The Ally Challenge Goes to Jim Furyk

0
9699
Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Grand Blanc, MI — August 2, 2020

The leaders after round 2 of the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club finally made it to the tee at 4 pm Sunday. Brett Quigley, Carlos Franco, and Jim Furyk were supposed to tee-off an hour and a half earlier, but mother nature had a different agenda. Heavy showers earlier above Grand Blanc, MI held up the start of today’s final round.

Carlos Franco awaits the start of the final round of the Ally Challenge / Lasco Press Photo

No one from the groups out before them was making a sprint up the leaderboard. However, it did not take long for the fireworks to start in earnest. Franco laced his 2nd shot on the Par 5 into the greenside bunker, walked up, and sank the sand shot for an eagle on the 1st hole. Quigley promptly followed with a birdie putting both players at 12 under, two shots ahead of Furyk, and the championship battle was on.

Retief Goosen went eagle, par, birdie, bogey, and birdie on his first five holes to move to -9. He will have to avoid the bogies and string together more red scores to become a serious contender.

It took Furyk till the 4th hole to get his first birdie of the day and move back to within a stroke of the lead. Bernhard Langer birdied three of his first six holes to move into a tie for 4th at 10 under.

Jim Furyk / Lasco Press Photo

Goosen poured in two more birdies on the front nine to shoot 31, his 5 under par round moved him into a tie for 3rd with Furyk at -11. Chris DiMarco started the day at 4 under, tied for 32nd place. He birdied holes 1 & 2, then went wild on the back nine with birdies at 12 & 13 and an eagle on the par 4 14th hole to get to 10 under par.

After the first hole flurry, the leaders went quiet for a while. Quigley birdied the par 3 8th hole to push the lead to -13. Franco carded a double bogey on the 7th and another bogey on eight to drop back to 10 under. Furyk birdied the 7th to stay one stroke back of Quigley. DiMarco added a birdie on 16 to get to -11. Defending champion Jerry Kelly shot 33 on the front nine to close within three strokes at 10 under.

Low Round of the Day

DiMarco, with the low round of the day so far, shoots 65 and becomes the leader in the clubhouse at 11 under. Quigley got to 14 under with birdies on 8 & 9, then a bogey on 10 dropped him to -13. Furyk birdied 10 to tie for the lead. Carlos continued his fade with a bogey on 9 and fell five strokes off the pace.

As the players headed in towards the clubhouse the pressure built. Quigley bogeyed 12 and dropped to -12. Goosen recovered from his bogey on 10 with birdies on 14, 16, and 17 to tie Furyk at the top of the leaderboard at 13 under.

The par 4 14th hole is playing at 322 yards today, Quigley’s drive leaves him an easy chip and putt for birdie, which he converts. Furyk drives into the right rough and can only card a par. Now three leaders sit atop the scoreboard.

The Finish

Goosen missed the 18th green to the left and his chip has no green to work with. He hits his 3rd shot approximately 20 feet past the hole and two puts to finish at -12. The new leader in the clubhouse is left to bemoan what might have been. Had the grandstands been standing on 18 his 2nd shot would have likely hit them, giving him a free drop and likely an easier approach to the pin. The coronavirus costs Goosen a good shot at the win.

Wes Short Jr. was even par on the day through 12 holes. Four consecutive birdies on 13-16 shot him into contention at 12 under with two to play. Unfortunately, his streak ran out with pars on 17 and 18 he joined Goosen at 12 under.

Then There Were Two

Furyk birdies 15 and his debut is looking more like an inauguration to the PGA Tour Champions hierarchy. On 16 Quigley lands short of the hole, while Furyk is 20 feet past. Furyk misses the long birdie putt, but Quigley rolls his in the right side of the hole and we are tied going to 17.

Both golfers hit it below the hole on 17. Quigley just into the left fringe, Furyk in the middle of the green. And both came up short, Quigley missed his short par putt and Furyk sunk his. It is now Furyk’s tournament to win, 1 up teeing off on 18.

Furyk and Quigley walk to the 17th green / Lasco Press Photo

Fuyrk and Quigley both drive in the fairway. With the 18th pin tucked behind a bunker, Furyk will be happy to hit the green. Quigley must fire at the hole. Furyk is the first to play and sticks it 10 feet right of the hole. Quigley can’t respond to the pressure and hits his ball in the right greenside bunker. Checkmate, for Furyk.

Quigley left his bunker shot short and two-putted for a bogey, dropping him into a tie with Goosen and costing him a lot of money for his listless finish. Furyk could not sink the birdie but no need two putts for par give him a two-stroke win in the 2020 Ally Challenge.

Furyk wins the Ally Challenge / Lasco Press Photo

Final Standings, The Ally Challenge from Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club

Position Player ToPar Today Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
1 Jim Furyk -14 -4 68 66 68 202
T2 Retief Goosen -12 -6 69 69 66 204
T2 Brett Quigley -12 -1 69 64 71 204
T4 Chris DiMarco -11 -7 70 70 65 205
T4 Rod Pampling -11 -4 68 69 68 205
T4 Wes Short Jr. -11 -3 67 69 69 205
T7 Tom Lehman -10 -4 70 68 68 206
T7 Bernhard Langer -10 -3 67 70 69 206
T7 Jerry Kelly -10 -3 69 68 69 206
T10 Kevin Sutherland -9 -2 69 68 70 207
T10 Glen Day -9 E 69 66 72 207
T10 Woody Austin -9 -1 68 68 71 207
T10 Carlos Franco -9 1 70 64 73 207
T14 Joe Durant -8 -3 71 68 69 208
T14 Scott Parel -8 -3 70 69 69 208
T14 Jeff Maggert -8 -2 71 67 70 208
T14 Fred Funk -8 -2 71 67 70 208
T14 Kirk Triplett -8 -2 70 68 70 208
T19 Kenny Perry -7 -3 72 68 69 209
T19 Tim Herron -7 -2 73 66 70 209
T19 Dudley Hart -7 -3 71 69 69 209
T19 Scott Hoch -7 -3 70 70 69 209
T19 Tim Petrovic -7 -2 70 69 70 209
T19 Bob Estes -7 -1 68 70 71 209
T19 David Toms -7 -1 68 70 71 209
T19 Tommy Armour III -7 3 66 68 75 209
T27 Rocco Mediate -6 -3 72 69 69 210
T27 K.J. Choi -6 -2 72 68 70 210
T27 Doug Barron -6 -3 68 73 69 210
T27 Angel Cabrera -6 -4 70 72 68 210
T27 Paul Broadhurst -6 -4 75 67 68 210
T27 Mike Weir -6 -1 70 69 71 210
T27 Ernie Els -6 E 69 69 72 210
T34 Paul Goydos -5 -2 70 71 70 211
T34 Joey Sindelar -5 -3 73 69 69 211
T34 Robert Karlsson -5 1 70 68 73 211
T34 Colin Montgomerie -5 2 69 68 74 211
T38 John Huston -4 -1 70 71 71 212
T38 Robin Byrd -4 1 71 68 73 212
T38 Steve Pate -4 1 70 69 73 212
T41 Corey Pavin -3 E 68 73 72 213
T41 Scott McCarron -3 2 70 69 74 213
T41 Lee Janzen -3 -3 69 75 69 213
T41 Vijay Singh -3 -4 71 74 68 213
T45 Russ Cochran -2 1 71 70 73 214
T45 Shane Bertsch -2 2 68 72 74 214
T45 Tom Gillis -2 2 67 73 74 214
T45 Billy Mayfair -2 E 70 72 72 214
T45 Cameron Beckman -2 E 74 68 72 214
T45 Scott Dunlap -2 3 71 68 75 214
T45 Gary Nicklaus -2 -2 74 70 70 214
T52 Mark O’Meara -1 2 70 71 74 215
T52 David McKenzie -1 2 70 71 74 215
T52 Jay Haas -1 2 74 67 74 215
T52 Larry Mize -1 4 70 69 76 215
T52 Marco Dawson -1 -1 71 73 71 215
T52 Gene Sauers -1 -1 75 69 71 215
T58 Steve Flesch E 3 70 71 75 216
T58 Stephen Leaney E 2 70 72 74 216
T58 Olin Browne E 2 68 74 74 216
T58 John Daly E E 69 75 72 216
T62 Billy Andrade 1 5 66 74 77 217
T62 Ken Tanigawa 1 4 72 69 76 217
T62 Jesper Parnevik 1 -2 72 75 70 217
65 Ken Duke 2 1 73 72 73 218
T66 Tom Byrum 3 2 74 71 74 219
T66 Tom Pernice Jr 3 -1 72 76 71 219
T68 Duffy Waldorf 4 4 72 72 76 220
T68 Scott Verplank 4 2 70 76 74 220
T70 David Morland IV 5 3 73 73 75 221
T70 Gibby Gilbert III 5 2 73 74 74 221
T72 Marcus Meloan 6 5 74 71 77 222
T72 David Frost 6 2 74 74 74 222
74 Mark Calcavecchia 7 7 73 71 79 223
75 Mark Brooks 10 4 77 73 76 226
76 Tom Kite 12 E 84 72 72 228
T77 Blaine McCallister 21 5 80 80 77 237
T77 Peter Jacobsen 21 8 79 78 80 237
Jeff Sluman WD 74 72 146
Loren Roberts WD 73 74 147
Brad Faxon WD 78 72 150