3 Jack Recap: Furyk Ends Drought, S.Y. Kim’s Dramatics

The 3 Jack Recap is a weekly review of the top stories from the world of golf.

This week: Jim Furyk notched his 17th career victory.  The LPGA had a walk-off victory in Hawaii.  Jordan Spieth is still a good guy.  The Official World Golf Rankings are strange.  Edoardo Molinari might be hiring.  Also, Canada is not in Europe.

Furyk Wins RBC Heritage

  • Jim Furyk shot a final round 63 then defeated Kevin Kisner on the second playoff hole to win the RBC Heritage.
  • Furyk had played 100 tournaments since his last win, the 2010 Tour Championship.
  • P2 is Kisner’s best finish on the Tour.
  • Troy Merritt shot 69 for the third time Sunday, to go with his course record-tying 61 on Friday, to finish in 3rd place.

The 44-year-old dropped his putter and gave a spirited half-uppercut, half-roundhouse hook in the air before the winning putt even dropped.  Clearly Furyk was releasing nearly five years worth of frustration.  Nine times since his Tour Championship win Furyk had held the 54 hole lead but failed to come away with the victory.

Furyk Moves to #5 in the World

  • Starting the week at #10, Jim jumps to #5 with the win.
  • How does a golfer spend the better part of four years in the top 10 in the world without winning?  31 top ten finishes in the 99 events between wins goes a long way.

Further Proof Spieth is Awesome

Jordan Spieth was on a media blitz immediately following his Masters win.  He spent a couple of days in New York City including a stretch of 25 interviews in 25 hours.  So, with no practice rounds, a fatigued Spieth shot 3 over, 74 in the first round of the RBC Heritage.

Would any of us have begrudged him if he coasted through a Friday round at 70-something, missed the cut and went home to get some rest?  I would have had no problem with it.  Instead, Spieth came out and missed tying the course record by one when he fired a 9 under, 62 on Friday.

It will only show as T11 on the stat sheet, but he deserves credit for stepping up in Round 2.

S.Y. Kim Holes Out to Win Lotte Playoff

  • Sei Young Kim Walks Off at Lotte. (photo courtesy of Golf Channel)
    Sei Young Kim Walks Off at Lotte. (photo courtesy of Golf Channel)

    Sei Young Kim, tied with Inbee Park, hit her tee shot in the water on the 18th hole of the Lotte Championship Presented by Hershey.  She proceeded to chip in for par to force a playoff with Park.

  • On the first sudden death hole, the 22-year-old South Korean rookie had 154 yards in for her 2nd shot… and drained it for the win.

Kim beat one of her idols and became the LPGA’s first two-time winner on the year, having won the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic earlier.

European Tour Elects Pelley as O’Grady’s Replacement

  • Keith Pelley will become the next chief executive of the European Tour this summer, replacing George O’Grady.
  • The 51-year-old Canadian has been president of Rogers Media since 2010
  • Pelley was a unanimous choice for the position.

Edoardo Molinari’s Caddie Gets Him Disqualified

Molinari’s caddie fell behind at the Shenzhen International in China.  In order to catch up he decided to hitch a ride on a golf cart.  The problem is: that is a two-stroke penalty.  To make matters worse, the caddie didn’t notify Molinari and let the golfer sign an incorrect scorecard, earning him a disqualification.

Olin Browne won a weather-shortened Greater Gwinnett Championship.

Next up: The PGA Tour rolls into New Orleans for the Zurich Classic with Seung-Yol Noh the defending champion.  Lydia Ko defends her title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Have a good week.