A stellar Day, even if incomplete

Writing from Lake Forest, Illinois

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Jim Furyk had to leave the building on Thursday afternoon, withdrawing with an extremely sore left wrist, but leaving the magic that created his 59 at Conway Farms Golf Club two years ago behind for the other 69 players in the BMW Championship.

So it seemed, at least, when surreal things started happening in the old Western Open, edition No. 112.

Like British Open champion Zach Johnson, who won here two years ago, dropping his approach on the par-3 11th two inches from that cup.

Minutes later, PGA champion Jason Day holed out from 79 yards away, scoring an eagle 2 on the first hole and from a fairway bunker, no less.

Minutes after that, Masters and U.S. Open winner Jordan Spieth, playing with Day and eager to get back into the spotlight, used a 7-iron to ace the 184-yard second hole.

About 12 minutes later, Spieth chipped in for a birdie on the par-4 third – with Day scoring his a birdie to go 5-under across his four holes.

Spieth with an ace and a chip-in bird and he loses ground? Welcome to Conway Farms, the golf course that was Twinkie-soft even before the thunderstorm that halted play early.

This spate of breathless golf came amidst the binge of birdies similar to that Conway yielded two years ago, and this time on a course that, while lengthened by construction, was arranged to play to only 6,953 yards. To this crowd, that’s the equivalent of miniature golf.

All that was before the thunderstorm that halted play at 4:22 p.m. with Day, Spieth and Rickie Fowler – who at 1-under had to feel as if he’s being lapped – on their last hole, the par-4 ninth.

Day, at 10-under through 17 even with a bogey on his eighth hole, needs to hole out his approach for eagle for a 59. He had bombed his tee shot 346 yards and had only 44 yards remaining, and will have that when the horn blows to resume play at 7:30 a.m. Friday.

No worries, mate. The affable Aussie is still the leader at 10-under, four strokes ahead of Daniel Berger, who played his last three holes in 4-under, including a 68-yard eagle holeout on the ninth to cap an inward 6-under 29 for 6-under 65. Brendon Todd, Kevin Chappell and Justin Thomas join Spieth at 5-under, with only Todd in the clubhouse. The quintet at 4-under includes Bubba Watson, albeit with five holes to play after opening his back nine with three birdies in four holes.

And to think that two years ago, in advance of the first BMW here, the consensus was that the course could hold its own against the Tour’s elite.

Now, it doesn’t even stand up to TPC Deere Run, the layout across the state in Silvis that hosts the John Deere Classic. Yes, the fields are mildly dissimilar, but each includes Spieth, who has won the Deere two of the last three years. Conway’s par-71 in-progress scoring average on Thursday was 69.977, lower than any complete round two years ago.

Furyk’s 59 was 11 strokes under that day’s average. If Day makes a mere birdie for 60, he’ll be about 10 strokes under. Conway Farms may be only 24 years old, but it’s a Lake Forest dowager with no teeth.

Oh, and the wind blew 15 miles-per-hour and more all day, with gusts to 28. Imagine if it was calm, like Day was.

“It feels like a practice round, like it doesn’t really matter. Even if I hit a bad shot, it’s all right,” Day explained. “I’m just playing golf.”

Is he ever. A tie for ninth in his vertigo-plagued U.S. Open. A shot out of the playoff at St. Andrews. Wins in the Canadian Open, the PGA and the Barclays. In his last seven starts, how worst scores are a pair of ties for 12th.

And while he’s not in a trance, he is focused.

“I thought it was a par 72,” he said of the course. “Jordan told me it was a par 71 on the ninth. I should have known that.”

Instead, he just went about his business, holing bunker shots, 30 footers, and driving it a gazillion yards with a new driver made of Kryptonite or something.

All of that, Spieth saw, and two bogeys, five birdies and an ace later, was still five strokes in arrears.

“It’s a very interesting day,” Spieth said.

And Day.

Around Conway Farms

When Spieth aced the second hole, his 11th of the day, he guaranteed an extra caddie scholarship for the Evans Scholar Foundation from BMW, worth $100,000. It’s the fourth such award since the carmaker agreed to it in 2010, and the first in two years. Quipped Spieth during the delay when asked when the bar tab would open, “After the round; might be 8:10 tomorrow morning.” ... Tee times for the 70-player field began at 11:20 a.m. That’s why 52 players were still on the course when the horn blew. Tee times were moved back compared to two years ago so fans would have more prime afternoon time to watch, both in person and on television. Golf Channel’s live coverage Friday now begins at 11 a.m. ... Among the day’s six eagles was one from Bill Haas on the 18th following a birdie on the 17th. Those two holes made him 3-under for the day. ... The estimated attendance was 25,000. ... Furyk does not know if he’ll be ready for the Tour Championship next week because of his ailing wrist, but with the severe pain he was feeling, didn’t want to chance further injury. ... All spectator parking has been moved to Great America for Friday, the nearest large blacktopped lots.

– Tim Cronin