Jim Furyk broke the record for the lowest single-round score in the history of the PGA Tour after shooting a 58 during the final of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.
The 46 year old American’s 12-under-par score was one shot fewer than the previous record of 59, which has been achieved by six previous players, including Furyk himself, who shot a 59 in the second round of the 2013 BMW Championship.
Starting his round at one over par, Furyk proceeded to make six birdies and an eagle in his first nine holes for an outward 27, then followed that with birdies at the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to reach 11 under for his round and 10 under for the tournament. After lipping out at the 15th, Furyk sank a 23-foot birdie putt at 16 to reach 12 under, and parred the last two holes to put his name into the record books.
Despite the historic day, Furyk still finished by five shots behind winner Russell Knox, who finished on 16 under par.
“I’m stunned and more than a little flabbergasted,” said Furyk, following his record-breaking effort, which included just 24 putts. “Late in the front nine I felt good about my short irons. I almost holed it on seven and again on nine. When you reach the turn in 27, you can’t help but thing about a 59, especially playing on a par-70 course. Eleven under with six to play – it became almost a mental game.”
He added: “It’s kind of a reminder that no matter how bad you feel with your swing, you’re never that far away. On the flip side, you’re never than far from playing poorly, as well.”
