Lay up or go for it? That was the crucial decision facing Jim Furyk at the 544-yard 13th hole on Sunday. The Buick Open title was on the line. Tied for the lead with Geoff Ogilvy and a shot ahead of Tiger Woods, Furyk was trying to gather himself after an erratic opening 12 holes. He had just ripped a drive down the right side of the fairway and was a mere 229 yards from the flag. Even though a huge locust tree hovering over the right side of the fairway would have required cutting a two- or three-iron to a green guarded on the right by a lake, most Tour players would have gone for it. Not Furyk. In a masterly display of course management that cemented his reputation as one of the Tour's top closers, Furyk swallowed his ego and laid up. But he didn't mindlessly blast his second shot down the fairway, he played to his strength -- short wedges. On Sunday most players laying up at 13 had left 80 to 90 yards to the front-right hole location and had spun their approach shots back off the green. Furyk, though, punched an iron to 55 yards (above),a distance from which he had practiced intensely in preparation for short, fast Warwick Hills. From there he smoothed a 60-degree wedge to three feet and made the birdie that gave him the lead for good.
Bryan Gathright teaches at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas, and is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher.
Courtesy of CBS
