Furyk within striking distance Sunday at THE PLAYERS

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Heading into Championship Sunday at THE PLAYERS, longtime area resident and 48-year-old Jim Furyk is still within striking distance of the lead.

At 10-under par, Furyk is tied for sixth with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brian Harman, Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker and Ollie Schniederjans. He’s just five shots behind the tournament leader and 24-year-old from Spain, Jon Rahm.

After shooting a course-best 8-under 64 on Friday and finishing the day tied for third, Furyk shot 1-under 71 on Saturday. His line for Moving Day through the front nine was par, birdie, par, par, par, bogey, par, par, bogey, resulting in a 1-over 37. Furyk played the back nine better, going par, birdie, par, par, birdie, par, birdie, par, bogey, scoring a 2-under 34. As said by Furyk following the round, it was a day of “ups and downs.”

“I wanted to really kind of settle into that round early and hit some good shots, and I feel like the way I hit it the first four or five holes, 1-under par, (I) had some good looks at it,” Furyk said. “ I kind of did what I wanted to, and I got a little loose with some swings on the way out, the drive at 6, lay-up at 9, tee ball at 12, again a couple bad iron shots. But I hung in there and I hit a lot, I did a lot right today.”

Furyk found himself in a rather precarious, yet ultimately fortunate position at 18. His tee shot bounced off the wooden ledge protecting the water and back into play. With his feet dangling off the ledge, he wedged the ball into the fairway and then ultimately onto the green. Furyk nearly converted an 11-foot putt for par that would have kept him at 11-under, but he missed that attempt and had to settle for bogey.

“I can’t say I’m disappointed where it ended up because it could have been a lot worse,” Furyk said about the initial drive. “It could have been in the water.”

Paired with Joel Dahmen (9-under) for Sunday, Furyk is scheduled to tee off at 12:45 p.m. With the forecast calling for a high of 62 degrees, 90 percent chance of rain and winds of 10 to 20 mph coming out of the north northeast, Sunday will be a “tough day,” as said by Furyk.

“I think tomorrow’s one of those you try to make a game plan, but all the while you know that it could be pissing down rain, it could be really windy,” Furyk said, “you don’t know what you’re going to get and you just kind of play it by ear and make the best of the conditions.”