Knox carded a closing 68 to finish at 14-under-par 266, 13 shots ahead of Pádraig Harrington who endured a hard final round as he shot a disappointing 75.
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Russell Knox sank a 12-foot par putt at the final hole to win the Travelers Championship in CT by one shot on Sunday, moving the Scot into contention for a place on the European team at next month’s Ryder Cup.
Furyk two-putted on the 18th green after setting the nine-hole record with an eight-under 27. He fired a 12-under 58, consisting of 10 birdies and an eagle. He gained the outright lead with a birdie on 13.
Although a bogey followed at the sixth, he recovered nearly immediately thanks to a superb approach and birdie putt at the par four ninth.
Afterwards Furyk couldn’t hide his joy at his moment of history.
“I told my caddie I wasn’t going to look at leaderboards today, and then going to the first tee and I hear what (Furyk) is doing and I’m like, ‘Well, I have to look now just because I wanted to watch history, ‘” Thomas said. It’s humbling, to stand alone at 58 is really a cool accomplishment.
The runner-up finish moved Kelly up 63 spots into 75th position in the FedExCup standings, safely into the playoffs and with a decision to make – one that is easy for him: Kelly will play mainly on the Champions Tour next year instead of the PGA Tour. “I got it to 12-under-par on 16”. The tournament coincides with the Olympic men’s golf competition in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, which features six of the top 12 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Knox’s victory came a few hours after American Furyk had shot the lowest round in PGA Tour history when he compiled one eagle and 10 birdies in his final round.
Knox found sand twice at the par-five 13th, but he splashed out of the second to six feet and rolled in the putt for birdie, and he picked up another shot from similar range at the next to open up a three-shot lead over the field.
Pennsylvania-born Furyk, 46, a 17-times victor on tour, has made a career out of his machine-like consistency with his unique swing, and he was in that mode on Sunday, hitting all 18 greens in regulation. The 58 broke the previous tour record of 59 held by Furyk at the 2013 BMW Championship; Al Geiberger at the 1977 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. When Knox shot 59 on the Web.com Tour in the second round at Boise, he still only managed a tie for 12th. Overall, the 31-year-old has won three times since November and is in the midst of the finest season of his career.
The 23-year-old posted a 15-under 195 total, three ahead of Scotland’s Russell Knox (64), South African Tyrone Van Aswegen (65) and American Russell Henley (65).
An ecstatic Knox tossed his cap across the green when the winning putt dropped as his Canadian caddie Bradley Whittle celebrated a second victory at the event previously known as the Greater Hartford Open, having worked for 1994 victor David Frost.
Aug 7, 2016; Cromwell, CT, USA; Jim Furyk during the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands.
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Wall won Nos. 3, 6 and 11, and saw Noren miss a birdie putt from 12 feet at the par-5 last that would have taken the match to extra holes. “I go over it three or four times, and then I usually peak my head out and ask them again if it’s signed and they’ve already checked it three times so I did the same thing”. “It’s been an enjoyable ride”.
