Loose Impediments

Tiger's Three-Week Strategy

After Tiger Woods' slow start in the U.S. Open followed by a flameout in the British Open, the conventional wisdom is that he wasn't tournament-ready when the bell rang on Thursday. And while Tiger likes to say that he just wants to be in the mix down the stretch, an examination of his major championship performances shows that the first round is crucial in determining whether he wins. The numbers, after the jump, show why.

Photoshop: Don't Leave Home Without It

So what's the deal with the American Express ad that was featured on pga.com's leader board on Thursday? (Click the image to see a larger version.)

It looks like one of those "count the mistakes" games. First, Jim Furyk's head is huge—we're talking Easter Island statue. Second, even considering the foreshortened perspective, his driver shaft is about as short as 5-foot-1 Tadd Fujikawa's putter.

Three out of Four Ain't Bad

The career Grand Slam is one of the most elite milestones in sport, rarer than the 60-home-run season, single-year tennis Grand Slam or undefeated NCAA basketball national champion. Only five players have won golf's career Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. (And only Nicklaus and Woods have won each of the four majors more than once—three times over, in fact.)

Move Over, Rocco

Since the U.S. Open, Rocco Mediate has been living the life of a major champion. "Walking to dinner last night," he said on the eve of the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, "one guy stopped the car on the street, sent his son over. I signed the autograph and he got back in the car. It was kind of freaky, actually.

"It's different, totally different. It was hard, especially the week or two after. I don't think I slept hardly at all."