JIM Furyk might have captured all headlines for his final round 58, but it was Scot Russell Knox who took home the Travelers Championship trophy and a winner’s cheque for $1,188,000.
Knox fought nerves down the stretch to card a two under 68 at TPC River Highlands, which included a nail-biting 12 foot par-saver on the final hole to finish at 14 under, one shot clear of fast-finishing American Jerry Kelly, who closed with a six under 66.
"I felt like the Incredible Hulk when it went in," Knox said later. "I could have ripped my shirt off.
"Everybody dreams of making a putt on the last hole to win a tournament," he said. "I just kept telling myself, this is your chance to make a putt to have a great celebration and hear the roars. I'm glad it went in."
Birdies at the 13th and 14th holes put Knox in front but he almost gave both shots back at the par-3 16th when his tee shot fell short and his ball almost rolled back into the water in front of the green. But, he caught a lucky break when his ball nestled in the long rough next to the lateral hazard stake. He was able to hit his second shot on the green without penalty and two-putted for bogey to stay in front.
"If I make the top nine, then I deserve to be on the team. If I’m No.10, he can quite happily pass on me, and that’s just the way it is. - Russell Knox on Ryder Cup selection.
This was Knox's second PGA Tour win of 2016, making him the fifth multiple-winner of the season, joining the esteemed company of Jason Day, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson. Knox's first win came last November when he won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China by two strokes.
The win moves Knox to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and he also comes right into contention for European team Ryder Cup selection. The Scot is now 10th in the world ranking points qualification list for the Ryder Cup.
FINAL LEADERBOARD | VIDEO: FURYK'S MAGICAL 58. HOW HE DID IT.
“I knew by winning this tournament, it’s put Darren Clarke (European team captain) in a very difficult position not to pick me,” Knox said. “It’s his decision. He can pick whoever he wants, and that’s the luxury of it. If I make the top nine, then I deserve to be on the team. If I’m No.10, he can quite happily pass on me, and that’s just the way it is.”
One man who is unlikely to play the Ryder Cup this year because he missed so much of the season through injury is Furyk – a nine-time representative at the Cup – now owns the record for the lowest 18 hole score in PGA Tour history.
His 12 under 58 featured an eight-under 27 on the front nine comprising of six birdies and an eagle. Furyk then birdied four holes on the back nine, with no bogeys, to record the seventh sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.
“I had a giant smile on my face (over his last putt)," Furyk said. "It was close enough that I couldn’t mess it up. I couldn’t really feel my hands on my first putt. I don’t remember it.”
Furyk was the last person to break 60 on the PGA Tour when he shot a 12-under 59 at the BMW Championship in 2013. Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby are the other members of the PGA Tour’s ‘59’ club.
"I felt like someone else leaped into my body and was making the swing," Furyk said of the his magical round. "I wasn't hitting the ball solid. I think I hit 12 drivers yesterday, hit the ball in the fairway five times. That's just not — that's not my — that's my strength, so to turn that around and make it a weakness is the reason I shot a couple over par."
Having started to the day 16 shots behind 54-hole leader Daniel Berger, Furyk finished in a tie for fifth at 11 under alongside Berger.
After shooting a two-over 72 in the third round, Furyk went to find answers to his swing glitches on the practice range and emailed a swing video to his dad, the only coach he’s ever had, asking for help.
"I looked at [the video] and was kind of a little shocked at how short it (his swing) looked," Furyk said. "I sent it off to my dad and said, ‘does this look too short?’, and he looked at it and said, not at all. In fact, he said a couple nice things to me, you look like you're really in good balance. It looks like everything is working together a lot better than what you were explaining before. He said, ‘I think it looks great’.
"And then just for the hell of it basically, I pulled out a driver and hit one more, and I made a decent swing with it and sent it to him, and because the driver is a little longer it was a touch longer swing, and again, he just sent back, looks great, I'm anxious to see how it works tomorrow."
It worked well … and the proof is in the history books.
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