WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS —
Jim Furyk is already a ‘favorite’ to win the Greenbrier Classic, which kicks off today on The Greenbrier Resort’s Old White course.
After all, of the participants in the field he is the top-ranked golfer on the FedExCup points standings list, at fifth. He can vault passed Ernie Els to No. 1 with a win.
On Wednesday he shot a 5-under in the Pro-Am event on the Old White.
But he may just jump into contention as a fan favorite when this bit of information gets out.
Turns out Furyk is a West Virginia Mountaineer football fan.
“It is accurate,” he said of the rumor. “One of my closest friends at home (in Florida, Lee Kaplan) grew up in Morgantown and spent a couple years at WVU, and I’ve been to about three games in the past few years.”
Jim Furyk in the Blue Lot tailgating?
Seems so.
“Morgantown is a fun place to hang out. I’ve actually been given a couple of pictures of people that have taken pictures of me tailgating at the games, so it’s kind of been fun.”
And memorable.
“One was years and years ago,” Furyk said of the Mountaineers’ 1998 season-opening 34-17 loss to No. 1 Ohio State. “My wife went to Ohio State. Unfortunately, I had an Ohio State hat on there, because as we talked about earlier, you gotta keep momma happy.”
Furyk, it turns out, is a huge college football fan. He makes several trips with family and friends to see games every year.
And Morgantown is annually on his itinerary.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” the guy who has two wins this year on tour. “Obviously the whole community lives and dies with every play of every game. That’s fun to watch no matter where you’re at.”
Furyk will likely live and die with every shot of every hole this week. There is little doubt a third win this year - something he has never accomplished — would be huge in the FedExCup standings.
“It’s the win that I am most concerned about,” Furyk said. “To win and vault to No. 1 and basically be cemented in one of those top three spots for sure is a bonus.”
While many of the world’s top players passed on the event, Furyk said it was a no brainer for him.
“I’ve had a lot of friends that have visited here,” Furyk said. “They talk highly of the hotel. I’ve had some golf professionals at home that have played in pro ams with the members here, and they liked the golf courses. It fit into my schedule very, very well. Actually, I probably committed oh, six, eight weeks ago. I was looking forward to coming.”
Furyk said he was surprised by the amount of Mountaineers he has encountered.
“I’m shocked at how many blue and gold shirts with WV written on them I’ve seen,” Furyk said. “They’re like three hours away. It is amazing.
“I’ve signed one Virginia Tech hat all week, so the Mountie fans definitely have them outnumbered. And I hear they’re closer. Virginia Tech is what, two hours away?
“It’s amazing. There’s a lot of blue and gold out there. I’m surprised, because it’s clear on the other side of the state.”
Seems the golfer has figured out that, like himself, Mountaineer fans travel.
— E-mail: demorrison@register-herald.com
The Greenbrier Classic
Related Photos
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Jim Furyk hits a shot on the 6th hole during the Greenbrier Classic Pro-Am during The Greenbrier Classic Pro-Am Wednesday at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. Rick Barbero
WVU fan Furyk ready to roll
- The Greenbrier Classic
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A look back at The Greenbrier Classic
PGA TOUR event stories
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Gearing up for another Classic
Only two days after scoring the coup of getting a commitment from the most recognizable name in golf to play in this year’s Greenbrier Classic, Jim Justice was all smiles at a golf club press conference Wednesday.
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Tiger Woods coming to The Greenbrier Classic
Jim Justice, chairman of The Greenbrier, has confirmed that Tiger Woods has committed to play in the third annual Greenbrier Classic scheduled for July 1-8 in White Sulphur Springs.
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Mickelson to return for Greenbrier Classic
On Monday, Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
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Haskins Award winner to get Greenbrier Classic exemption
Golfweek has announced a new partnership between The Fred Haskins Commission and The Greenbrier, which will provide the 2012 Fred Haskins Award winner exemption to play in The Greenbrier Classic (July 5-8) in White Sulphur Springs. This exemption represents the first time that a Haskins Award winner will be automatically invited to compete against 156 PGA Tour players in this popular event.
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Greenbrier Classic ‘shaping up perfectly’
The Greenbrier Classic will be played July 2 -8 this year instead of the last week of July.
A small change on a calendar from past events perhaps, but a significant switch on the PGA TOUR FedExCup schedule. -
Stallings recalls Classic win
Scott Stallings sank a 7-foot putt for birdie to win The Greenbrier Classic last month, beating Bob Estes and Bill Haas in a playoff.
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Notable quotes from The Greenbrier
“Fifty-nine is there for ya.”
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Young Guns grab their irons
Certainly a youth movement has started taking over golf.
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The Tiger Effect still in effect
Rest assured, the Tiger Effect is still in effect.
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