Jim Furyk won a major championship in 2003.
So did Ben Curtis.
Furyk hasn’t won a title since that summer. Neither has Curtis.
Now both are atop the leaderboard at the Western Open in Lemont, Ill., each hoping to end a drought that has brought similar frustrations, for very different reasons.
Curtis capped his second bogey-free round of the week Saturday with a 3-footer for birdie on 18, tying Furyk for the lead.
Curtis (66) and Furyk (67) are at 12-under 201 after 54 holes.
“I’ve played with him quite a bit over the last couple of years, so I’ve gotten to know his game very well,” Curtis said. “It’s very solid and there’s no weaknesses, so I look for him to shoot a good round.
“That means for me to win, I’m going to have to shoot a good round.”
Don’t overlook the rest of the pack, though. Seven players are within six strokes of the leaders – including the two best in the world.
Tiger Woods shot a 4-under 67 and is tied for fourth with Shaun Micheel at 206, five strokes back. Vijay Singh flirted with the course record of 63 before settling for a 6-under 65 that leaves him six strokes off the lead.
“At least I’ve got a shot going into tomorrow,” Woods said. “Hopefully those guys don’t run away from it. If they don’t put up three or four more birdies, I should be all right.”
Curtis has struggled since winning the British Open at Royal St. George’s. He’s been winless since, and had just one top-10 finish last year. This is only the third cut he’s made this season.
Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champ, hasn’t won since the Buick Open that same year. Granted, he missed half of last year after having wrist surgery. But he has been runner-up three times this year, including a heartbreaking loss to Padraig Harrington at the Barclays Classic last weekend.
“Second kind of stinks,” Furyk said. “I put it to rest Monday and tried to come here with a very fresh attitude, knowing that I like this golf course, knowing that I was playing very well. And obviously I was able to do that.”
Furyk’s big break came on the par-5 15th. Stuck at 10-under since No. 9, he had a 30-footer for eagle. The ball rolled slowly toward the cup and looked as if it might stop short. But it dropped in, drawing a roar from the crowd.
“It was a downhill putt that I knew was going to get to the hole, I was just trying to get the right pace,” Furyk said. “You get a bonus getting one of those long ones to go in.”
Champions Tour: Ron Streck didn’t come close to matching his spectacular opening round at the Commerce Bank Championship in East Meadow, N.Y.
Still, he’s in the lead entering the final round of a tournament for the first time.
Streck, looking for his first tour title, followed his first-round 62 with a 3-under 68, staying two strokes in front with a 12-under 130 total after 36 holes.
Tom Jenkins had a second-round 63 and was tied for second with Dave Eichelberger (67) and Craig Stadler (68).
Five players were another stroke back, setting up what could be the tour’s fifth straight playoff to decide a winner.
This is the first time in his 28-plus years on the PGA and Champions tours that Streck has entered the final round with a lead.
European Tour: Thomas Bjorn shot a 3-under 69 to open a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the European Open in Straffan, Ireland.
