Knox for Europe and Furyk Makes Tour History

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

RUSSELL KNOX secured his place on the European Ryder Cup team with a one-shot victory in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. On an astonishing final day that saw Jim Furyk become the first player to score 58 on the PGA Tour, Knox won with a 14-under-par total of 266 after a final round of 68.

Showing huge character, Knox holed a 12-foot putt on the final green to secure the title. He is not somebody who normally shows much emotion, but when the putt fell in he threw his cap across the green and punched the air in delight.

The Scot moved to 13 under after the sixth hole and then parred the next six holes. He birdied the 13th and 14th holes to move to 15 under par and he suddenly found himself two ahead. At the short par-four 15th he was lucky not to find the water and repeated the feat at the 16th, a par three, when he came up short, narrowly avoiding the lake that protects the green. That cost him a bogey and, with two holes to play, he led Jerry Kelly, already safely in the clubhouse, by a shot.

It is his second victory of the season and he joins Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott as the year's only multiple winners to date. Knox is in illustrious company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8eRQWohN1M

"This is a crazy game," he said. "To make a putt like that to win a tournament is what it is all about. I have worked very hard on my putting - a lot people say it is my weak area, but I am so proud of myself. I believe in myself and feel great."

He had help from Russell Henley, who was 14 under par after a birdie two at the 11th and was leading the tournament, but he bogeyed three of the next four holes and then four-putted for a double-bogey on the par three 16th.

Knox's victory was overshadowed by a historic performance from Furyk. The 46-year-old finished his week with a scarcely credible round of 58 - and missed a putt on the 18th for a 57. He birdied the second, eagled the third when he holed his approach shot, and birdied the third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes to reach the turn in a mind-boggling 27 shots. Not content with that, Furyk then birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th holes, meaning he had birdied seven holes on the trot. And still he wasn't finished - he holed a curling 25th putt for his final birdie of the day at the 16th to come home in 31. He finished in a tie for fifth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywctGXDNUus

It was a remarkable round of golf, all the more so when you consider that the 46-year-old missed half the season as he recovered from a serious wrist injury. 

On a day of extraordinarily low scoring, Justin Thomas also leapt up the leaderboard with a final round of 62 that took him to 12 under par. He birdied the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth to turn in 30. Although he dropped a shot at the 14th, he birdied four further holes on the back nine to finish on 268.

Kelly, a 49-year-old Tour veteran who is enjoying an excellent season, closed out with a 64 to finish on 13 under par, one ahead of fellow American Patrick Rodgers and Thomas.

Daniel Berger, who was also seeking his second win of the season, began the day three ahead, but while everybody else on the first page of the leaderboard was making hay, Berger dropped his first shot at the par-five sixth and four more shots went at the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th.

Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Matchplay

IT HAS been a long time coming, but Anthony Wall finally won his second European Tour title when he beat Alex Noren in the final of the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Matchplay - an astonishing 16 years and 204 days after his last victory.

The Englishman’s wait between titles is a European Tour record, and the 431 tournament in which he has taken part since winning in South Africa beats the previous mark of 276 set by Christy O'Connor Jr. He has finished second seven times in the interim.

With a strong wind making conditions especially difficult, Wall said: "I think that in my entire career I have only experienced weather like this maybe twice before. You have to work so hard to keep your balance and swing within yourself. On a day like this you have to just concentrate on playing the course and see what shape you are in when you get to the green. It was really, really tough out there.

“It just feels amazing – I cannot tell you how happy I am. I did wonder whether it would ever come again. I’m just so pleased for my parents – they put in so much when I was young. I’ve got two children that just want to see their dad win, I’m speechless, it’s phenomenal.

“I don’t know what the difference was this week. I had been struggling this year but you don’t know what you’re going to get in this game. It can turn around so quickly. I found something with my putting which obviously made a massive difference.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34QAjy_xyEQ

Wall came into the week with his confidence low. He needed a big week to ensure that he retained his European Tour card and he delivered when it really mattered. He started poorly against Noren at Archerfield, North Berwick, but battled back to beat the Swede on the final hole.

Noren, who began the event which featured a 64-man field, thus missed out on a second victory of the year in Scotland after his success in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart last month.

Noren was a combined 19 under par for the front nine over the first five rounds and got off to another great start in the final. Wall drove into trees at the first and Noren took advantage with a birdie from ten feet.

Noren, a five-time European Tour winner, missed the second fairway, pulling his drive into trees on the left. Having been forced to chip out backwards, he played a remarkable third to the green on the par five and holed his putt for another birdie to go two up.

Wall birdied the third and squared the match at the sixth, when Noren missed another fairway. He went ahead for the first time at the 11th with another birdie and got up and down from greenside bunkers at the 12th and 14th holes to stay ahead.

Both men birdied the short 16th and when Noren's birdie putt lipped out at the 17th it meant that 41-year-old Wall went to the final hole, a par five, with a one-hole lead. Wall parred the hole and when Noren was unable to convert his 15-feet birdie putt, the Englishman was able to finally celebrate his second victory.

England's James Morrison won the third-place play-off 4&2 against compatriot Oliver Fisher after starting birdie, eagle, birdie.