With the rain coming down and his hat turned backwards, Jim Furyk sank a putt on the 18th green to secure the 2010 FedEx Cup and the $10-million purse that goes along with it.Fast forward to the end of the 2011 season, and the ending is much different for the 16 time, PGA Tour winner.
Furyk had one of his worst years on Tour in 2011, enduring the worst slump of his 16-year career.
After winning three times in 2010, including seven top-10's and 13 top-25's, Furyk had just four top-10's in 2011. The worst however was the goose egg in the win column.
"I lost some confidence along the way during the year," Furyk said if his 2011 season. "But I didn't lose confidence in the fact that you're not going to go from player of the year to I can't play anymore."
"I realize you can lose confidence a lot quicker in this game than you can gain it. You can lose it quickly, but you have to build up some momentum, build up some time and some consistency before you gain a lot of confidence back, and I feel like I'm hopefully back on track to doing so. I feel a lot better about my game."
One of the areas Furyk seemed to struggle with all season was with his putter.
Throughout the 2011 season, he experimented with different models, grips and strokes to find something that would click for him on the greens.
Furyk also switched out his driver and the ball he played in 2011. Equipment changes can be something risky during an off-season let alone right smack dab in the middle of one.
However, there had to be some change made to try and gain a spark to get his season back on track.
"I definitely tried to go a little bit different route in my game and maybe tried to address some of my weaknesses, trying to get a little longer off the tee, trying to hit the ball a bit farther," Furyk said on his equipment changes.
"I like the ball I was playing. It was spinning a little bit less than the products I had played in the past. The driver was spinning a little less, so there was an adjustment period to that.
"And I didn't do a very good job adjusting at times, either. In hindsight, if I had it to do over again, I may have done things a little bit differently. I may have addressed my equipment a little bit different, but I think I learned a lot in the process."
2011 was not a total wash for Furyk. He made a late season charge that saw him earn a spot on the Presidents Cup team.
In Australia, he would be the biggest surprise for the U.S. squad., ending with an undefeated 5-0 record that included a 3-0 record teamed with Phil Mickelson.
During the Presidents Cup event, the part of Furyk's game that was giving him the most trouble, his putting, was what was winning holes and gaining points for the U.S. Team.
"I had some very poor putting experiences," he said. "I was very consistently poor. And you can't play well if you're not knocking in putts. It doesn't matter how well you hit the ball, and it was a little frustrating and put a lot of pressure on the rest of my game."
Without a win, the 2012 PGA Tour season will begin at Pebble Beach for Furyk during the west coast swing.
With a new and proven putting stroke and a late season charge in 2011, Furyk is looking to carry the momentum from the Presidents Cup matches, to his sixth place finish at the Chevron World Challenge into 2012.
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