Opinion & Analysis

The numbers behind Jim Furyk’s 58

Published

10 years ago

Aug 8, 2016

On Sunday of the Travelers Championship, Jim Furyk set a PGA Tour record with a score of 58 at TPC River Highlands. Furyk’s 58 will overshadow his 59 in the 2nd round of the BMW Championship in 2013, however, I could argue that it shouldn’t when you look at the average score for the field in the 2nd round of the BMW Championship.

Most people will only remember the 58, though, since it is the Tour’s new official record. It was also done in the final round, which is even more remarkable as the overwhelming majority of low scores in PGA Tour events occur in the first and second rounds.

The usual thinking about a player “going low” is that they do it through incredible putting. On Tour, however, go-low rounds feature incredible ball striking. There is some debate for amateurs, as the average amateur that has his or her career low round is more likely to putt substantially better. For example, a 10-handicap who shoots an even-par 72 may putt substantially better than normal compared to how well he or she strikes the ball. But when you’re talking about the PGA Tour, particularly with a player shooting 58, a player’s ball striking has to be off the charts in order to accomplish the feat.

Going a step further, good ball striking is far more than hitting greens in regulation and Furyk’s round illustrates that point. While Furyk did hit all 18 greens, it was how close he hit those approach shots that gave him the opportunity to shoot 58.

It all started with Furyk’s performance off the tee, as he missed only one fairway (the par-4, 7th hole). One reader noted that out of all of the players who shot 59 on Tour (Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, Paul Goydos, Stuart Appleby and Furyk), only Duval would be considered to be long off the tee. This is an interesting point, but I believe the reason is that in order to reach the level of shooting 59 on Tour, a golfer has to be hitting great approach shots from the fairway. And not to take anything away from Duval’s round, but that was at a low-scoring course where the rough has traditionally been almost non-existent. The ability to get the spin needed from the fairway appears to be paramount to shooting a ridiculous score like a 59.

Here’s a look at Furyk’s approach shot data per hole.

One common myth in golf is the Green Zone (75-125 yards) is vital to great golf. In this round, however, Furyk only had two shots from the Green Zone and he hit them to an average of 24.2 feet. The Tour average proximity to the cup from 75-100 yards from the fairway this year is 17.6 feet, so he was actually below average from that range.

Here’s how Furyk performed from certain distance ranges versus the Tour average.

Obviously, Furyk did most of his damage from 125-150 yards. Not only did he hit those shots incredibly close to the hole (and knocked one in for eagle from 135 yards on the 3rd hole), but the highest frequency of shots came from the 125-150 yard range. With that being said, if Furyk does not hit those three shots from 200-225 yards as close as he did, he does not shoot 58.

Did Furyk putt well? Sure, he gained +3.313 strokes on the putting green, but it was not like he was making “bombs” out there.

The longest putt Furyk made was from 23.7 feet. He did make four putts from 14.1 to 16.8 feet, but also missed a 10.3-foot putt on No. 14 and a 7.6 foot putt on No. 15. However, a little luck is involved, as three of those four putts from 14.1 to 16.8 feet were uphill and the other putt was straight and downhill. His misses on Nos. 14 and 15 came from the 10 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions on the fall line, bigger-breaking putts that are more difficult to make.

As the Tour slogan says, “These Guys Are Good,” and Furyk’s performance in every facet of the game was downright exception on Sunday… but it was his phenomenal ball striking allowed him to set a Tour scoring record.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag