This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
There is joy in relief, and there is relief in joy. However he described his feelings just after breaking a four-year drought, there is considerably less pressure on Jim Furyk now.
Breaking a long drought is familiar territory for Furyk, though. His previous drought of two years ended when his most recent drought began. To put it another way, this wasn't Furyk's first rodeo. Furyk had become all too familiar with the pressure that a winless stretch can bring, but nothing he did mattered when it counted most. Start the final round with a large lead -- then lose. Start the round with a small lead -- lose. Start the round, tied, behind, ahead, it simply didn't matter, nothing worked -- until it did.
Whether the pressure was getting to him or not, we'll never truly know. Golfers are often silent when speaking on matters of pressure, but one can imagine the growing pressure with each near miss, and this wasn't like his previous drought. This one lasted about twice as long, and let's face it, he wasn't getting any younger. The odds of anyone winning at his age (he turns 45 on May 15) are slim to begin with, but add the baggage of so many near-misses and it wasn't out of the question that Furyk would never again win on the PGA Tour.
All that speculation is now history, though, and Furyk has shed the monkey that had clung to his back for more than four years. Now
There is joy in relief, and there is relief in joy. However he described his feelings just after breaking a four-year drought, there is considerably less pressure on Jim Furyk now.
Breaking a long drought is familiar territory for Furyk, though. His previous drought of two years ended when his most recent drought began. To put it another way, this wasn't Furyk's first rodeo. Furyk had become all too familiar with the pressure that a winless stretch can bring, but nothing he did mattered when it counted most. Start the final round with a large lead -- then lose. Start the round with a small lead -- lose. Start the round, tied, behind, ahead, it simply didn't matter, nothing worked -- until it did.
Whether the pressure was getting to him or not, we'll never truly know. Golfers are often silent when speaking on matters of pressure, but one can imagine the growing pressure with each near miss, and this wasn't like his previous drought. This one lasted about twice as long, and let's face it, he wasn't getting any younger. The odds of anyone winning at his age (he turns 45 on May 15) are slim to begin with, but add the baggage of so many near-misses and it wasn't out of the question that Furyk would never again win on the PGA Tour.
All that speculation is now history, though, and Furyk has shed the monkey that had clung to his back for more than four years. Now it's just about taking it week by week. Furyk says he felt only joy after his most recent win, but it must be a huge relief that questions about his struggle to win are now over.
This week: Zurich Classic - TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.
Last Year: Seung-Yul Noh shot a final-round 71 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Andrew Svoboda and Robert Streb.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Justin Rose
There aren't many big names in the field this week with track records here, so Rose sticks out like a sore thumb. Concentration is often a worry for big names in lower-tier events, but Rose has always played well here, and there must be a reason he keeps coming back.
Morgan Hoffman
With a lack of high-end talent in the field this week, I have to look elsewhere. Hoffman has a decent record here, but he's a Consider mostly because of his play this year. He is 2-for-2, however, on making the cut at this event.
Robert Streb
Before Streb went on a nice run late last year, he tore up TPC Avondale. Now, almost a year after his hot stretch, Streb returns to the course where he played so well. He's been a little off his game in 2015, but perhaps a return to Avondale will spark him.
Steve Stricker
Stricker played surprisingly well in his return to the PGA Tour at the Masters a couple weeks ago and returns to a place where he's had a lot of success. He may not be as sharp as he once was, but he certainly has enough in the tank to contend this week.
David Toms
This is Toms' neck of the woods, and if you are looking for a deep sleeper this week, he might be your guy. Toms has made the cut here in eight consecutive starts, and although most have not resulted in great finishes, he does have a couple high-end starts during that stretch.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Rickie Fowler
With only a handful of big names in the field this week, Fowler is certainly tempting, but two factors are working against him. First, his game is still not clicking; he's been off for most of the season. Second, he doesn't have a great track record here; he missed the cut here last year.
Jason Day
Just like Fowler, putting Day on this list is risky, but Day has only played here a couple times, and I wonder if he'll be entirely focused on this event. Day has also been a bit off his game lately, so perhaps he'll use this week to tune up for next week's match-play event.
Dustin Johnson
Johnson's game has been on the majority of the season, but something about seeing his name in the field this week doesn't seem right. He rarely plays this event, so there's no real history to speak of, and I wonder if he, like the other big names, will be focused this week.
Bryce Molder
With so few big names in the field at this event on an annual basis, you would think a guy like Molder could take advantage, but he's failed to contend or even make a cut here since the event switched to Avondale in 2007.
Ben Crane
Crane had a top-20 here in 2011 and that's about all he's ever done at this event. In the five starts that surrounded that top-20, Crane failed to make it to the weekend. Just for good measure, he missed the cut in his other three starts at the previous venue.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Luke Donald (T11) - $100,300; Season - $1,900,961
This week: Steve Stricker - Who knows when you'll get the chance to use Stricker again, so might as well pull the trigger here. That, and I've already burned Rose and Streb, so Stricker is the best who remains this week.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 2,288
Rank: 20,805
This Week:
Group A: Steve Stricker, Harris English
Group B: Justin Rose, Cameron Tringale, Daniel Berger, Nick Watney
Group C: Morgan Hoffman, Robert Streb
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Luke Donald (T11); Streak - 6
This week: Steve Stricker - Be very careful taking a big name this week. For some reason, the big-name guys don't always show up at these lower-tier events. No worries about Stricker this week, though, as he only plays the events he really wants to play.
