By Robert Wilson
Jackson Academy alumnus Wilson Furr’s debut on the PGA Tour was like one of his tee shots that went down the middle of the fairway – couldn’t ask for anything much better.
Furr birdied three of the last four holes to shoot a six-under 66 and is tied for 23rd with 16 other players Thursday afternoon at the American Express tournament at LaQuinta, Calif.
Furr is only four shots behind leaders Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson and Alex Noren, who both shot a 10 under 62.
Furr is paired with amateur Nick Dunlap, who shot an 8 under 64 and is tied for fifth after the first round. Dunlap won the U.S. Amateur and plays at Alabama. The duo are scheduled to tee off at Noon Central Friday in the second round. Keep up with Furr at pgatour.com. Part of the event will be televised on the Golf Channel, ESPN plus and Peacock.
“Wilson said he was nervous on the first tee,” said Furr’s mom Denise Furr, who is there watching Furr along with Wilson’s girlfriend, Shelton James, and his grandmother, Lulu Maness. “Wilson hit all 18 greens and it was special to watch him play his PGA Tour debut. He birdies three of the last four holes and barely missed his birdie putt on his last hole.”
Jackson native, former PGA Tour player and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame member Randy Watkins talked to Furr Thursday night.
“He said it was the most nervous he’s ever been, but also the most fun he’s ever had,” said Watkins, who is the CEO of Randy Watkins Golf, owner of Lake Caroline, Patrick Farms, and Whisper Lake Golf Clubs. “He never missed a green in regulation in his tour debut. That’s extra special. I couldn’t be prouder of him and I’m never surprised when he plays well. I fully except him to keep making birdies and can’t wait to watch him soar. It was 40 years ago almost to the day when I made my tour debut. He’s way better than me.
“Wilson has amazing athletic abilities and physically superior to most and perhaps the best I’ve ever seen from Mississippi. He’s long, accurate, has great touch and creativity and has great competitive courage. Wilson is a very smart young man that is super driven to be the best he can be. Wilson is a very good friend and all of Mississippi should be proud of him.”
Furr, 25, is in his third pro season after playing at Alabama.
Furr earned his PGA Tour card Sunday after a tie for sixth place in the Korn Ferry Championships in Indiana in October. Last year was his first year on Korn Ferry Tour.
Furr was in 32nd place in the points list on the Korn Ferry Tour and finished 24th to get his PGA Tour card. The Top 30 received their cards. Furr was one of five players who started the week outside of the Top 30 and played well enough to finish in the Top 30.
Furr finished strong, with six Top 25 finishes in his last seven events last season.
Getting a PGA Tour card is a huge deal, especially in prize money. When Furr earned his PGA Tour card last October, there were 124 players on the PGA Tour who have earned at least $1 million so far last year. In comparison, the No. 1 player in prize money on the Korn Ferry Tour (Ben Kohles) had earned $647,355. Furr was No. 30 on the money list with $275,878 going into the final week of the Korn Ferry. The No. 30 player on the PGA Tour was Woo Kim, who has earned $5.3 million going into the same week last year. It’s like going from playing Class AAA minor league baseball to getting called up to a Major League team.
Furr made a big jump in June when he finished tied for second in the AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City. He set a course record when he shot a 63 in the first round and finished 18 under, tied with Rico Hoey and one shot behind winner Grayson Murray. Furr led after the first round, co-leader after the second round and solo leader after the third round, but Murray shot 4 under in the final round to pass Furr, who shot 1 under. Furr’s outstanding finish vaulted him from 78th place to 26th place.
Furr made another move back into the Top 30 with two consecutive Top 10 finishes. He finished tied for third in the Magnit Championship in New Jersey Aug. 20 and tied for sixth in the Albertsons Boise Open Aug. 27 in Idaho. Those two finishes moved up Furr 17 places, from 45th to 28th. He was 50th two weeks before that, so Furr made a great surge in about a month.
Furr made 17 cuts in 26 events and has one runner-up finish, one third place, two Top 5 and five Top 10 last season on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Furr made his professional debut at the U.S. Open as an automatic qualifier in 2021 at Torrey Pines, Calif. Furr shot 77 and 82 in the first two rounds and didn’t make the cut. He received one of the 54 automatic qualifying spots when four players withdrew.
Furr helped Alabama reach four consecutive NCAA Regionals, including a national runner-up finish in 2018. He shot a 9-under 62 in the second round of the 2020 U.S. Amateur on his way to becoming the second player in Alabama men’s golf history to win stroke play medalist honors.
Furr was a second-team Rolex All-American in 2015 while at JA and finished second in the 2015 Junior PGA Championship. At age 16, Furr became the youngest player in the 100-year history of the Mississippi State Amateur to win the event, winning by eight strokes and missing the tournament record by two strokes.
In 2018, Furr won the Mississippi State Amateur for the second time, qualifying him to play in the PGA Sanderson Farms Classic in Jackson.
Furr was ranked as the No. 6 high school prospect in the country in the 2017 class by Golfweek.com.
He was one of six players named to the boys United States Junior Ryder Cup team in the summer of 2016.
