Furyk all about business in Fort Worth  PGATOUR.com Correspondent FORT WORTH, Texas -- He has a way of keeping it all in perspective. 
Whether he's laughing at himself, dealing with the attention that comes with being one of the top players in the game, being leapfrogged by Phil Mickelson in the world rankings or just remembering the good old days when he hit the game winning shot for Manheim Township in his home state of Pennsylvania, Jim Furyk just takes it as it comes. Then delivers a little self-deprecating humor to get you chuckling. Take that shot. He was a junior, the shot fell with a few seconds to go -- his biggest non-golf sports thrill -- and then he got pulled for the final two seconds of a one-point victory against Lebanon High and future NFL star Kerry Collins. "I guess,'' he said, "I wasn't the defensive stopper they were looking for.'' Ironically, he spent the game defending Collins. "He was the freshman, so I had to guard him all game,'' Furyk said. "Until I got to watch the last 2 seconds from the bench." Low key outside, tough inside. A technician. A dad. A guy who's comfortable in his own skin. And that swing? Old news. We've grown accustomed to its quirks after all these years, although who doesn't love to use the octopus-falling-from-the-tree line from David Feherty? Which brings us to Colonial Country Club, Furyk's first stop since falling from second in the world to third. To be fair, he got jumped. A high 9.0 vault by Mickelson with that win at THE PLAYERS Championship. And he knew it was coming. Mickelson's been playing great, Furyk's been mediocre -- his terms -- for the past few months. "I wish I was playing great golf and he was just playing better,'' Furyk said. ". . . haven't been scoring really well. I haven't been getting the ball in the hole. I haven't been doing the things I needed to do to score well.'' If it's not one thing, it's another. Isn't it always in golf? "There are weeks where I hit it really well, and I putted just awful,'' he said. "The Masters comes to mind where I finished 13th or something. I could have hit it better left-handed on some holes. There are some weeks where mentally, I was very poor. Wachovia comes to mind where I forced the issue and tried to do too much. ". . . .Honestly, I just haven't put it all together.'' When he does? Well, there's that U.S. Open title from 2003 followed by several years of strong play that pushed him to the No. 2 spot behind Tiger Woods last year. And, yes, it was a huge leap. "I was amazed at the amount of media attention it drew,'' he said. "Whether it was from the media, the fans (demanding more of his time). It was amazing how much it seemed to matter to other people. ''
So much so, he said his management team estimated the requests once he went to No. 2 were five to 10 times what they were when he won the Open. Later, he admitted he cut the number in half. "They actually said twenty fold,'' he said. "I would rather win one U.S. Open than be ranked No. 2 in the world ever in my life, let alone for 50 weeks or 50 years. So I guess maybe this is a breath of fresh air.'' No, he's not complaining. Although he's still getting attention here at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial since he's the only top-10 player in the field. It doesn't hurt either that he's got four top-10 finishes here in 11 tries. Or that he loves this golf course. "I always have,'' he said. "It's probably my favorite course to play and probably my favorite tournament and I like Fort Worth.'' This year, the course is lush, thanks to spring frogstranglers, as we say in Texas, the last month and thicker rough. It's a different look for the course, but it will still be a tough test -- one of accuracy, placement and the ability to bend it both ways off the tees. "You don't have to drive the ball as far, which makes the golf course play a touch longer, but it also makes it easier.'' Which could play into Furyk's hands. Furyk started the year strong with three consecutive top-six finishes on the West Coast, then lost to Chad Campbell at the WGC-Accenture Match Play. "I was 6 under and went into overtime with Chad Campbell,'' he said. "There's nothing you can do about that. Just pat him on the back and wish him luck.'' See what we mean? He's comfortable with his ampersand swing, his rapidly receding hairline and those what-can-a-guy-do blips. And being No. 3. "I'm not going to get upset about it,'' he said. What he is doing is working hard to get his game back where it was earlier. And he'd like to round into form soon since the U.S. Open is less than a month away and he did live in Pittsburgh for a while. But no, there's no Oakmont experience to draw on from back then. "I didn't play it very often from the ages of three to seven,'' he chuckled. And, he hasn't seen it since the late 90s. "I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it without the trees,'' he said of the changes. "I know they added some distance -- what course actually hasn't maybe except for Colonial? So it's all new. I'm anxious to see it. It's always very difficult, very penal and as we all know, they like to see it that way.'' Furyk does plan to drop in for a look at the course sometime after this week and before the Open, but he's not saying when. Right now, what matters is venerable Colonial CC, where Ben Hogan ran the tables five times. And another chance to get his game back on track. And a chance to win his 13th PGA TOUR tournament. And work his way back to No. 2? Nah. If it happens, great, but that doesn't really matter. Wins do. "I'm comfortable with who I am, and where I stand and what I'm trying to accomplish,'' he said earlier. "The rest of it just doesn't matter." |
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