AdventHealth Championship: from seriously injured in scooter crash to big winner in KC
Wilson Furr had victory in his sights on Sunday at Blue Hills Country Club, host course for the fourth straight year of the Korn Ferry Tour’s AdventHealth Championship.
No doubt eager to claim his first win as a pro after leading this 72-hole tourney pretty much from wire to wire, the Mississippi-born Furr instead saw his lead shrink and then disappear altogether on the final back nine.
Grayson Murray ultimately overtook Furr with an eagle on the par-5 No. 13 — which Furr actually birdied — and that stroke was enough to shift the balance of power in a four-day event that awarded $180,000 of a $1 million purse to its champion.
And for 2023, that champion is Murray. The 29-year-old went on to birdie the par-4 No. 16 and complete a 4-under final round, ending the tournament at 19-under overall — despite recording a double-bogey on the very last hole — for his first win in competitive golf since 2017.
Back in the winner's circle
Grayson Murray brings home his first #KornFerryTour title since 2016 at @AHChampGolf1. pic.twitter.com/gIMtwRsUVy— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 21, 2023
“It hasn’t really sunk in,” Murray said in a Korn Ferry Tour news release.. “Six years is a long drought, far longer than I wanted. Sometimes your highs are high out here and your lows are low. It’s a very humbling sport.”
Furr bogeyed the par-4 No. 17 hole and finished at 1-under 71 for the day, 18-under overall. That tied him for second place with former USC Trojan Rico Hoey, a pro since 2017 who made up some ground Sunday and finished with a 4-under 68. Hoey carded five birdies and a single bogey during his final round.
The 29-year-old Murray turned pro in 2015 and eventually made it to the PGA Tour. Before Sunday, his most recent win as a pro was the Barbasol Championship in 2017.
Last year, Murray and his caddy, Douglas Schwimer, were injured in a collision with an oncoming car while both were riding rental scooters on a winding road in Bermuda. Murray was to play in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship there later that week.
Golfweek reported last fall that Murray’s injuries required 50 stitches — “25 stitches on his face, 10 on his leg and others on various parts of his body.” He had to withdraw from the event and spend time recovering.
“Honestly, I’m pretty fortunate because the helmet saved me,” Murray told Golfweek.
And now he’s a winner again. This is actually Murray’s second Korn Ferry Tour victory — the first was seven years ago, in 2016.
“I’ve been working really hard, and this is a testament to the hard work,” he said.
“... My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff. It’s not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my No. 1 supporters.”
Korn Ferry Tour AdventHealth Championship
(-19)
Grayson Murray...68-69-64-68—269
(-18)
Wilson Furr...63-71-65-71—270
Rico Hoey...69-66-67-68—270
(-16)
Alejandro Tosti...70-66-67-69—272
(-14)
Mason Andersen...69-67-70-68—274
Parker Coody...69-71-69-65—274
Jackson Suber...66-74-67-67—274
(-13)
Brad Hopfinger...65-73-67-70—275
(-12)
Brian Campbell...66-73-68-69—276
Jake Knapp...71-70-67-68—276
Logan McAllister...71-69-71-65—276
Ryan McCormick...68-70-69-69—276
Patrick Newcomb...72-67-67-70—276
Isaiah Salinda...71-65-67-73—276
David Skinns...66-68-72-70—276
Josh Teater...71-71-64-70—276
Thomas Walsh...70-68-69-69—276
Vincent Whaley...71-71-67-67—276
(-11)
Matt Atkins...67-71-71-68—277
Davis Chatfield...71-71-67-68—277
Martin Flores...67-69-69-72—277
(-10)
Brandon Crick...69-68-71-70—278
Christopher Gotterup...69-70-69-70—278
Spencer Levin...66-73-70-69—278
Christopher Petefish...69-69-70-70—278
Jimmy Stanger...66-71-69-72—278
Scott Stevens...68-73-69-68—278
Dawie Van Der Walt...71-69-69-69—278
(-9)
Joshua Creel...67-72-66-74—279
Roberto Diaz...68-72-69-70—279
Carter Jenkins...71-71-69-68—279
Ben Kohles...69-68-72-70—279
Pontus Nyholm...69-71-71-68—279
(-8)
Taylor Dickson...70-72-66-72—280
Max Greyserman...68-74-69-69—280
Nelson Lautaro Ledesma...66-71-75-68—280
(-7)
Colin Featherstone...68-74-69-70—281
Tommy Gainey...73-69-69-70—281
Cole Hammer...67-71-70-73—281
Bo Hoag...69-73-68-71—281
Vince India...67-72-70-72—281
Chan Kim...68-69-71-73—281
Joel Thelen...69-71-72-69—281
Kevin Velo...69-73-67-72—281
Hayden Wood...71-69-72-69—281
Andrew Yun...68-69-72-72—281
(-6)
Rhein Gibson...70-71-68-73—282
Grant Hirschman...70-70-71-71—282
Brendon Jelley ...69-73-70-70—282
Daniel Miernicki...73-69-69-71—282
Sam Saunders...67-73-69-73—282
Daniel Summerhays...70-72-72-68—282
(-5)
Ben Silverman...68-71-71-73—283
(-4)
Peter Knade...70-72-69-73—284
David Kocher...68-74-71-71—284
Jamie Lovemark...68-74-69-73—284
Tom Whitney...71-71-75-67—284
(-3)
John Augenstein...64-75-76-70—285
Quade Cummins...72-68-71-74—285
Andrew Kozan...70-72-71-72—285
Jack Maguire...69-73-71-72—285
(-2)
Patrick Cover...68-74-72-72—286
Joey Garber...70-70-70-76—286
Alex Weiss ...74-67-71-74—286
Joseph Winslow...68-70-72-76—286
(Even)
Paul Barjon...69-72-75-72—288
(+3)
Wade Binfield...70-72-76-73—291