CROMWELL, Conn. — Jim Furyk set a PGA Tour record with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship on Sunday, sinking a short putt on the last hole and then thrusting his arms into the air in celebration.
The 46-year-old American was rolling early, making his first birdie on the second hole at the TPC River Highlands course. He followed with an eagle from 135 yards on the par-4 third hole. He finished his first nine holes in a course-record 27 shots.
“There’s a lot of rounds by a lot of great players ahead of me that have never reached 58, so to hold that record alone right now, on the PGA Tour at least … is phenomenal,” Furyk said.
“To have a little, small place in history is something you dream of.”
Furyk shot 31 on the back nine, setting the record with a 2-foot par on the final hole. His 27-foot birdie attempt for 57 went just right and past the cup. His final birdie came on the par-3 16th, when he sank a putt from just under 24 feet from the right of the hole.
Furyk, with 17 PGA Tour victories, was already one of six golfers to shoot a 59. He did it during the second round of the BMW Championship in 2013.
The others were Al Geiberger at the 1977 Memphis Classic; Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational; David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic; Paul Goydos at the 2010 John Deere Classic and Stuart Appleby at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic.
He said there was sense of “here we go again,” because he also shot 8-under par on the front nine there.
“I’m hitting it well, I’m putting it well, it’s trying to find a way to stay out of your own way really,” he said. “And don’t let any thoughts leak in.”
Furyk finished fifth at 11-under par, three back of Russell Knox, who sank a par putt on 18 to win.
