A tough win for Furyk at Quail Hollow

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jim Furyk had every reason to believe he would leave Quail Hollow with another runner-up finish.

He was one shot behind Trevor Immelman and figured he needed a birdie to force a playoff, but Furyk sent his approach to the right of the 18th green into thick, wet grass. Par was no bargain, and Immelman was in the middle of the green, 50 feet and two putts away from claiming his first PGA Tour victory.

That's when Furyk followed his own definition of toughness.

"Guys that are tough and gritty can hit a really good shot under pressure. And if not," he added later, "go find it and figure out a way to get the ball in the hole."

Furyk found a way, leading to an unlikely playoff victory Sunday in the Wachovia Championship.

Immelman ran his first putt some 10 feet by the hole, then missed that for his only three-putt bogey of a rainy final round. Furyk gave himself a chance, the best he could hope for, then crouched over an 8-foot par putt to force a playoff. His caddie, Mike "Fluff" Cowan, was a few feet away, jaws flapping as he gave Furyk his advice on how the putt would break.

"I was pretty much stumped by the putt," Furyk said. "He put a very good read on it. I did a good job hitting that put right where he said, and he made a great read."

In the playoff on the same hole, as the rain returned to an already soft, long Quail Hollow course, Immelman fanned his tee shot into the right rough, played well short of the green and his wedge spun off the front. The best he could was bogey.

Furyk blasted a 3-iron out of the firm bunker down the right side of the fairway to short of the green, rolled his putt 6 feet by and had to make that to win.

He had not won a playoff in 10 years on the PGA Tour, one of those losses coming last year at the Wachovia Championship when he hit into the creek on the fourth extra hole -- No. 18 -- and handed victory to Vijay Singh. In his last tournament, Furyk watched 10-foot putts graze the lip on the last two holes to finish one shot behind at Hilton Head.

There was no doubt about this one.

The 6-foot par putt was halfway to the hole when Furyk raised his right arm, turned and slammed his fist to punctuate his 11th career victory, and bury some demons along the way.

"Probably getting close a few weeks ago, and losing here last year in a playoff," Furyk said, explaining his extra ounce of emotion. "I just like to win. If there was anything extra, I just like to win."

He did it by closing with a 1-under 71 to finish at 276, giving him a $1.134 million prize, enough Ryder Cup points to push him up to No. 3 in the U.S. standings, and a good chance to add a different name to the Big Five in the world ranking.

Immelman surged into the lead with birdies on both par 5s on the front nine, plus a wedge that rifled through a tree and skipped to a stop on the eighth hole for a 4-foot birdie. He gave it back with a double bogey from the rough and trees on No. 11.

But he was the model of composure, regaining the lead with birdies on the 13th and 15th, and par saves from about 6 feet on the 16th and 17th holes that set him up for victory. Two putts from 50 feet was no small task given the speed of the green, and Immelman figured his greater sin was not finding the fairway in the playoff.

Furyk also played superbly along the back nine, as he did a year ago with two birdies on his final three holes to get into a playoff. He took only six putts over the final five holes in regulation, two for birdie, the rest par saves that meant just as much.

And he headed to the airport with a crystal trophy, a royal blue blazer and reinforcement that he can get it done.

"It's nice to come out and get it done this time," Furyk said.

Retief Goosen had his chances.

He took the lead on the third hole, gave it back with a bogey on the par-5 seventh when he drove into the water and was tied for the lead with seven holes to play. But he failed to make another birdie, and he finished his day by hitting three balls into the creek on the 18th to make quintuple-bogey 9 and shoot 77, dropping him seven spots down the leaderboard into a tie for 10th.

Adam Scott shot 71 and finished third, although he was never within four shots of the lead.

The consolation prizes went to Bill Haas, who shot 70 to tie for fourth, his best finish on the PGA Tour and enough to get him into the Byron Nelson Championship next week; and to Lucas Glover, a rising American star who shot 72 and tied for fourth, earning enough Ryder Cup points to climb three spots into sixth place.

But this meaningful to Furyk, who kept battling even when it looked like hope was gone.

"It didn't look good," he said of the situation on No. 18 in regulation. "But I stayed positive. I knew it would be a tough two-putt. I felt like he would probably do it. Until he two-putts, you've got to keep fighting and try to win the tournament."


Provider:
Associated Press Online