CHUBB CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SERVPRO

February 16, 2022

Jim Furyk

Tiburón Golf Club

Press Conference

Q. Mr. Furyk, thank you for joining us here at the Chubb Classic. You are making your first start here in Naples. Just your thoughts on being here this week.

JIM FURYK: Yeah, I'm excited. Weather looks perfect. Going to be a little windy this week. I have yet to see the golf course, but I have two days now in the pro-ams, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, to take a peek at it. Fluff filled me in a little what I can expect.

It's going to be really breezy the next two days. Trying to learn a golf course. I'm glad that I entered both programs I guess to see it twice, maybe get a good feel for it.

Yeah, excited to be here. We have been off for three weeks now, so kind of I think everyone is chomping at the bit to get back to work.

Q. You're in this event, David is in this event. Obviously one of the things that links you guys is the 59s and your 58. What does that amount to as time has gone on and obviously both of you have bigger accomplishments?

JIM FURYK: Yeah, David likes to brag that his was 13-under and both of mine were 12-under, but mine was still one lower, so we're in a little competitive battle as good friends.

You know, it's nice to see. I think I saw Brian Gay in the field this week, too, so a new face to the Champions Tour. It's kind of cool to see as the folks that had great careers on the PGA Tour, as they turn 50 they come out to the Champions Tour, they want to see what we're all about out here, and players are extremely welcoming as far as -- it just makes or tour bigger, it makes it stronger.

So excited to see. Kind of David started at Wai'alae; Brian is starting here. Dave and I have been really good friends for now over 20 years, 25 years, so great to have him out. The camaraderie, have to have some dinners with him and spend some more time together.

Q. What's you're game plan as far as playing? I know you've done both tours I believe.

JIM FURYK: Not a lot. Last season I think I played seven PGA Tour events. Once the Champions Tour schedule started up I never went back.

I played Sony earlier this year. I may play Heritage, U.S. Open, and I think basically those three events are kind of going to be the bulk of my regular tournaments.

I'll focus mostly on the Champions Tour.

Q. I'm sure you probably thought of -- what did you think of what happened in Phoenix with the 16th hole and things got really crazy there?

JIM FURYK: Definitely got crazy. I never -- I didn't see it live. I saw pictures I guess. I didn't even see video. I saw pictures. Interesting, I'll say that.

I'm curious what -- I didn't see the Tour's reaction, so does anyone have -- how did the Tour react? Was there any? -- did Commish put out a statement? Did anybody say anything about it? Just mum?

I guess that's just Phoenix, right? Phoenix has always kind of had that history of being wild, being crazy. They usually get to a certain point where they push the panic button and try to draw it back, and then it creeps back up there back and forth, and I guess we haven't seen players involved in the craziness.

So it is what it is. Let's just hope that no one takes their shirt off this week on the Champions Tour. Wouldn't be as pretty.

Q. Kind of where it all started I guess is when Tiger made his in '97.

JIM FURYK: He took his shirt off, too?

Q. No. Where everything started getting crazy and now, you know, the stands are what they are and there are thousands...

JIM FURYK: I remember Tiger making the hole-in-one and kind of the tee box getting rained with beer cans and kind of covered up. You know, I guess the only -- the part that -- you know, if those beer cans, water bottles hit the green, if they're full of liquid then the threat of someone getting hit with that is probably the scary part.

I know I'm joking around, but that's the one part. Not to mention I saw -- I did watch some golf live on Sunday and saw Cantlay hit a putt on 16 that took a massive jump in the middle of the green. So it hit something, and it was probably damage from the day before. It was a bummer. He cleaned up the four-footer nicely, but could have changed the outlook of the tournament.

Q. Another thought that's come up is the Saudi golf tour. Any thoughts on that? Obviously guys aren't going to be leaving this tour to go there, but...

JIM FURYK: I don't think they're knocking on anyone's door out here. I haven't had any contact.

Q. Any thoughts in general?

JIM FURYK: I think obviously having 21 players playing that event overseas, that was a good opportunity for the organizers of that tour to close the door, have some talks, try to woo more players into signing with them.

My entire history of my career I played the PGA Tour. Earlier in my career I traveled a lot outside the U.S., but I always did it in November, December. I did it in times when the Tour wasn't really wasn't in full scale.

I think I only have asked for two releases in my entire career. Played the Scottish Open and played a Shell's match over a week that I wasn't going to play.

I've supported this tour 100%, and for a reason. I just always felt like this was the biggest tour, the best tour in the world. The best players from around the world ended up coming here to join. The Rory McIlroys and the folks that were playing the European Tour full time ended up coming here, and we had basically biggest purses, the best competition, the best conditions, courses.

So I supported this, and hopefully -- I mean, what I see, I've got to be honest. I don't really understand a lot of the gripes. I don't really understand where a lot of folks are coming from. Also I haven't sat down with those players and had that conversation to really understand, but my thoughts on that are really that I would be in full support of the PGA Tour and what we're trying to accomplish.

Hopefully the players -- I don't know how many of them there are, but I think there has to be more than one I would hope; it's hard to run a tour with just one -- players that are involved hopefully can sit down with Jay and get things hashed out and move forward in a positive light.

The Tour is in very strong position right now, as strong as it's been, and the players, the purses they're playing for, the retirement money that's coming in, the FedEx money, the -- I'm not sure what that $40 million pool is called -- but the money that we encompass that's going back to the players is obviously at an all-time high.

It's only going to keep increasing, and the Tour has kind of shown those players what they can expect in the future. I'm in full support of the Tour.

Q. How familiar are you with Naples? What's it like when you come here?

JIM FURYK: I did a speaking engagement. I was literally in town for probably three hours and I played a charity event for Jake --

Q. Yeah.

JIM FURYK: -- maybe two, three years ago, and that's all I've been to Naples. So drove in the dark last night, so what I saw this morning is what I've seen of Naples for the most part.

Obviously it seems to be -- what I know of it, it seems to be an affluent area, and a lot of folks from all over the country love to come down here and retire. Got to be something really nice about it, and I'll learn all about it this week.

Q. Is that nice though, when you've had the career you've had and played in all the places you have, to come to a new place?

JIM FURYK: Yeah. Yeah, my first kind of full season on the Champions Tour was a little awkward and I'm playing golf courses I don't know and get extra practice rounds, some towns I didn't know.

The refreshing part is I saw a lot of the United States that I hadn't seen before. Sioux Falls, places that I haven't traveled. There is still Flint, Michigan and Pebble Beach, and we still have a couple events in Akron, places we played on the PGA Tour where I have been before.

It's a lot of the new cities, towns. It's fun. I get to see a lot of new places. So obviously Naples is a beautiful spot or everyone wouldn't want to move here and retire. Wouldn't be such a hot spot on the map.

Q. Can you tell me where or when the friendship with David began, a little more on that?

JIM FURYK: David remembers us meeting at a junior tournament. I was really tall. David is a big, strong guy now, but I was really tall. I went to -- like my freshman year I was probably darn near six foot tall in high school and was already 170 pounds or more.

So I was a little thicker and chubbier when I was a kid than I am now. You know, he just remembers seeing this kid going, Oh, my God, how old is that kid? He's tall and huge. I hit the ball far back then, believe it or not.

And we became friends I think in college a little bit playing against each other, but probably wasn't until we turned pro that we played a lot of golf together. We were gambling partners on Tuesday on what's now the Korn Ferry Tour. We have a pretty about record, I will just say, and made a few bucks.

He's a heck of a partner. About three years after that, there was a couple veterans out there that tried to steal a little money from us, and three years later he was ranked in the top 10 in the world and I was ranked top 25 in the world, so they probably picked the wrong battle.

But it was a lot of fun on Tuesday to gain some experience and play a lot of golf alongside him. We were always partners, so put a lot of practice rounds together on the tour, played a lot of practice rounds i majors together, and so I spent a lot of time with David. Really enjoy his company.

Just it's good to see him back out and excited about playing. Thought he did a wonderful job in the booth. He's very insightful. David has always been extremely bright, and I think it showed up in TV. He's definitely got a strong opinion about things too and not afraid to speak his mind.

I think adding all this together he did a wonderful job in the booth. It's fun to see him excited about playing again and having an opportunity.