Jim Furyk
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Birth: | May 12, 1970, West Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Height: | 6' 2" |
| Nationality: | Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| Residence: | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida |
| Career | |
| College: | University of Arizona |
| Turned Professional: | 1992 |
| Current Tour: | PGA Tour (joined 1992) |
| Professional wins: | 18 (PGA Tour 12; others 6) |
| Majors: | U.S. Open 2003 |
| Awards: | Vardon Trophy 2006 |
James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American golfer, known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing. In September 2006 he reached a career high of second in the Official World Golf Rankings<ref>JIM FURYK WINS THE CANADIAN OPEN AND IS THE NEW WORLD NUMBER TWO, Official World Golf Ranking site, 11 September 2006.</ref>.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Furyk was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His early years were spent in the Pittsburgh suburbs learning the game from his father, who was head pro at Uniontown Country Club near Pittsburgh. He graduated from Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1988 where he was a standout basketball player in addition to being a state champion golfer. He attended the University of Arizona and turned professional in 1992.
Furyk won at least one tournament each year on the PGA TOUR between 1998 and 2003. At the time, this was the second best streak of winning seasons behind Tiger Woods and he made the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings. Furyk's biggest win to date came on June 16, 2003, when he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score in US Open history to win his first major championship.
In 2004 he only played in fourteen events after missing three months due to surgery to repair cartilage damage in his wrist and he fell out of the top hundred on the money list, but he returned to good form in 2005 and regained his top ten ranking, winning a PGA TOUR event in that year and two in 2006.
The 2006 season has been his best to date, as he finished a career-high second on the money list and won the Vardon Trophy for the first time. He also had a career-best thirteen top-10 finishes, including nine top-3s, four second-place finishes, and two victories.
The only instructor he has ever used is his dad, Mike Furyk, which may account for his unusual swing. His caddy is Mike "Fluff" Cowan, who was Tiger Woods' caddy for his first couple of years as a professional.
Jim is the only currently ranked top 5 golfer in the world with an instructional product on the market. The Short Game Golf DVD stars himself and Fred Funk.
[edit] Major Championships
[edit] Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runners Up |
| 2003 | U.S. Open | 3 shot lead | -8 (67-66-67-72=272) | 3 strokes | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Stephen Leaney |
[edit] Results timeline
| Tournament | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T29 | T28 | 4 | T14 |
| U.S. Open | T28 | DNP | T5 | T5 | T14 | T17 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | T45 | 4 | T4 | T10 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T13 | T17 | T6 | CUT | T8 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T14 | T6 | CUT | 4 | DNP | 28 | T22 |
| U.S. Open | 60 | T62 | CUT | 1 | T48 | T28 | T2 |
| The Open Championship | T41 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | 4 |
| PGA Championship | T72 | T7 | 9 | T18 | CUT | T34 | T29 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
[edit] PGA Tour wins (12)
- 1995 (1) Las Vegas Invitational
- 1996 (1) United Airlines Hawaiian Open
- 1998 (1) Las Vegas Invitational
- 1999 (1) Las Vegas Invitational
- 2000 (1) Doral-Ryder Open
- 2001 (1) Mercedes Championships
- 2002 (1) Memorial Tournament
- 2003 (2) U.S. Open, Buick Open
- 2005 (1) Cialis Western Open
- 2006 (2) Wachovia Championship, Canadian Open
Major championship is shown in bold.
[edit] Other professional wins (6)
- 1993 Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic (Nike Tour)
- 1997 Argentine Open
- 1998 Fred Meyer Challenge (with David Duval)
- 2003 PGA Grand Slam of Golf
- 2005 Nedbank Golf Challenge (South Africa - unofficial money event)
- 2006 Nedbank Golf Challenge (South Africa - unofficial money event)
[edit] National team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006
- The Presidents Cup: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005
- World Cup: 2003
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Profile on the PGA Tour's official site
- Jim Furyk at Golf Stars Online Directory of interviews, sites and feature articles with or about him
- Results for the last two years from the Official World Golf Rankings sitede:Jim Furyk
