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Tiger Woods of the United States walks off the fifth green during the first round of the 95th PGA Championship on August 8, 2013 in Rochester, New York. (Getty Images)
The man from West Chester, Pennsylvania approached the final hole with six birdies to his name. He drove into the rough on the right, from where the trees prevented him from anything but a chip back to the fairway. He swung his nine-iron well enough to reach within 20 feet of the flag. Furyk needed two from there to end the day with a 65.
“You’ve got to take your lumps,” said a philosophical Furyk. “You’re going to have your good moments and your bad ones. I’ve always been very good at looking at the situation and figuring out how I could have made it better.” He will know that the last man to win the PGA after leading on Thursday was Tiger Woods in 2000. Only nine men have managed the feat since 1958 and Furyk admitted as much, when he said, “right now we are jockeying for position.”
The world of professional sport is remorseless – would you remember that Paul Casey was ranked third in the world for a while, before a slippery slope of snow sent him tumbling into oblivion? The Englishman is now ranked a lowly 169th, still searching for the form that took him near the very top. It was a snowboarding accident during the Christmas of 2011 that dislocated his shoulder and disoriented his existence as a golfer.
Casey finally made a mark again on Thursday. The man, who lives is sunny Arizona, reached the clubhouse smiling like a child after making a fine 67, stealing glances at the board even as he made his way. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen my name up there,” Casey said justifying his enthusiasm. “I couldn’t help it. I just wanted to check it out. I appreciate being back on the big stage.”
There are two men sandwiched between Casey and the first round leaders. Westwood showed he was done dealing with the meltdown at Muirfield, with an assured 66 that earns him another go at a major title, immediately after letting the Open slip away. Joining him is a man from Canada, who was no more than an alternate for the event until last week.
The defending champion, Rory McIlroy enjoyed a rare 69 and the Open champion Mickelson did a Tiger to settle for a 71. McIlroy shot three birdies in the first four holes, but back-to-back bogeys after the turn set him back slightly toward the end. Leftie would be happy with one over par, considering that he survived a pair of double bogeys.
Scores:-5: J Furyk (US), A Scott (Aus)-4: L Westwood (Eng), D Hearn (Can)-3: P Casey (Eng), R Garrigus (US), M Kuchar (US), S Piercy (US), M Fraser (Aus), J Day (Aus)
