Furyk’s 59 only 6th ever

Jim Furyk (right) hugs his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, after shooting a 12-under-par 59 Friday, tying the PGA single-round record for lowest score, during the second round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill.

Jim Furyk (right) hugs his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, after shooting a 12-under-par 59 Friday, tying the PGA single-round record for lowest score, during the second round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

LAKE F0REST, Ill. - No one expected to see a 59 on Friday at Conway Farms Golf Club.

Temperatures were in the low 60s, a breeze was blowing 10 to 15 mph and gusting to 20 mph out of the north-northeast, and the greens were icy fast.

Then Jim Furyk went out and did it.

Furyk, 43, became the sixth man to shoot a 59 in PGA Tour history - and the first with a bogey on his card - in the second round of the BMW Championship,the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff event.

“I think I need this to kind of set in,” Furyk said when asked to put the round in perspective. “It just happened. I’ve been doing interviews and signing autographs. It’ll take a while.”

The 59 vaulted Furyk into a tie for the lead at 11-under-par 131 with Brandt Snedeker, who shot a 68 and said he felt as if he were lapped.

“That makes me feel depressed about my round,” Snedeker said. “I was actually feeling pretty good about it walking up here.”

Zach Johnson shot a 70 and was third at 134.

Furyk made 11 birdies and holed out from 115 yards with a 9-iron for eagle on the par-4 15th. He shot a 28 on his first nine (the back) and made his lone bogey with a three-putt on No. 5.

Needing a birdie on the par-4 18th hole, Furyk stuffed his gap wedge approach to within 3 feet, 3 inches and rolled in the putt.

Furyk joined five others who have shot 59s in official PGA Tour events: Al Geiberger at the 1977 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic; Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational; David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic; Paul Goydos at the 2010 John Deere Classic, and Stuart Appleby at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic.

To put Furyk’s round in perspective, the second-best score Friday was a 65 hot by 20-year-old Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker. The average score for the field was 71.086.

Bryce Molder (Conway) had three birdies and four bogeys for a 1-over 72 and a two-round total of 3-over 145. Molder is tied for 54th. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had a birdie, three bogeys and a quintuple double bogey 9 for a 6-over 77 (150). He is tied for 65th in the 70-man field.

WEB.COM TOUR Noh leads by 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Seung-YulNoh shot a 6-under 65 in cool, breezy conditions Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.

Noh had a 9-under 133 on Ohio State’s Scarlet Course in the third of four events in the Web.com Tour Finals series.

Two players were unable to finish the second round because of darkness after a long rain delay Thursday pushed back play.

Chesson Hadley was second with a 67. Kelly Kraft was third at 69.

Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) had four birdies and four bogeys for an even-par round of 71 and is tied for 17th at 1-under 141. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot 3-over 74 with four birdies and seven bogeys and is tied for 72nd at 4-over 146. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) shot 2-over 73 with three birdies and five bogeys and is tied for 86th at 5 over.

LPGA TOUR

Miyazato shoots 65

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France - Mika Miyazato of Japan shot a 6-under 65 to take the lead after the rain-delayed first round of the Evian Championship, the year’s fifth and final major.

No. 2-ranked Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) had four birdies and two bogeys for a 2-under 69. She was tied in a pack for 10th.

EUROPEAN TOUR

Spaniards tied at top

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands - Pablo Larrazabal shot a 4-under 66 to join Miguel Angel Jimenez atop the leaderboard after the second round at the KLM Open. First-round leader Jimenez shot a bogey-free 67. The co-leaders are at 9-under 131.

Three-time champion Simon Dyson matched the course record with a 63 to join Oliver Fisher and Julien Quesne in a tie for second.

Sports, Pages 19 on 09/14/2013