48-year-old Furyk proves the old dog still has some tricks at Players
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Perhaps Jim Furyk should have been playing for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup instead of captaining the American team. Because for a good portion of the afternoon Sunday, it looked like Furyk was exacting revenge on nearly the entire European team that vanquished the American side he captained during the fall in France. At 48 years young and a shorter hitter than probably 90 percent of his PGA Tour peers, Furyk made a masterful, spirited run at winning the Players Cham- pionship on Sunday, posting a 5-under 67 in the final round to stand as the leader in the clubhouse at 15-under for the week.
Before Rory McIlroy finally seized the title with birdies on two of his final four holes to win the tournament at 16under, Fuyrk was besting some of the top players on the European Ryder Cup side.
Furyk spent a lot of the day staring down the leaderboard at Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter and McIlroy — all pivotal players on the European team that wrested the Ryder Cup from Furyk’s American team in October outside of Paris.
In the end, McIlroy, one of the best, most explosive players in the world, chased Furyk down, but there was no shame in that.
“I turn 49 in May; everyone in the world is well aware of it,’’ Furyk said. “I’m pretty sure my first name is now ‘48-year-old’ and my middle name is ‘Jim’ and my last name is ‘Furyk,’ because every time on TV for the last two days that’s all I heard, which made me laugh. I don’t take it offensively. I am 48.’’
A week ago, Furyk didn’t even know he was in the field for the Players. He was informed last Sunday that, based on his tie for ninth at the Honda Classic two weeks ago, he had qualified and was the last player admitted into the field.
“I treated the whole week just an opportunity,’’ Furyk said. “I haven’t been in this position in a while … to have to hit shots under pressure. I haven’t put myself in the heat with really a good opportunity to win a golf tournament in a while, and I missed it. I missed the nerves, I missed the excitement, the cheers.
“I don’t feel any less pride on the way I played because I lost … or didn’t win, I guess would be the best way to say it. And, because it was Rory [winning] probably doesn’t take any sting out of it. I have a lot of respect for his game. I have a lot of respect for him as a person. But it still stings. I mean, I’m a competitor, and I want to win, and it pisses me off I didn’t.’’
Joel Dahmen, paired with Furyk on Sunday, had a front-row seat and was mesmerized — both by Furyk’s performance and the electric atmosphere that engulfed Sawgrass, which is where Furyk has lived for more than 20 years.
“It’s amazing, because he doesn’t hit it far, he just goes about his business,’’ Dahmen said. “All of a sudden the guy is 4- or 5under par and leading and you’re like, ‘Damn.’ That probably is what he’s been doing his entire career. It’s incredible. Walking from the 17th tee to the green, people were yelling so loudly for Jim you could see something in his eyes. He really wanted to win.’’
Furyk didn’t win. Thanks to birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 and clutch pars on 17 and 18, McIlroy prevailed.
But based on the fact Furyk turns 49 in May, that he’s been battling a wrist injury for the better part of the last few years and the fact he had to ignore his own game the past two years as he dealt with all the responsibilities as the Ryder Cup captain, Furyk was every bit the winner this week that McIlroy was.