Furyk clinches 11th PGA Tour win with testing putt

ATLANTA, May 8 (Reuters) It all came down to a five-foot putt that, initially, had Jim Furyk totally perplexed at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.

After consulting with his experienced caddie Mike ''Fluff'' Cowan and backing away once after he stood over the putt, Furyk finally took aim and coaxed the ball into the cup yesterday.

Fractionally before the ball dropped, he vigorously pumped his fist to celebrate an 11th PGA Tour victory, sealed at the first extra hole of a playoff with South Africa's Trevor Immelman.

''I don't know how many opportunities I'm going to get to win a golf tournament in my life or how many victories I'm going to end up with,'' American Furyk told reporters at a cold and rain-sodden Quail Hollow Club.

''It's not enough. It's a good feeling.'' His winning putt, however, had not been an easy one to assess.

''It was a relatively straight putt, but I saw an argument for going both ways,'' Furyk said. ''I was feeling left-to-right up the first half of the putt.

''But, from behind the hole, I saw there was a little bit of a tilt and it might go right-to-left at the end. I didn't quite know what to do but Fluff put a very good read on it.

''He said there was a touch of left-to-right maybe early, but right-to-left would take over. He read it as fairly straight but more right centre.

GREAT READ ''I felt like I did a good job hitting that putt right where he said. He made a great read.'' Furyk, let back into the tournament by Immelman's three-putt for bogey on the 72nd hole, sank an eight-foot par putt there to force the playoff with a closing one-under-par 71.

His South African playing partner, who had been a stroke ahead with one hole to play, had to settle for a final-round 70 as the pair finished level at 12-under 276.

Furyk, who struck a superb three-iron from a fairway bunker at the first extra hole before holing the five-footer for victory, was delighted to erase memories of his playoff defeat at Quail Hollow 12 months earlier.

''I remember playing hard, shooting 66 and coming up just short after four holes of a playoff,'' he recalled.

Furyk was edged out by Fiji's Vijay Singh for last year's title after Spaniard Sergio Garcia had exited the three-way playoff at the first extra hole.

''I've seen enough of 18 for another year, I promise you that,'' added the 35-year-old American. ''I had to see it three times on Sunday last year and twice this time. So I've had enough.'' ''I also had a close call a few weeks ago in Hilton Head, and Aaron beat me down the stretch,'' added Furyk, referring to his runner-spot a stroke behind Australia's Aaron Baddeley at the Heritage Classic three weeks ago.

''It's nice to come out and get it done this time and end up with a 'W'.'' Furyk sympathised with Immelman's three-putt from 50 feet at the 72nd hole.

''I've been in that situation, I've been in that position,'' he said. ''I saw the look in his eye, shaking his head, and I know that look because I've had that feeling.

''As happy as I am, I do feel for him. But he had some key shots today and knocked in a lot of clutch putts. I was impressed by it.'' Reuters VJ VP0600