MARANA, Ariz. -- Bubba Watson was in control for the first 10 holes, building a 3-up advantage. Jim Furyk staged a rally on the back nine, thouugh, and held steady until he couldn't get up and down the 22nd hole.

The reigning Masters champ struck quickly, winning the second with a birdie and the fourth with a par. Furyk made a 3-footer for birdie at the par-5 eighth to briefly cut into that lead but Watson got it back -- and then some -- when he won the next two holes with a par and a 20-foot birdie.

Furyk, a crowd favorite who played his college golf at nearby Arizona, won three of the next four holes with a 16-footer for birdie and two pars to even the match at the 14th hole. A birdie at the 15th hole put Watson up again but Furyk made a last-ditch 5-footer at the 18th hole to square the proceedings and extend the match. Both men had their chances in sudden death, too.

Watson missed a 5-footer on the first extra hole that would have given him the victory, then the two halved the next, the par-5 second, with birdies. Furyk couldn't convert an 11-footer at the third that would have given him the win after Watson missed the green, but the tables were turned on the 22nd hole where Furyk pitched to 23 feet and couldn't make the putt for par.

"It was a good match," Watson said. "I was up early. He made some putts, he missed some putts. And then on 18, I hit a good shot in there and he topped me, and I missed my putt. 

"Struggled on 3, the third extra playoff hole, somehow made a 10-footer, 12 footer and just kind of hung on. That's all I did is I hit quality iron shots it seems like all day, but I just didn't make the putts, but somehow hung on to win."

SCORECARD STATS: Watson made four birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey. Furyk made four birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. Interestingly, the double bogeys came on the same hole so it was no harm, no foul.

HOLES WON: Watson won six holes. Furyk won five holes.

NEXT OPPONENT: Jason Day, who beat Russell Henley in 19 holes.

 

MARANA, Ariz. -- Jim Furyk won four straight holes, including three with birdies, on the way to a 4-and-2 victory over Ryan Moore.

The match was all square when the two returned to Dove Mountain on Thursday to hit their second shots on the seventh hole. Moore had split the fairway while Furyk hit what he called an "ugly little low hook" into the rough when the siren blew.

"So I knew that's what would be waiting on me this morning," Furyk said. "My goal was to go out and if I could somehow manage a halve on 7, it would feel like a victory. ... I hacked it out, knocked a wedge up there from about 106 and knocked it to about four feet and made it for par, and it gave me a boost of confidence."

Then Furyk started the birdie barrage. He made a 6-footer at the par-5 eighth hole, then won No. 9 with a par and made birdie putts of 14 and 7 feet on the next two holes to take a 4-up advantage. He bogeyed the 12th hole but answered with two more winning birdies and it was only a matter of time.

"So really get being off to a really good start this morning with the halve on 7 and then winning four holes was a big jump for me," Furyk said.

He now faces Bubba Watson, who beat Chris Wood 2 and 1, in the second round.

"Bubba is a very talented player, obviously a lot of power versus me who doesn't, so we have a little bit different styles of game, but he's able to maneuver the ball a lot, hit a lot of creative shots and is very good around the greens,: Furyk said.

"The one thing I look at is he's had a lot of success on this golf course in the past and played well, and I expect a very, very difficult match, and I'll have to play well to win."

 

Each week, PGATOUR.COM's Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton offers his Power Rankings for the weekly TOUR event as well as his Sleeper picks. But what about the players who don't make the Power Rankings but who can't really be considered Sleepers? Bolton will make one "wild card" selection from the large group of players who fall into that middle range but might rise up to claim the title. This week's pick is ...

JIM FURYK

First start anywhere since a tie for fourth at the World Challenge in December. Closed out the 2012 season with three top 10s. He's 15-for-16 at Pebble Beach with five top 15s. He would have cracked the Power Rankings but he hasn't cracked the top 30 in any of the last four editions of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. However, he tied for 16th at the U.S. Open there in 2010.

To preview the 2013 PGA TOUR season, PGATOUR.COM is counting down the Top 100 Players to Watch in 2013. For an archive page with the top 100 players and for an explanation on how the list was compiled, click here.

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MORE TOP 100: Back to No. 27 | Forward to No. 25 | Top 100 archive

2013 PREVIEW: Look at the stats, and you'd think 2012 was a pretty good year for Jim Furyk. His scoring average improved from 40th to third while his tally in the final round went from 77th to 27th. That said, Furyk squandered four golden Sunday opportunities to win his 17th TOUR event -- so finding a way to reverse that trend in 2013 will be key.

2012 DEFINING MOMENT: Of the four near-misses, the U.S. Open looms largest. Furyk, who won the 2003 Open and now has five other top-five finishes in the national championship, entered the final round with a share of the lead. But he bogeyed three of his last six holes on the way to a 74 that put him two strokes behind Webb Simpson. –- Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: I am sure Jim looks back on 2012 and thinks of what might have been. He was a swing away from winning Transitions, the U.S. Open and the Bridgestone Invitational. Jim is an athlete and mentally tough. He will bounce back. A couple quick hooks hurt him at the U.S. Open but I thought he also played too quickly on the final hole at Bridgestone. -- Fred Albers, SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio

BOLTON’S FANTASY OUTLOOK: Despite his series of unrequited runs at greatness, let's not overlook the value in the fact that he played himself into multiple opportunities to make history. We must also underscore his tenacity to fight back, not that anyone was surprised. Winning is hard, and no one banked more than he did ($3.623 million) without a trophy in 2012. Gamers will forever take two second-place finishes, one third and another five top 10s in a single season. With only one season outside $3.4 million since 2005, he belongs in the back half of your first round. Even at 42 years of age, that assessment is supported by a full schedule. -- Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy expert

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2012 QUICK REVIEW

Regular Season ranking 17th

Final Playoffs ranking 15th

Best finishes

2nd

Transitions Championship

By the Numbers Starts: 24 Cuts made: 20 Rounds played: 88 Top-10 finishes: 8 Money List rank: 12th

TOUR ranking Driving distance: 171st Driving accuracy: 4th Greens in regulation: 23rd Strokes gained-putting: 19th Scoring average: 3rd

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN What is your prediction for Jim Furyk in 2013? Fill out the form below and let us know

By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Depending on perspective, Jim Furyk has either had a very good season or a very disappointing one. Furyk is as hard on himself as anyone, so he would likely choose the latter. Furyk entered the final round of The McGladrey Classic tied for the lead with Davis Love III, and carded a respectable final-round 69 to finish third. He was one shot back, needing a birdie on one of the final three holes to catch eventual champion Tommy Gainey. Furyk made par on the 16th, saved par from 13 feet on 17 and pushed his approach right from the middle of the fairway on No. 18, leading to a bogey. "You know, I'm disappointed," said Furyk, who has lost a number of leads this season. "I did battle. I think at times it's probably a little harder, you see the first guy to post, it's harder to chase that score when it's already in when we're on the sixth hole." Furyk finished second at the Transitions Championship, lost the U.S. Open after being tied for the lead after 69 holes, double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to lose the Bridgestone Invitational to Keegan Bradley, and bogeyed his final two holes to lose his singles match at the Ryder Cup to Sergio Garcia. Regardless, Furyk is working on an impressive season. He's had eight top 10s, and has a lower scoring average (69.3 to 69.8) than he had during his remarkable 2010 season.

By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Jim Furyk had a season full of disappointment. Davis Love III has felt the same and hasn’t won since 2008. Furyk and Love will be on center stage in Sunday’s final round of The McGladrey Classic, paired together at Sea Island Golf Club. So who needs to win more? Furyk or Love? Furyk hasn’t won since his remarkable 2010 season. On Saturday, he said there are plenty of similarities from that season to this one. Furyk had seven top 10s in 2010 – just like he has this season. In 2012, he’s had two runner-ups. The difference? In 2010, Furyk had three wins. In fact, his 2012 scoring average of 69.4 is actually lower than his 2010 average of 69.8. But Furyk is still searching for that first victory. “I found ways, quite frankly, to lose tournaments,” Furyk said of his season. “I had my opportunities to have a great year this year, just like I did in the past, and there’s two ways to look at it. I’m one of those people, I’m tougher on myself, I promise, than anyone else is. “I’ve already kicked myself a 100 times already. And I’ve gotten over it. That’s one thing I’ve always been able to do really well is I can get by it. I can forget it. I can put it behind me and move on.” Love put countless hours into his Ryder Cup captaincy and to come out on the losing end was difficult to say the least. At 48, he’ll go for his 21st victory on the PGA TOUR today. Love was asked if he or Furyk needs the victory more. “I don’t know,” Love said. “It’s nice to win, no matter what. I know to be able to cap off (the season with a victory) would make the year feel a lot better to him. Plus, he’s trying like the rest of us to keep getting more wins at a late stage in your career. I know he’s working toward 20. He will get there. “I hope I’m not impeding that. But I’d love to keep him from it. But you see it in both of us. We’re both very competitive.”

By Bill Cooney, PGATOUR.COM ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Davis Love III and Jim Furyk have a combined 36 career wins on the PGA TOUR. Both both veterans are in a bit of a victory drought and seeking to snap it at this week's McGladrey Classic. Love, a 20-time winner and the tournament host, hasn't won since 2008 and ranks 104th on the PGA TOUR money list. Love is attempting to finish inside the top 100 for the 27th straight season. He's also using a belly putter this week -- an old putter that fellow pro Brian Bateman once used -- although Love does not anchor it to his stomach. "It's working," said Love, who opened 65-66 and entered Saturday's third round one shot back of 36-hole leader Arjun Atwal. "I feel pretty confident with it, and I'm hitting them more solid and that's the main thing." Meanwhile, Furyk is attempting to bounce back once again this season just as he has done so often. He ranks fourth this week in driving accuracy and second in greens in regulation. Perhaps that will be the recipe for success that gets Furyk his first win since 2010. "I love the golf course," Furyk said of the 7,005-yard Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club. "It suits my style of game. It's a fun golf course to play." Do you think either Furyk or Love will win this week? Let us know in the comments section below.

Europe (Rory McIlroy & Graeme McDowell) def. U.S. (Jim Furyk & Brandt Snedeker), 1 up Click for more: Hole by hole

MORE MATCH RECAPS: McIlroy-McDowell def. Furyk-Snedeker, 1 up | Mickelson-Bradley def. Donald-Garcia, 4 and 3 | Dufner-Johnson def. Molinari-Westwood, 3 and 2 | Poulter-Rose def. Woods-Stricker, 2 and 1 | Four-ball -- Watson-Simpson def. Lawrie-Hanson, 5 and 4 | Mickelson-Bradley def. McIlroy-McDowell, 2 and 1 | Johnson-Kuchar def. Rose-Kaymer, 3 and 2 | Westwood-Colsaerts def. Woods-Stricker, 1 up

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

MEDINAH, Ill. – In the opening match of the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell won the match on the 18th hole after Americans Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker rallied on the back nine.

MATCH FLOW: The Americans led for two holes early, but then the Northern Irishmen reeled off four straight birdies, two for wins and two to halve, and Europe was 1 up through seven holes. The U.S. squared the match at the eighth when Snedeker made a 5-footer to save par but Europe seemingly seized control when it won three straight holes starting at No. 9. The Americans, though, began to whittle at their lead, winning the 13th with a par, halving the par-5 14th with a birdie and making another for the win at No. 15. Furyk forced Europe's hand there by going for the green and McDowell, hitting second, found the water. A third straight birdie at the 16th after a brilliant Furyk approach to 4 feet squared the match. But McDowell, who made the clinching putt at the 2010 Ryder Cup, came up with another clutch putt, this one for par from 12 feet, at the 18th for Europe's win.

BY THE NUMBERS: The European team won six holes and shot a combined 2 under. The U.S. team won five holes and shot a combined 2 under.

TIPPING POINT: Many will point to the second hole where Furyk questioned the ruling McDowell was hoping to get with his ball perched near a sprinklern head. He didn't get the ruling but it appeared to fire the two Northern Irishmen up. Granted, Snedeker and Furyk fought back but McDOwell is nothing it not a clutch putter and he got the chance at the 18th hole.

N OTES & QUOTES: "It was a great game today against two really great competitors. Jim Furyk played particularly magnificent. My job is fairly easy. I've got the best player in the world beside me and he makes my job extremely easy." -- Graeme McDowell. …

“They did a good job of getting the ball up‑and‑down and making the putt. I know Graeme was nervous but like I said, he has ice in his veins, hit a 6‑footer straight up the hill. It looks easy to everyone else, being in that position, I know how difficult it was and he poured it in. I tip my hat to him.” – Jim Furyk …

“Got to 18 with a chance to win the match which is what you're trying do. I just put an awful shot, put Jim in a terrible position. Hate to do that to Jim, let alone my team, but the team can pick us up this afternoon and get us back in this thing, and I look forward to the next chance to go and put a point on the board.” – Brandt Snedeker …

“That match to me just personifies The Ryder Cup. Myself and Rory played some great golf to go 3‑up, and then you're playing against two very gutsy players who clawed their way back to all‑square coming down the last two holes. “ Graeme McDowell …

McIlroy and McDowell now have been paired in four Ryder Cup matches. They are 2-1-0 in Foursomes and 2-2-0 in team play together. McDowell is now 2-1-1 in Foursomes and 3-2-2 in team play. …

McIlroy/McDowell were 4-under par on the front nine today, with five birdies. …

Furyk is now 1-4-1 in the first session of matches in the Ryder Cup and 3-6-2 in Foursomes.

By D.J. Piehowski, PGATOUR.COM

ATLANTA – Today wasn’t the day to challenge Jim Furyk.

Making one of Friday’s rare slip-ups, Furyk missed the green at the par-4 16th, failing to get up-and-down from a nearly impossible short-sided lie. Rather than taking on the hole, Furyk played it safe and found the opposite side of the green.

After bailing out with his third shot, the 16-time PGA TOUR winner heard a member of the gallery yell, “I could hit that shot!” Furyk smiled, two-putted for his bogey and walked back to his bag. He grabbed his golf ball and marker and wrote the fan a message before throwing him a souvenir.

What did the ball say? “Not a chance! – Jim Furyk”