Jim Furyk made two long birdie putts and was equally thrilled with a 10-foot par save on his final hole for a six-under 65 in the first round of the Transitions Championship on Thursday.
It was the first time he had held the outright lead since his last US PGA Tour victory 20 months ago.
Stephen Ames was one shot behind after a 66 on a Copperhead Course that was as demanding as ever, but one he enjoys far more than the Blue Monster last week at Doral, which favors the big hitters.
PHOTO: AFP
The group at 67 included Kenny Perry, who sandwiched birdies on the tough 16th and 18th holes around his only bogey on the round.
The 48-year-old Perry was playing his eighth event of the year and was worn out. Innisbrook was not exactly a working vacation.
“It’s tough out there. It’s US Open conditions,” Perry said. “There’s no breather holes out there.”
Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old from Japan making his second US PGA Tour start, birdied his opening two holes but never got any lower and settled for a 69, leaving him in much better shape than at the Northern Trust Open, where he missed the cut.
“I was more relaxed compared with my first event,” he said. The key was the first hole.”
Furyk took a five-week break to start the year. Having failed to win last season — only the third time in the last 14 years he went an entire US PGA Tour season without winning — he decided not to start until Pebble Beach. His scores have improved each week and Furyk really hit his stride last week at Doral with four rounds in the 60s to finish third.
The bigger problem has been getting back to winning.
His last victory was in July 2007 at the Canadian Open. Stranger still was that Furyk, who has 13 career victories, has not been atop the leaderboard after any round since then.
He hasn’t played poorly. His putter has been the culprit, the case with so many other players, and the few times he did give himself a chance in the final round, he simply didn’t hole enough putts.
But he worked hard on his aim with the short stick and was gaining confidence. Furyk didn’t need much help when he started his round on the back nine, making all his birdies from short range.
Masters champion Trevor Immelman has struggled mightily since his month break after Abu Dhabi and he might have been forcing it with his defense of the Masters approaching.
Somewhere between the range and the golf course, he lost confidence in his swing. But he had a 72-69 weekend at Doral, played nicely at the Tavistock Cup, and his 68 in the first round was his lowest score of the year.
■ MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
AP, PORTO SANTO, MADEIRA ISLANDS
Joakim Haeggman had five birdies in six holes on Thursday for a five-under 66 to share a two-stroke lead with Damien McGrane after the first round of the Madeira Islands Open.
The 39-year-old Swede, who is chasing his first European Tour victory since 2004, was on par through the front nine but then birdied the 10th and holed another four birdies from the 12th.
McGrane, who started on the 10th tee, had five birdies before the turn and added two more along with two bogies on the back nine. The Irishman birdied the last for a share of the lead.
The trio of Andrew Butterfield of England, Estanislao Goya of Argentina and Carl Suneson of Spain were two strokes back in third place.
Haeggman, who became the first Swede to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup in 1993, has revived his career this season after having to qualify for a spot on the tour.
“This is still what I want to do,” Haeggman said. “I’ve been working hard like everybody else and now that I’ve got my foot in the door I’m going to try to stick it in as hard as I can.”
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