Top 10 Better Excuses For Jim Furyk to Miss His Pro-Am Tee Time

Entering the first week of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the Barclays, Jim Furyk had to be feeling pretty good about his chances. He was positioned 3rd in the standings and was coming off a respectable showing at the PGA (T-24).

Practice went well Monday and Tuesday at Ridgewood C.C. across the river from New York. But when Wednesday rolled around, Jim Furyk found himself relegated back to junior high school and telling the teacher, "but the dog ate my homework."

Actually, Furyk said his cell phone lost power overnight and the alarm didn't go off, but you get the picture.

Picture also Furyk scurrying to the golf course sans belt and socks and with his shoes untied. I'm guessing he forgot to brush his teeth too.

Thanks to a 2004 change in PGA Tour policy, players are obligated to show up, and show up on time, for their Wednesday pro-am tee times. Before then there became quite the problem of "dog ate my homework" excuses as to why players couldn't play the pro-am. But with big bucks forked over by amateurs for those coveted playing spots on Wednesday, the tour was forced to find a way to ensure pros showed up.

The penalty for tardiness? Disqualification. That's right, Jim Furyk, #3 in the FedEx Cup Standings going into the playoffs, was DQ'd for being five minutes late to the 7:35 A.M. shotgun start.

Too severe of a penalty you say? Well maybe if he would have used one of these excuses, the tour would have let him slide.

The Top 10 better excuses Jim Furyk should have used for missing his Wednesday morning Pro-Am tee time*:

1. I contracted the H1N1 virus overnight...but I'll be better by Thursday.
   
   


2. Stayed up too late last night watching Murder, She Wrote re-runs. That Jessica Fletcher is some kind of sleuth!
   
   


3. Lost all my belongings in a Skip-Bo tournament to Steve Stricker.
   
   


4. Ian Poulter dropped by, declared my attire a fashion disaster, and stole all of my clothes!
   
   


5. C'mon, my pro-am partners suck!




6. Sorry, but I couldn't pass up breakfast at the Waffle House.
   


7. I was too busy reading the local rules posted on the mirrors inside the locker room. Kind of important stuff, don't ya think?




8. I thought "tea time" was traditionally in the afternoon?




9. I was helping Tiger find a date.




10. Didn't realize New York style coney dogs would have that effect on my intestinal system.

* with contributions from Rhiannon Redding.

Another Ship Sinks Near the Shores of Lake Michigan

Finally, a major that had an abundance of what the last two lacked - Drama! Three-hole aggregate playoff between the confident, young German, Martin Kaymer, and the wild, bomber Bubba Watson, who just last week at Firestone was happy to have made a cut that didn't actually exist.

Then there was the controversial sand trap penalty which cost long-hitting Dustin Johnson two strokes and a shot at the Wanamaker Trophy. While Kaymer and Watson sat patiently in the clubhouse waiting to see if three's company, Johnson could only listen in disbelief as he was informed of his infraction.

Few would have blamed Johnson if he had put his fist through a locker room wall, but by all accounts, the South Carolinian was the perfect gentleman. Those who know him well would have expected nothing less.

Ultimately, Johnson's mistake was his own. Painful to watch for the fans, and twice as painful for Johnson himself, he or his caddie should have taken more time sizing up the shot and the situation. Chalk it up to youth. Chalk it up to the pressure of the 72nd hole of a major championship. But know this. Had that been Phil Mickelson, or Tiger Woods, or Padraig Harrington, or Jim Furyk in that "bunker," they would have taken every precaution before deciding on what situation they were in and what was required. They would have called a rules official over for a clarification. They would have waited until Pete Dye himself came out to give a ruling.

Yes, there is certainly enough blame to go around. But ultimately, the blame rests with Johnson, and once the moment has passed and the reality of what happened settles in, I'm sure he'll be the first to shoulder that blame, learn from it, and be ready for his next shot at major glory in April.

PGA Picks - Will Questions Be Answered?

Rarely have we gone into the season's final major with so much uncertainty and so many questions looming.

• What's wrong with Tiger, and is this the beginning of the end?
• Can Phil Mickelson finally take over the World No. 1 ranking, or will Wisconsin native Steve Stricker claim the top spot in his home state?
• Is Tiger a lock for the Ryder Cup team? If not, will Captain Cory Pavin use one of his four picks on a player desperately trying to find his game?
• Remember Sergio Garcia? Just two years ago, the 30 year old Spaniard was contending for the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills and would have won a FedEx Cup Playoff event if Vijay Singh hadn't drained a 40 ft putt to force extra holes. Now he's planning on taking two months off after this week. Isn't it a waste of time to even play this major?
• And most importantly, as we prepare for the 92nd PGA Championship, are there really over 1200 bunkers at Whistling Straits? And if so...why?

The answer to that last question is perhaps the easiest. Yes there are. Because the course was built over an abandoned air field on the shores of Lake Michigan. The place was already pretty sandy. And mainly, because course architect Pete Dye thought it would help present a stunning visual display. From what the players have said all week, it appears he was right.

The other questions are a bit more perplexing. Yes Tiger is struggling and finally admitted at his Tuesday press conference that he's at a low point. But this is still a guy who has been in contention at some point in every major this year. It seems silly to call Tiger a long shot to win any golf tournament, but coming off last week's abysmal performance at the Bridgestone, I don't hear too many experts picking him to win, or even contend for that matter. But if his putter somehow gets hot, the winds begin to swirl over the shores of Lake Michigan, and Tiger can manage to pull together his focus for these next four days, he might pull the shocker of the year.

But with Tiger looking more like me out there than the Tiger we're used to, and Mickelson looking like anything but the guy who won the Masters in April, will we see the trend continue of first time major winners this year like McDowell at the U.S. Open and Louis (Louis) Oosthuizen at the Open? I think we just might.

Here are my PGA Championship picks:

• 1st Round Fizzle -- KJ Choi - That's right, "Polar" Choi has a habit of showing up in big time events, only to fizzle away on the weekend. He'll lead after round 1, but slowly move back to the middle of the pack.
• Darkhorse -- Darren Clarke - Clarke has been playing well in Europe this season and is hungry for a major. He'd also desperately love to win this tournament AND play himself on to Europe's Ryder Cup team. Look for some good golf out of DC.
• Contender -- It seems Rory McIlroy is the poster child for this category at every Major he plays in from now until he wins one. He loves playing links-style courses and could shoot a low score like he did in the first round of the Open at St. Andrews. If conditions get tough and scores stay around par, fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington could be a threat come Sunday, especially with his scrambling skills and hot putter as of late.
• Winner -- A man who's been in contention for almost every major the past two seasons, and a recent winner of the 3 Irish Open, Ross Fisher will continue the trend of first time major winners and hoist the Wanamaker Trophy Sunday evening by the the shores of Lake Michigan. If his driving and putting are on like they were at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club two weeks ago, Fisher should be able to strategically plod his way around the dunes and fescue of Whistling Straits and become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1996 to win a major and the first ever to win the PGA Championship.

Now, tell me your picks...

The 2010 PGA Championship from Whistling Straits

The first major championship I went to was the PGA at Oakland Hills two years ago. I remember that week like it just happened. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the Wednesday practice round as well as Thursday's round and Sunday's round.

This was the last major of the season and 2008 had already given us the Tiger vs. Rocco duel at Torrey Pines and the Royal Birkdale British Open where Padraig Harrington clinched back-to-back Open championships with a 5w on the 17th that many called the shot of the year.

Having been to the Buick Open just the month before, I thought I knew what to expect. But this was completely different. The world's greatest players were there: Harrington, Mickelson, Villegas, Kim, Sergio, Poulter, Stricker. The atmosphere, even at Wednesday's practice round, was electric. The PGA Championship is the last major of the year. Glory's final shot. Players have to wait eight, long months to have another go at a major.

Oakland Hills, the "monster" as Ben Hogan dubbed it after the 1951 U.S. Open, lived up to its name and reputation as Padraig Harrington won his second major in a row. The course played extremely tough, like a U.S. Open course, and par was a great score on any hole as birdie opportunities were few and far between. This year's PGA at Whistling Straits (WI) on the shores of Lake Michigan holds the same promise of the world's top players trying to tame a very difficult, windswept course.

Normally, Tiger Woods goes into every tournament he plays as the odds on favorite to win. But this is Tiger Woods A.E. (after Elin) and times they have a changed. Phil Mickelson, despite his disaster of a closing round at Firestone, appears to be the favorite in most circles. Rory McIlroy also looks to be a favorite, especially playing on a links style course like those he grew up playing in Northern Ireland. Lee Westwood, so close to breaking through the door for his first major victory recently, is sidelined with a calf injury and will not compete.

Perhaps one of the young guns like Bridgestone winner Hunter Mahan or Open Champ Louis Oosthuizen will surprise everyone.

Whether it be a superstar like Mickelson or Harrington, a World Top 10 looking for his breakthrough like Poulter or Casey, or a young gun like Mahan or McIlroy looking to take advantage of a tamed Tiger, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits promises to be full of drama on one of golf's grandest stages.

Tap-Ins - WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After round 1 of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, a guy named Bubba (Watson) was the leader at 6 under par. Leading a prestigious golf tournament like the Bridgestone is a great achievement, but ol' Bubba had other goals coming in besides winning.

"I'm just trying to make the cut," admitted Bubba while being interviewed by a Golf Channel reporter after his round.

That would seem a realistic goal for a major championship type tournament on a tough course like Firestone. But there's just one problem Bubba. There is no cut at this tournament.

"Well, perfect then. I made it."

Yes Bubba, you made it. And here's another newsflash - you're winning.

For a seven time winner of this tournament, Tiger Woods played as though he had never even played a practice round on the course. A four over first round of 74 left Tiger with not much to smile or joke about. Scowls, spitting, and self-chastisement were common scenes Thursday.

But he did manage to find some humor in the day after a rare birdie at the 17th.

http://www.pgatour.com/video/?/video/?/video/video/pga-tour/highlights/2010/08/05/mine_10bridgestone_rnd1_17_2nd_brd_woods.pgatour

If only Tiger could find more joy and amusement in his rounds, perhaps his play would follow.