Tag: Omaha Country Club

Jim Furyk earns first senior major championship with 2021 U.S. Senior Open title

Furyk now has three wins since joining the senior circuit last fall.

Jim Furyk is adding another trophy to his packed case.

The 51-year-old won his first senior major championship on Sunday, cruising to a comfortable three-shot lead at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club in Nebraska. Furyk entered the round with a cushion and after a final-round 1-over 71 left with the trophy.

Mike Weir and Retief Goosen finished T-2 at 4 under, followed by Rod Pampling in fourth at 3 under. Rounding out the top five were Bernhard Langer and Kevin Sutherland, who tied at 1 under.

Since joining the PGA Tour Champions last year, Furyk now has three wins on the senior circuit after winning his first two starts, the Ally Challenge in August and September’s PURE Insurance Championship via a playoff against Jerry Kelly.

Furyk, one of five past U.S. Open champs in the field (2003 at Olympia Fields), is the eighth player to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. The Pennsylvania native and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, resident racked up 17 wins in his PGA Tour career, including the 2010 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

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Weather intervenes at U.S. Senior Open; Jim Furyk leads by 4 after 54 holes

The start of the third round was delayed due to storm damage at Omaha Country Club. Then there was a near three-hour delay.

Mother Nature decided to intervene at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open.

The start of Saturday’s third round was delayed because of some storm damage at the Omaha Country Club. Several trees were uprooted and knocked over. Some spectator seating and a TV tower were also brought to the ground by the high winds.

Then, at 1:49 p.m. local time, the U.S. Golf Association blew the horn and suspended play for two hours, 55 minutes.

Just another obstacle for the golfers to navigate as they battle for the fourth senior major of 2021.

Jim Furyk, aiming for his first senior major championship, woke up on Saturday with a two-shot lead over Stephen Ames and a three-shot cushion over Miguel Angel Jimenez. Furyk birdied the 4th and 5th holes and by the time he made the turn, he had a four-shot lead. He closed with birdies on 16 and 18 for a 66 and kept that lead at four shots after 54 holes.

“I’ll take a 66 any day at the U.S. Open,” he said. “I started off real well, kind of got on a roll and then the rain delay. Coming out of the delay, I lost my rhythm, kind of put myself in some awkward spots.”

But he grinded out some pars from those spots and he said that was the real key to his round on Saturday.

Furyk, one of five past U.S. Open champs in the field, is vying to become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open.

U.S. Senior Open: Leaderboard

Stephen Ames made a birdie putt on 18 from about 10 feet out for a 68 to get him into the final group with Furyk. Ames is at 4 under.

Retief Goosen, also a past U.S. Open champ, made birdies on 17 and 18 to cap of a round of 66 and sits in solo third. “Finishing birdie-birdie on the last two holes was big,” he said, adding that the par he saved on the 16th felt like a birdie.

Steve Flesch had the round of the day, firing a 6-under 64, matching Furyk’s second-round 64 for round of the week. He had just one bogey and seven birdies on his scorecard and is solo fourth.

“U.S. Opens aren’t my thing,” Flesch told Golf Channel after his round. “I don’t drive it that straight, but I just made some putts. If I get the putter going and get the irons close I can run out some birdies.”

Omaha Country Club is hosting the U.S. Senior Open for a second time.

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Storm damage delays Saturday’s start at U.S. Senior Open at Omaha Country Club

A brutal storm knocked down several trees and structures at Omaha Country Club before the third round, but play continues.

The third round of the U.S. Senior Open was delayed Saturday due to damage on the course after a storm rolled through the area.

Several massive trees were knocked over, uprooted by high winds. Some structures were also knocked down, including a TV tower, and some spectator seating areas were damaged, as video posted on Twitter by the PGA Tour Champions shows.

The course is now open and admission gates have opened. Play officially  resumed at 11:15 a.m. ET. off the 1st and 10th tees.

The Omaha World-Herald reported that 141,000 people lost power and that the outages could last for a few days.

Jim Furyk was the overnight leader after his Friday 64. He leads by two over first-round co-leader Stephen Ames and by three over Miguel Angel Jimenez.

U.S. Senior Open Championship - Round Three
Damage caused by a severe overnight storm is seen on the course before the third round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at the Omaha Country Club on July 10, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
U.S. Senior Open Championship - Round Three
Damage caused by a severe overnight storm is seen on the course before the third round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at the Omaha Country Club on July 10, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
U.S. Senior Open Championship - Round Three
Damage caused by a severe overnight storm is seen on the course before the third round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at the Omaha Country Club on July 10, 2021 in Omaha, Nebraska. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

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What you need to know about the U.S. Senior Open, which is back after being canceled in 2020

Steve Stricker won the U.S. Senior Open in 2019 and is the defending champion after the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19.

The U.S. Senior Open is back on the schedule this year after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, it was one of 10 U.S. Golf Association events that were canceled a year ago.

This week, the 41st edition of the Senior Open will take place in Omaha, Nebraska.

A field of 156 golfers will take to the course on Thursday at Omaha Country Club.

The USGA reports that 2,999 golfers filed entries in 2021. That’s the third-most in championship history. The record for entries is 3,101 in 2002.

Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

Defending champ

Steve Stricker

With his wife Nicki handling caddie duties, Stricker went wire-to-wire in 2019, just the third golfer to do so in the championship. He started the final day with a six-shot lead and then fired a final-round 69 to win by that same margin over Jerry Kelly and 2018 champion David Toms. Stricker won the event in his first attempt. Simon Hobday in 1994 and Olin Browne in 2011 were the others to go wire-to-wire.

About the venue

Omaha Country Club

The course is hosting the U.S. Senior Open for the second time. Kenny Perry won it the last time it was held there in 2013. It’s the seventh course to host twice. Omaha Country Club was established in 1899 and has been at its current location since 1925. The course was redesigned in 1951 and renovated in 2005.

How to watch

Golf Channel (TV) and Peacock (streaming) will tag-team the coverage in 2021. Live TV coverage will go until 8 p.m. ET all four rounds, with the third and final rounds on Golf Channel from 4 to 8 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.

The most majors?

Bernhard Langer

Langer has 41 wins on the Champions circuit and has won 11 senior majors. He became the all-time leader in 2017 after he won the Senior PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus is next with eight. Hale Irwin, the all-time leader in senior wins with 45, has seven senior majors.

By the numbers

There are 20 countries represented. The U.S. claims 121 of the 156 golfers. There are 72 golfers playing the event for the first time. There are 34 amateurs in the field, the most since 2012. Jay Haas, who is 67, is the oldest player in the field. Jose Maria Olazabal is playing in his first U.S. Senior Open. He’s in the field on a special invitation.

Senior majors in 2021

This is the fourth of five majors on the senior circuit. Alex Cejka won the Regions Tradition and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Stricker won the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. The final senior major in 2021 will be the Senior Open Championship at the Old Course at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England, July 22-25.

Where does it go from here?

There are four future U.S. Senior Open locations that have been announced:

  • 2022 – Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • 2023 – SentryWorld, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
  • 2024 – Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island
  • 2025 – The Broadmoor, East Course, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Newport was supposed to host in 2020.