Can Jim Furyk close the deal at Pebble Beach?
Once again, Jim Furyk is in position to break his PGA Tour winless drought.
Furyk shot a third-round, 9-under 63 at Pebble Beach — a career best — to take the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am by a shot over Matt Jones and Brandt Snedeker. The 2003 U.S. Open champion played the three-course rotation in 18 under par.
For Furyk, Sunday will mark the 24th time in his PGA Tour career that he’s carried the lead into the final round of a tournament. However, Furyk has been unable to convert those last eight opportunities into wins. The last time Furyk sealed the deal was when he clinched the 2010 FedEx Cup with a victory at the season-ending Tour Championship, the last of three victories that year.
In one sense, it’s great that Furyk can put himself in that position so often. However, he’s been on the receiving end of some tough losses, including missing out on the 2013 PGA Championship and not capping off the BMW Championship that same year despite shooting 59 in the second round.
Furyk, who made the cut in all 21 events he played last season, is looking forward to the opportunity on Sunday.
“That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, that’s what keeps me competing,” Furyk said Saturday. “Ultimately, I want to win golf tournaments and that’s what’s most important to me.”
However, Furyk acknowledged he’d have to confront a multi-year trend if he’s going to grab the win at Pebble.
“I’m not going to put pressure on myself, I’m just going to go out there and try and play the same way,” he said. “But I think that, on Sunday, it’s just hard not to.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
