'Mr. 58' Purik "8-under start on first day of Sony Open"... Did you see the hole-in-one?

PGA Tour 2022 Second Tournament Sony Open Round 1 Tied 2nd, Kevin Na Leads, Smith Stumbles at Tied 40th with 3 Under Par

Jim Furyk is executing an iron shot on the 18th hole during the first day of the Sony Open. Hawaii, USA = Getty Images/Multivitz

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is the ‘veteran fighting spirit’ of 52-year-old Jim Furyk.

On the 14th (Korean time), at the Waialae Golf Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, Furyk shot 8-under par on the first day of the PGA Tour Sony Open (total prize money $7.5 million) to tie for 2nd place, just one stroke behind the leader. Defending champion Kevin Na leads, with Russell Henley and Patton Kizzire (all from the USA) tied for 4th at 7-under par, continuing the chase. ‘Sentry Tournament Champion’ Cameron Smith (Australia) remained tied for 40th at 3-under par.

Furyk is the only ‘58-shot man’ on the PGA Tour. In August 2016, during the final day of the Travelers Championship, he recorded an eagle and 10 birdies to shoot 12-under par 58. A 59-shot round has been recorded 12 times from Al Geiberger in 1977 (Memphis Classic) to Scottie Scheffler in August 2020 (Northern Trust). Furyk also shot 59 on the second day of the BMW Championship in September 2013. Interestingly, despite these sub-60 rounds, he did not win, finishing tied 5th at the Travelers Championship and 3rd at the BMW Championship.

Furyk reached his 17th PGA Tour victory at the RBC Heritage in April 2015 and has been active on the Champions (Senior) Tour for players aged 50 and above since 2020. On this day, he drew even more spotlight by making a hole-in-one on the 17th hole (par 3, 186 yards). His 6-iron tee shot reached the green and rolled into the hole. He combined 7 birdies and 1 bogey, powered by an average of 1.43 putts per hole, demonstrating his ‘stingy putting’.

Kevin Na made an eagle with a ‘2-on 1-putt’ on the 9th hole (par 5) and added 7 birdies. Smith’s ‘3-under par rollercoaster play’ was surprising, as he had just set a new PGA Tour record for most under-par strokes (34 under) during his victory at the Sentry Tournament that ended on the 10th. Ultimately, he was held back on the greens. For Korea, Kim Si-woo (27) is tied for 62nd at 2-under par, Lee Kyung-hoon (31) and Kang Sung-hoon (35) are tied for 81st at 1-under par, and Im Sung-jae (24) is tied for 119th at 1-over par.