Where are the American Express commercials when you need them? Jim Furyk's spot might sound a little like this:
Do you know me? I'm a 20-something golfer with 12 top-10s a year ago, including top-fives in the Masters, the British Open and Tour Championship.
I earned more than $2 million last season, only the fourth golfer in PGA Tour history to do so.
Playing 101 rounds in 1998, I averaged 69.50 strokes.
Third in money, fourth in scoring, ninth in putting, sixth all-around. With a win and a President's Cup spot.
Do you know Jim Furyk? Well, why not?
When the cluster of Generation Next golfers gets mentioned, invariably the 28-year-old Furyk finds himself outside the discussion.
Others ramble on about the rivalry between Tiger Woods and David Duval, the fortitude of Ernie Els and Justin Leonard, the superstar potential of Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood. Yet they forget Furyk, probably because he's more consistent than he is victorious.
``My goals each year are just to improve,'' said Furyk, who broke a 32-month victory drought with his win in Las Vegas in October.
``I want to be better this December than I was last December. I never go into a year saying I've got to win three golf tournaments, or I've got to win this or that major, because that's so short-term. Let's say that it actually happens. Then what? Where do you go from there?
``That's why I don't set numeric goals. I figure that the better I get, the more attention I'll receive. They go hand in hand.''
We all might know more about the Forgotten Furyk and his octopus-falling-out-of-a-tree swing had it not been for three water balls during last year's Masters.
A quick replay: Furyk hummed along innocently enough on a wind-swept Thursday until he found the pond at 11 and Rae's Creek at 12. Double bogey on both holes and a first-day 76.
``That looked a whole lot worse that it was,'' Furyk said. ``Two swings there can ruin your round.''
Making the turn on Friday, Furyk stood 6-over. But he would play his final 45 holes in 13-under-par.
Paired with Duval on Sunday, Furyk nudged himself into contention with birdies at 8, 9 and 10. A birdie at 13 pushed him two shots behind leader Duval.
So Furyk went for the 15th green in two, pulling out his 3-wood when in reality a 4-wood would have worked fine. Trying to hit a high fade, he hit a hard draw, one that bounced from the green and into the 16th's pond for a momentum-crushing bogey.
He rallied somewhat, with a laser shot on 16 to set up birdie, followed by another birdie at 17. A putt at 18 could have boosted him to 8-under, tying him with Duval and Fred Couples.
``A lot of things didn't go my way that week, and I was still right there,'' Furyk said of his personal-best fourth-place finish.
``I played well in the middle. I learned a little more about the course, and a little more about my confidence there.''
It was Furyk's fourth consecutive top-10 finish in a major, a streak last matched by Nick Faldo in 1989-90 and Tom Watson in 1982-83.
``I never felt like Augusta was my most comfortable event,'' Furyk said. ``I don't really like to go right-to-left. It favors long hitters, and I don't hit it very long. And it requires irons that are high and soft, and that's not me either.''
He enters this year's event not exactly comfortable with his game. At Bay Hill, Furyk tested eight drivers hoping to find the best club for length. While one of the tour's most accurate off the tee, he ranks in the 150s in distance.
Chip shots: Jim Furyk
Furyk's father, Mike, has been his only swing instructor.
Consistent Furyk stays outside the limelight 
