championship. It's a proud day. It's beyond some dreams.''
In his first experience holding the lead on Sunday at a major championship, Furyk was in control from start to finish. And the challenge wasn't easy. A day of warm sunshine made the greens at Olympia Fields faster, firmer and more ferocious than they had been the entire tournament.
From the outset, players began making bogeys in bunches, missing short putts, watching their approach shots bounce away from the flags, and experiencing the suffocating feeling of losing strokes at a major championship.
A three-stroke lead can evaporate quickly in the kind of atmosphere Furyk faced on Sunday. But Furyk's swing remained steady — he hit 10 of 14 fairways, and 12 of 18 greens _ and his putting stroke held firm under pressure. Furyk made two huge putts early, a 15-footer from the fringe to save par at No. 2, and a 10-footer to save par at No. 5. Had Furyk missed those putts, the day could have gone far differently. But those putts kept Furyk in control, and kept Leaney, who began the day three strokes behind, playing catch-up.
"I could never put enough pressure on him,'' said Leaney, a 34-year-old Australian who said he would play on the PGA Tour next year, after earning enough money to gain his Tour card for next year.
"Today was obviously disappointing, but in my first time contending in a major championship, I showed my game can stand up to the pressure. I was surprised no one else made much of a charge.''
Furyk's lead grew to five strokes when Leaney bogeyed Nos. 7 and 8, and it was clearly a two-player race, as other contenders like Nick Price (75), and Vijay Singh (80) struggled mightily.
Giving Furyk a five-stroke lead on the final day is an almost guaranteed victory, and he coasted to the clubhouse from there. The strangest incident occurred on the 11th green, when a topless woman ran onto the course and got to within about 4 feet of Furyk before being escorted away by security.
"I was caught off guard,'' said Furyk. ``I heard some fans' reaction, and I looked at Stephen and he had this blank look on his face. I looked up and she was right on top of me. I wanted to back away from that situation.'' After the intruder was escorted away, Leaney missed his putt for par at No. 11, but Furyk kept on rolling.
In a round that included two birdies and three bogeys, Furyk made his final birdie at No. 14, hitting a beautiful approach shot to 4 feet and making the putt. Furyk knew the only way he could lose at that point was to do something silly, and he wasn't about to.
"It was nice to have that big lead,'' Furyk said. ``You could make a mistake and put it behind you.''
But Furyk will long remember this performance. The top four players were the only players who finished under par, and Furyk's record-tying mark was an impressive way to join the ranks of major champions.
The last three major winners have been first-time major champions — Rich Beem at last year's PGA Championship, Weir at this year's Masters, and Furyk. It was a club Furyk was proud to join. His victory was not dramatic, but it was very impressive, a player clearly separating himself from the field and allowing his talent to take over. With 10 top-10 finishes in his 144 previous starts this year, Furyk had been building to this, and he peaked at the right time. As he stared at the championship trophy, it never looked better. "My name will always be on there with some great players,'' Furyk said. "That's the special part of winning.''
New York Times News Service
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