PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Look at who’s in contention yet again at age 44: Jim Furyk.
Furyk, who made a spirited run at the Wells Fargo Championship last week in Charlotte, where he shot a final-round 65 to finish second, shot a 4-under-par 68 on Friday at The Players Championship to get to 6-under and is six shots out of the lead entering the weekend.
After his round, Furyk, who’s been on the PGA Tour for 21 years, was particularly introspective about how his mindset about the game has fluctuated over the years, revealing that he has struggled to maintain his passion.
“Last year I kind of got in a funk where golf became a little bit more of a … it felt like a job,’’ Furyk said. “It felt like my occupation rather than being fun. I have no one to blame for that nor am I looking for anyone to feel bad for me by any means. I had to figure things out a little bit.’’
Furyk said he reduced his schedule last year in an effort to be fresher.
“I was just burned out, I was tired, I was kind of miserable on the golf course and I didn’t want to be that person,’’ he said. “I didn’t play well here (last year, when he finished tied for 25th), but the idea was I was going to change my attitude and get back to having fun and playing golf like I was a kid again and enjoying it.
“In order to do so I felt like talking to my family and talking to my dad, talking to my wife, talking to actually even Doc (Bob) Rotella (sports psychologist) a little bit, I just felt like I needed to limit my schedule a little bit, kind of play the events that I really loved and wanted to be at, and I needed to go in with a much better attitude, and I think it’s bred me turning around and being patient and kind of enjoying the game a little bit more again.’’
Furyk recalled a moment he had when he was younger and Wayne Levi told him he felt like golf is a job, what he does for a living.
“And I was thinking, as a young guy on Tour, this is the greatest job going,’’ Furyk said. “I was thinking, ‘Man, just shoot me if I ever get to the point where it becomes a job. I might as well quit.’ I remembered saying that, and last year I’m looking at my wife saying, ‘It’s a job,’ and I told myself I’d quit if I ever got to that point.
“I had to figure out a way to make it fun again and to enjoy what I do,’’ Furyk went on. “I mean, I played this game my whole life because I love it.’’
But, he said, “after so many years and wanting to do so many more things at home with my family and my kids and missing ballgames, getting in the car and driving away knowing I’m going to miss two lacrosse games and two baseball games one week became, I was getting in the car going to work rather than getting in the car going to play a golf tournament.’’
Furyk said he feels like he now has “a nice recipe’’ that’s working for him and he feels rejuvenated.
“I feel like my attitude has bred my good play (recently),’’ he said.