The 16-year-old Seong outlasted Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta 1 up in hot conditions in the 36-hole final, the first all-international championship match in 106 years. I’m not saying everyone can win a tournament.
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Victory has seen Knox vault up the Ryder Cup World Points list and is now right in the hunt for a place in Team Europe with a couple of events still to play before the August 28 qualifying deadline.
Victorian Marc Leishman closed with a 4-under 66 to be the best placed Australian tied for ninth, still four shots behind the victor in an impressive week. Berger managed to hang onto the lead despite not making a birdie on the front nine.
Round three leader Daniel Berger led into his back nine before bogeying 10, 11, 12 and 13.
While Jim is having all this set in, his fellow golfer Miguel Angel Carballo spoke about how he felt Furyk was invincible today, “He made an Eagle on number three, and after the eagle, we talked about that he could make everything – but not as much as he finally did”. “It was a different golf course this afternoon than it was this morning”. He birdied 10, 11 and 12 before the magnitude of it began to tap him on the shoulder the way a good round of golf can.
The memory ran through Knox’s mind Sunday as he stood on the 18th green at TPC River Highlands, facing the same situation. “It’s one of those holes where if you hit the fairway, it’s an easy par; if you miss the fairway, it’s a fairly hard par”.
“I’m hitting it well, I’m putting it well, it’s trying to find a way to stay out of your own way really”, he added.
Furyk, 46, victor of the 2003 U.S. Open, had 10 birdies and one eagle in the final round at TPC River Highlands on Sunday.
“Once it started kind of creeping left, I knew it was going in, and what an unbelievable feeling”.
Harrington meanwhile paid the price for a poor back nine to record a 75 that saw the Olympian finish on -1 and a tie for 64th position. “I’m not sure there’s ever been someone in my position before but I’m Scottish down to the core so I’ll be on team Europe hopefully”, the Inverness-born Knox told reporters. When he finished play in the tournament to chants of “58” on No. 18, he was four shots off the lead and tied for fifth. When Knox made par on 18, there Furyk was, in a tie for fifth with Berger (74), Robert Garrigus and Tyrone van Aswegen.
Former college star, Patrick Rodgers, who has persevered through a tough season, tied Thomas for third at 12 under after shooting a 2-under 68 in Round 4.
Furyk is the first player to break 60 twice in competition on a major professional Tour. The 49-year-old waved his cap to the crowd as he walked up to the 18th green to make par.
“The love that they showed me this week, that’s about the best of any year”, he said about the fans. “They always have but that’s probably the best I’ve played for them”. The Callaway player’s insane 58 on Sunday moved him up 65 spots to finish the tournament at a respectable 5th.
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If you thought that the field at the Travelers Championship was a bit light due to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, that’s actually not the case.
