Furyk finally back in the winners circle

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

ONE week on and it was still all about Jordan Spieth. The Masters champion had entered the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town and nobody would have blamed him had he decided to make his excuses and withdraw.

Winning majors takes a lot out of you, especially when in the three tournaments beforehand you have won once and finished second twice. But Spieth is a class act and although scratching from the tournament must have entered his head, he was there on Thursday for his tee-off time, playing alongside Matt Kuchar.

Spieth laboured to a round of 74, but Kuchar, the defending champion, was full of praise for the 21-year-old. "I think it showed a hell of lot about him that he played here," Kuchar said. "Most guys wouldn't have bothered, but the crowds were five deep on every hole to watch him play."

Final round highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qag_qZR5ScI

And they got their reward in the second round when, incredibly, Spieth shot a 62 to rocket back into contention. Where does he find the energy?

Inevitably, he flagged over the final 36 holes, but they still couldn't keep him out of the limelight - in the final round he partnered Jim Furyk, the 2003 US Open champion and 2010 FedEx Cup champion. And some of Spieth's magic rubbed off.

Furyk hadn't won a tournament since 2010. Sure, the money kept pouring in, but he was building himself a reputation as a golfer who had lost the art of closing out the deal. Time after time he would go into the final round leading or a shot or two off the lead. And every time he would come up short.

Harbour Town is where he finally set the record straight. On one of the best courses in the United States, and one that demands accurate hitting (at which Furyk excels), the 44-year-old reached the turn in 30 after birdies at the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth and came home in 33 for a final round of 63 and a 72-hole total of 18 under par.

Now he had to sit and wait to find out whether it was good enough. Kevin Kisner, looking for his maiden win and ranked 257th in the world, was the only man who could spoil Furyk's day. He reached the last hole 17 under par. Could he make the birdie that would force a playoff? Incredibly, he put his approach six feet from the hole? Was Furyk destined to have yet another victory snatched away? In went the putt for a 64, and they were off to play extra holes.

The first playoff hole was the 18th, and when Kisner drained a 20-foot putt he looked for all the world like a winner. But Furyk followed him, and they were off to the par-three 17th. Furyk's tee shot finished about 15 feet away, Kisner twice that distance. Kisner narrowly failed with his birdie putt but the veteran holed his, celebrating while the ball was still three feet from the hole.

And so, finally, the monkey is off his back.

Brendon Todd birdied the 16th and 17th. He was 16 under. Only an eagle two at the last would do to make the playoff. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't make it. Kuchar finished four behind, cursing his luck on the greens - four putts lipped out on the second nine, the difference between winning and losing.

So Furyk now knows what he needs to do - avoid going into the final round of any tournament leading the field.