Jim Furyk walked off the 18th green to the same roars and cheers he heard all weekend trudging up and down Firestone Country Club. Only this time, they weren't for him.
His swift, stunning and saddening double-bogey collapse on the final hole left him staggering off the course as the gallery roared for Keegan Bradley's astonishing Bridgestone Invitational victory Sunday.
Furyk shook Bradley's hand and quickly fled the course that loved and honoured him for 71 holes, only to betray him 22 feet from the final pin. Once he was past the grandstands and away from any cameras, he took off his hat, shook his head in disbelief, then shook it again. When he saw his wife, Tabitha, standing under a tree near the 10th tee box, he exhaled deeply and his shoulders sagged. She smiled, hugged her weary husband and whispered in his ear.
His eight-year-old son, Tanner, wiped the tears off his reddened cheeks. Daddy was crushed. So was Tanner.
He kissed Caleigh, his 10-year-old daughter, on the forehead. He kissed his wife again and walked into the trailer to sign the scorecard, forever sealing another disastrous ending to what could've - should've - been a magical weekend at Firestone.
"I've lost some tournaments in some pretty poor fashions," Furyk said. "But I don't think I've let one ever slip nearly as bad as this one."
Bradley erased a 6-stroke deficit over the final 13 holes to complete the biggest comeback in Bridgestone history and win for the third time in just his second year on tour. He is already one of just 10 players to win both a major and a World Golf Championship event, and he'll enter next week's PGA Championship as the defending champ on an incredible high. It's his first victory this season after plenty of weeks in contention.
"I felt like I should have won a couple times early on, and I felt like I gave away a couple tournaments," Bradley said. "It was starting to bother me because I was having some really poor Sundays."
