By
Fred Altvater on Saturday, September 14
th 2013
Jim Furyk posted only the sixth 59 in PGA Tour history yesterday at Conway Farms in the BMW Championship. His historic round ties him with Brandt Snedeker for the top spot at 12-under par.
Snedeker is the defending FedEx Cup Champion and Furyk won the FedEx Cup in 2010.
Furyk began his second round on No. 10 and immediately carded three birdies over his first three holes. He added three more birdies and an eagle at the par-5 No. 15 to complete a score of eight-under par 28 over his first nine holes.
Three more birdies at Nos. 2, 3 and 4 got him to 11-under par and made the 59 watch official. A bogey at No. 5 seemed to cool emotions slightly, but Furyk finished strong with birdies at Nos. 7 and 9 to complete the record-setting 12-under par 59.
Furyk may have felt he had something to prove as Captain Fred Couples left him off the Presidents Cup team in favor of Webb Simpson and rookie Jordan Spieth.
He has been a member of seven Presidents Cup teams and finished at No. 13 in the Presidents Cup rankings.
Fred Couples felt so bad about not picking Furyk for the team that he could not even phone him to break the news. He texted Furyk instead and admitted it was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made as Presidents Cup Team Captain.
Furyk has 16 career PGA Tour wins including the 2003 U.S. Open. He has been a member of 15 Ryder and Presidents Cup teams plus won the 2010 FedEx Cup.
These numbers alone should guarantee him a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Zach Johnson is in third place three shots behind the leaders at eight-under par. Nick Watney, Jordan Spieth, Kevin Streelman, Charl Schwartzel and Ryan Moore are all tied at six-under par.
The BMW Championship is the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs and only the top 30 will qualify to play next week in the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta for the $10 million FedEx Cup.