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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPFebruary 21, 2014Jim FurykMARANA, ARIZONA Q. It was not easy. You were three down early in that match. You came back and took down one of the hottest young players out here. How were you able to do that? JIM FURYK: I think just steady play. I really hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways, gave myself a lot of opportunities. Had to battle mentally a little bit with the putter. Even on that last play it kind of squeaked in on the left side. Early on I had some pretty makeable putts and wasn't able to convert and that was giving him a green light. He earned it, but I needed to make some putts early to stay in the match. Q. The stat we found hard to believe was this is the first time in Accenture Match Play that you've made it past the third round. How good does that feel good? JIM FURYK: It feels real good. It's the last year possibly here in kind of what's my second or third home. I went to school here in Arizona. I've got a lot of support out here. You know, I was always disappointed that I never made it past Friday. I didn't get to Friday very often either, so it will be nice to play on the weekend for the first time and have some fun. Q. I know you like competition and Harris gave you everything you could handle? JIM FURYK: A lot more, really. He's a good young player. He hits the ball so solid, doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I was able to capitalize on a couple there on the back, but I dug myself a hole again for the third day in a row and I was able to climb out of it. It's tough when you get two or three down. It's tough to stay patient and not get flustered. Just trying to keep good shots and not worry about it. I've been able to do it the last few days through some good play on the back nine, and the guys I've been playing making a couple of bogeys. I've been able to get my way back in the match and today I felt good about finishing it off. Q. Tell me what I thought was the shot of match, you chip in for birdie at 16? JIM FURYK: It was. Honestly, that's probably‑‑ that's a difference in the match. That ball doesn't go in, it might go ten feet by and I might be 1‑down going to 17 rather than 1‑up. I feel fortunate it hit the center of the pin and went in. I figured with that little sticky shortcut lie, it was going to come out a little spiny and it did not. It came out tumbling a little bit and that's why it had a little extra speed. But the whole way down, but for the last ten feet, I was keeping an eye on it because it looked like it was going to go in. Q. You were so mentally disciplined. You have been two down or more in every one of your matches, yet I thought you played with patience even when you were three down through 6 in this match? JIM FURYK: Yeah, you know, it felt good to get one back at 7, kind of get that instant gratification. He had me with a good birdie at 8. I kind of made the turn, two down just where I was yesterday. Just wanted to kind of chip away and was able to just kind of get one hole at a time here and there. It's nice when that momentum changes and all of sudden you are back to even or you get 1‑up. It gives you a lot of confidence. Even at 18, I really felt like he had a good chance to stick one in their close. Q. I saw your old college coach walking out here with your dad, a lot of Go U of A cheers. You, of course, are a wildcat alumnus? JIM FURYK: It's nice to be back. I've got a lot of support here, a lot of people rooting for me. I think it's the 13th green where everyone crowds around. I get a nice U of A chant every day. I haven't given them a lot to cheer about over the past years. My first time getting to the weekend, so looking forward to it. Q. Quarterfinals feel nice? JIM FURYK: They sure do. I haven't made it past Friday even when this event was back at La Costa. I enjoy match play. I've been disappointed with the performance in this event, but it's nice to come back to the Tucson area where I went to school and play well. And if this is indeed the last time we're here, at least I'm playing good on the last one. Q. Jim, how have you been able to stay even keel on the back nine when you're opponents are kind of falling apart? JIM FURYK: I don't know if they have fallen apart. I guess it's because I played maybe not so well on the front nine. I have been over par the last couple of days on the front nine. I have been able to turn that around, played real well, made a bunch of birdies on the back. I think really I have been putting the ball in play, hitting the ball in the fairway, knocking it on the green, giving myself some good opportunities. I've been applying a lot of pressure to the guys I've been playing. Q. You are in the quarter final. How good does that feel? JIM FURYK: It feels very good. I've never made it to the week efferent at this event, so new territory for me. I went to school here in the Tucson area. I've got a lot of support out there. Finally this week I'm giving them something to cheer for. Q. There's always a crucial moment, a turning point in the match. The chip‑in at 16, talk me through that one. JIM FURYK: Yeah, we both hit pretty good iron shots. His came up a touch short and mine came up just a touch long. He had a beautiful putt that I conceded. I had a real quick little pitch shot there and I thought it would come out a little spiny out of that sticky rye grass and it came out a lot quicker than I expected. But I got it right online and that really is a turning point in the match. If it misses the pin, that ball probably goes ten feet by. Now I have got a ten‑footer to stay even in the match where I'm walking up that green 1‑up. That definitely was the shot of the match and it's what won the day for me. Q. I understand that your father made a suggestion in terms of tweaking your philosophy to this event. Tell us about that. JIM FURYK: I think this golf course at first look appears to be a little bit of a bombers golf course. There's a lot of corners out there on bunkers that I struggle to carry, but a lot of my competitors are blowing it well over. The greens require some high, soft iron shots to get some of the tucked pins. You look at back some of the winners, Luke Donald winning, Matt Kuchar, who is relatively long but he's not a bomber of the golf ball.  I think dad was just kind of telling me not to get out of my own game, not to try to change my style or try to hit the ball higher or farther, just stick with got me here, do what I usually do well and just try to shoot a number and see what happens. Q. A veteran of match play, three down early, what do you tap in to realize you can still get back into it? JIM FURYK: Well, I think this week it's really, hey, I have been here before. I was two down in both of my first two matches as well and three down today. I think it's tough. It's a mind game to try to tell yourself to be patient, just play the golf course, not get too down on yourself. Once I got 3‑down through 6, it felt good to win the 7th hole to get one back kind of quick. But really it's just stay patient, try to make some birdies along the way, try to shoot a good number the rest of the way in and put some pressure on him, and I was able to do that. I think today, though, was really I'm three down, here we go around again. I was here the last two days and was able to claw my way out. See if we can do it again. Q. How much do you tap into that experience from yesterday or the day before, while you would like it to be easier and less stressful, you know you can do it? JIM FURYK: It's never easy, though. You can't even rest. When you get 2‑up, I flip some of those matches and got 2‑up. You are not resting. You know how easy two holes later you get back to even, and you don't want that momentum to change. I think my personality is usually pretty even keel. You see a lot of pump fists and a lot of excitement. I usually don't get too down on myself as well. I've maybe in the past in match play gotten a little down on myself when I got down early. I've avoided that this week and I think it's helped me come back. Q. How big was 16? JIM FURYK: It was the shot of the match. It was pretty fortunate that it found the center of the cup and hit the pin. Otherwise I got probably a ten‑footer to come back and stay even in the match, yet I leave that hole 1‑up. It was definitely the shot of the day. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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