Las Vegas, Nev. (Aug. 10, 2016)–When the name Jim Furyk, now known as Mr. 58, comes up in golf conversation, it’s not usually in conjunction with ‘firsts.’ Well, it is now. Furyk, who has been on the PGA Tour for 23 years, made golf history–again–at the 2016 Travelers Championship with a brilliant 12-under-par 58 final round. It was the lowest round ever recorded on the PGA Tour and his second sub-60 score. And those historic low scores have a beginning that started right here in Las Vegas. –By Bill Bowman.
We say he’s made history again as he is still the only player to win three times at the PGA Tour’s stop in Las Vegas. He’s hoisted the Las Vegas Invitational trophy (now the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open) in 1995 (his first PGA Tour victory) as well as in 1998 and 1999 (making him also the only player to defend the title in Las Vegas).
During his win in 1995, where he beat Billy Mayfair by a stroke, Furyk put on an impressive clinic. Try rounds of 67, 65, 65, 67 and 67 for a total of 28-under par.
Furyk scored in the 70s during just one round in his three Vegas victories, a fourth-round 71 in his third victory. The other 14 rounds were in the 60’s. (Remember, the LVI used to be a five-round tournament; hence the 15 rounds worth of scores).
And as his 58 shows, he’s not afraid to go low. He also shot a 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, making him the sixth player on the PGA Tour to shoot that famed number…and also the most recent. (As a side note, Chip Beck is one of the other PGA Tour players to shoot a 59 on Tour and his came in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational where he carded a 13-under-par score at Sunrise Golf Course).
But the new benchmark is now 58 as Furyk carded 10 birdies and an eagle during the tournament which was held the first week of August. During the round he hit all 18 greens in regulation and missed just one fairway.
Furyk put it best after his round. “No one else can say they’ve done that out here on the PGA Tour,” he told the media. “It’s really special and it’s probably going to take a little while for it to sink in and really put it into perspective.”
With Furyk now having gone sub-60 twice on Tour and adding in the fact he’s won 17 times on the PGA Tour, you’ve got the numbers that get people talking Hall of Fame.
And by the way, he does have one more victory in Las Vegas that many golf fans aren’t familiar with. He teamed up with Rich Beem and John Daly to win the 2002 Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge. And, he also finished as the runner-up one other time in the Las Vegas PGA Tour event.
This year’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is to be played Nov. 3-6 at TPC Summerlin.