Travelers: Knox victorious, Furyk fires 58
The Scot claimed a second PGA Tour title and the American set a new record
Scotland’s Russell Knox posted a 68 to win the Travelers Championship. Jim Furyk beat him by 10 shots on the day but finished three back in a tie for 5th.
Russell Knox began the final day at the Travelers Championship three behind Daniel Berger. But as the American faded, Knox held steady and he moved in front with birdies at the 13th and 14th holes.
A bogey from the Scotsman at the 16th kept the tension high and, when he narrowly missed a birdie effort on the 17th, he took just a one-stroke advantage over 49-year-old Jerry Kelly to the 72nd.
After driving to the right side, into the gallery, the 31-year-old from Inverness played his second into a greenside bunker. He needed to get up-and-down to take the title and he did just that. After splashing out short of the hole, he rolled the putt home to claim his second PGA Tour victory.
"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."
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Knox claimed a second PGA Tour title after the WGC-HSBC Champions last November, but much of the attention was on Jim Furyk who had, earlier in the day, shot a PGA Tour record score of 58 around TPC River Highlands.
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Furyk was already one of six players to fire a 59 on the PGA Tour, but he went one better with an incredible round that included a run of seven straight birdies.
4 Talking points from the Travelers Championship
1 – Russell Knox threw his hat in celebration on securing the win at TPC River Highlands and he has thrown his hat squarely into the ring when it comes to possible Ryder Cup selection. This was the fourth time he has finished second or better on the PGA Tour this year and the Scot must now be firmly on Darren Clarke’s radar. “I’ve finished second three times since I've won, and I mean, I really wanted to get another one so I could really show myself that I can win multiple times,” he said. “And to do it in one season is pretty amazing."
2 – Furyk fires 58! Jim Furyk’s incredible 58 came seemingly from nowhere. The veteran started the tournament with rounds of 73, 77 and 72 but things fairly came together on Sunday. He went to the turn in 27 with an eagle and six birdies on this card. He then birdied the first three holes of the back nine and added one more on the 16th. "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."
3 – A tournament within a tournament was being played out at TPC River Highlands as players fought to push their way into the FedEx Cup playoffs (the top 125 on the points list after the Wyndham Championship will make it - just two counting tournaments remain.) Jerry Kelly’s second place has assured his spot at the first playoff event – The Barclays. He climbed from 138th to 63rd. Jim Furyk should now be secure as should South Africa’s Tyrone Van Aswegen. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington isn’t in such a good position. He finished with a disappointing 75 at TPC River Highlands and is currently 131st in the standings.
4 – It was a good week for the U.S. Olympic team the week before they compete at Rio. Patrick Reed closed with a 66 to finish on 9-under-par. Matt Kuchar closed with 65 to end the week one shot further back while Bubba Watson finished the four rounds on 7-under. "It was one of those weeks where you could easily see playing great next week,” said Watson.
Travelers Championship TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut Aug 4-7 Purse $6,600,000, par 70
1 Russell Knox (Sco) 67 67 64 68 266 $1,188,000 2 Jerry Kelly (USA) 64 70 69 64 267 $712,800 T3 Patrick Rodgers (USA) 68 66 66 68 268 $382,800 T3 Justin Thomas (USA) 68 69 69 62 268 $382,800 T5 Daniel Berger (USA) 66 67 62 74 269 $231,825 T5 Jim Furyk (USA) 73 66 72 58 269 $231,825 T5 Robert Garrigus (USA) 67 67 68 67 269 $231,825 T5 Tyrone Van Aswegen (RSA) 67 66 65 71 269 $231,825 T9 Brooks Koepka (USA) 67 70 64 69 270 $184,800 T9 Marc Leishman (Aus) 65 68 71 66 270 $184,800
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.
Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?
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