After posting four bogeys in his opening round in the U.S. Senior Open, including three straight on Nos. 16, 17 and 18 after starting on the back nine Thursday, Jim Furyk turned it around and went low Friday.
The 2003 U.S. Open champ was bogey-free and posted 6-under 64, the lowest score of the week so far at Omaha Country Club. That followed his opening 72 at the par-70 Omaha Country Club in Nebraska.
His second round vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard at 4 under with several contenders, most noticeably Stephen Ames, still on the course.
“I was real happy with being patient. I didn’t go out there and kind of chase the shots that I lost on 16, 17, and 18,” he said. “I kind of bided my time and shot even par on that second side and kind of was patient. Today things kind of happened for me, but I had kind of an idea what I wanted to kind of do with my golf swing today and the shots I thought were necessary for this course, and it worked out.”
One of five past U.S. Open champs in the field, Furyk is playing in his first Senior Open. He would’ve competed last year but COVID-19 wiped out the event, one of several U.S. Golf Association events canceled in 2020.
U.S. Senior Open: Leaderboard
Furyk, who won his first two events after joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2020, is seeking his first senior major.
He managed to avoid trouble on the 14th when his ball ended up not in a divot but against a divot. “That’s the first time I can remember that
happened to me in at least ten years,” he said. He saved par on the hole.
On his final hole, he drained a 12-footer for birdie on the 429-yard 18th.
That’s a 64 for @jimfuryk!
He’s now tied for second heading into the weekend at the 41st #USSeniorOpen. pic.twitter.com/AwDzPvU7Cn
— USGA (@USGA) July 9, 2021
Stephen Ames and Billy Andrade were the first-round co-leaders at 4 under after 18 holes.
Omaha Country Club is hosting the U.S. Senior Open for a second time. Kenny Perry won the event there in 2013.