Normally steady Furyk fades at Chevron

Dec 22, 2008 - 12:37 AM By John Reger PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, California (Ticker)- It was an unexpected ending from one of the game's steadiest players, but Jim Furyk certainly isn't going to panic.

Furyk had been the leader for the first two days at the Chevron World Challenge and was one shot out of the top spot at the beginning of the fourth round.

But an eight-week layoff caught up with Furyk, who ended with a 2-over par 74 and a tie for fifth finish.

Furyk had shot under-par rounds for the first three days and was a bit surprised since he hadn't played a four-round event since the Tour Championship at the end of September.

"The first six of that I didn't play hardly at all," Furyk said. "I played when I had to for events, but the last couple weeks I've tried to get ready and I've really tried to get my game in shape."

It appeared as the strategy was working. He opened with a 68 for the first-round lead, posted a 71 to keep his lead and shot a 70 in the third round to trail Anthony Kim by a shot going into the final round.

Through the first nine holes, it looked like Furyk would get his first victory of the year. He was tied with Kim at 8-under and made a birdie on the 10th hole to take the lead.

But the steady Furyk started making uncharacteristic mistakes on the final five holes. He bogeyed on No. 14, added bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes and then double bogeyed the final hole.

The 18th hole had plagued Furyk for most of the week. He was 5-over on the hole for four rounds.

The break from golf would be the first suspect, but Furyk wasn't totally blaming the rest on his play.

"My expectations weren't that high," Furyk said. "The goal was obviously to come in and play well and try to win the golf tournament but, as little as I've been playing, I wanted to just kind of get my feet wet."

Furyk's frustration on the season started well before his foibles at the Chevron World Challenge. Other than a tie for second at a World Golf event, Furyk didn't get that close to victory all season.

"I'm disappointed that I had a decent year, but the one glaring bad spot or bad mark on the record was I didn't win a golf tournament," Furyk said. "I had two or three good opportunities that I didn't convert on."

Despite nine top-10 finishes and being on the winning Ryder Cup season, Furyk looks at one category.

"Ultimately, I'm going to judge my season by how I played, how many golf tournaments I won, how did I play in the major championships, and I'm disappointed," Furyk said. "I had some good majors, but I'm disappointed in no victories."

It is the first time since an injury-shortened 2004 that Furyk hasn't won a golf tournament and his annual trip to Kapalua to play in the Mercedes Championship will be missed.

Furyk is going to alter his schedule because of that and start his season in Monterey at the AT&T National Pro-Am.

This will give Furyk more of an offseason and another long break, but Furyk doesn't know how it will affect him.

"I haven't taken this long a break, so I don't know," he said. "I haven't taken an unforced break other than a couple of injuries."

Hopefully, it will have a better outcome than the one he had at the Chevron World Challenge.