James Furyk: Profile
James Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, born on May 12, 1970. Furyk was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Furyk was lucky to have a father who was already involved with the sport. His father, Mike Furyk was an assistant pro at Edgmont Country
Club.
Furyk used to play golf at near the suburbs of Pittsburg at the Uniontown Country Club and was the head pro at the club. Furyk was a standout basketball player in addition to being state champion golfer for his High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
from where he graduated in 1988. Furyk then went on to attend the University of Arizona.
Furyk is known for his eccentric golf swing. He has never had a professional instructor hired for his game, as the only instructor he has ever used is his dad, Mike Furyk, which explains his unconventional swing.
Even with an unusual swing, his consistent performances at the highest level of the game makes it all the more interesting to watch him play, and it is due to this very ability that his fans have given him nicknames such as ‘The Grinder’ and ‘The Businessman’.
Furyk turned professional in 1992, and had moderate success in his early years in professional golf. It was in 1998 when he won his first PGA Tour and from there on, he went on to claim a PGA Tour win every year until 2003.
His winning streak was only second to Tiger Woods at that time, where he won at least one tournament each year on the PGA Tour between 1998 and 2003. Furyk's biggest win was when he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score at the US Open on June 16,
2003. The event was also Furyk’s first major win.
In 2004, he only managed to appear in fourteen events due to an injury to his wrist. He had to go through surgery to repair the cartilage damage, as he missed almost three months of play. He returned to good form in 2005 and regained his top-10 ranking in
the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), after winning a PGA Tour event in the same year and two more, in 2006.
In the 2006 season, he had a career-best thirteen top-10 finishes, including nine top-3s, four second-place finishes, and two victories. In the same season, he finished a career-high second on the money list and won the Vardon Trophy for the first time.
During the 2003 Buick Open there was a rain delay, and the on-course commentator Mike Hulbert interviewed Furyk. Other players who were not identified were in the room at the time of Furyk's interview, playfully started to throw popcorn as Furyk was being
interviewed.
At one point a barrage of popcorns were thrown at them and Furyk had to use a golf towel to block them, as he stated, “It looks like it is 'Pick on Hubby' Day!”
The year 2010 was special year for Furyk. After going winless for the last two seasons, he won a career-best three tournaments on Tour in 2010 which included The Transitions Championship, the Verizon Heritage and the Tour Championship.
His accomplishments in 2010 brought him the accolade of becoming the PGA ‘Player of the Year’ and PGA ‘Tour Player of the Year’ for the first time in his illustrious career. His highest achievement in the Official World Golf Rankings has been the Number
Two spot, and has he been ranked in the Top-10 for over 350 weeks between the years 1999-2010.
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