The Week: Rock-solid Success

After a win at the Buick, Jim Furyk has the PGA, and more, in sight

By Alan Shipnuck

Furyk didn't celebrate until the 72nd hole, but he set up his win by dusting Woods in the third round. Rebecca Cook/Reuters GOLF PLUS EXTRA Big Play: Bryan Gathright TRUST ME The PGA will be the year's best major, again. A rainy Masters ended with an X, the U.S. Open was a snooze and the British was defined by collapses, including four bogeys on the champ's back nine. NEXT UP PGA Tour: The International Champions Tour: 3M Championship LPGA Tour: Wendy's Championship for Children PGA European Tour: Nordic Open INSTANT POLL Which 2003 major was the best? The Masters The U.S. Open The British Open The PGA View Results

Saturdays rarely provide definitive performances in golf, but Jim Furyk, he of the idiosyncratic swing and quirky preshot routine, is not a player bound by convention. During the third round of last week's Buick Open, Furyk shot a 65 to his playing partner Tiger Woods's 69 to take a one-stroke lead and set up his second victory of the summer. More impressive than the numbers on Furyk's scorecard was his demeanor. He not only outplayed Woods but also out-cooled him. Tuning out the antics of an enormous crowd that was openly rooting for Woods, the defending champ, Furyk was completely comfortable and confident.

As he effortlessly navigated his way around Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, in Grand Blanc, Mich., it looked as if par was the worst score Furyk could make, in stark contrast to Woods, who was fighting his swing and putting stroke all day. Afterward Furyk was impressively blasé. "I don't think it really matters that much," he said of showing up Woods. "I wanted to go out and get a low number, and whether I'm playing with Tiger Woods or someone else, it doesn't make that much of a difference."

Furyk's studly Saturday and his calculating 68 on Sunday to close out the victory confirmed his standing as the scariest opponent in golf. As he displayed with his ruthlessly efficient win at the U.S. Open in June, there are no big numbers in his game, which can't be said about Woods or, for that matter, Ernie Els or Davis Love III or Phil Mickelson or any of the other long hitters against whom Furyk is supposed to be overmatched. In an era obsessed with length, he has something more important -- reliability. His game is built on straight driving and conservative shotmaking, a low-frills approach that works on any course. The first two rounds of the Buick were rare occasions when Furyk's iron game was less than precise, so he relied on his fabulous wedge game and one of the purest putting strokes in golf. He found his swing on the weekend, hitting 34 of 36 greens in regulation.

With all the weight training Woods has done, he's looking more and more like a martini glass, but the lanky Furyk has in abundance the crucial body parts you can't see: heart, guts and brains. Woods's aura is much discussed, but it is Furyk who is undefeated in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup singles, with a combined 4-0-1 record.

Enjoying what he calls "definitely my best year," Furyk picked up $720,000 with his victory, vaulting him to second on the money list, a mere $400,000 behind Woods. With 11 other top 10 finishes to go with his two wins, Furyk may now be the favorite in an already crowded player-of-the-year race, though next week's PGA Championship will go a long way toward determining the final outcome. In that regard Oak Hill is a perfect venue for Furyk. It is a tough, relentless course where par is always a great score. When the 1989 U.S. Open was played there, two under was the winning number, while at the '56 Open, plus-one prevailed. At the '95 Ryder Cup, the course earned the nickname Choke Hill, and not because it gave up a lot of cheap birdies.

Woods, Love, Els, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh and David Toms -- all majorless, multiple winners this year -- will have to win the PGA to have any shot at usurping POY from Furyk or Masters champ Mike Weir. Asked last week if it's possible to win the award without winning a major, Woods said, "It's hard. We proved that in '98. [David] Duval had a better year than [Mark] O'Meara with more wins, more top 10s, better stroke average and first on the money list, but he did not win the player of the year award."

Furyk was typically low-key about potentially being the golfer of the year, saying it would be nothing more than "icing on the cake." After making a meal out of Woods and the rest of the Buick Open field, Furyk ought to allow himself the thought of his just deserts.

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