Philip Reid talks to a player whose modest profile belies his consistency and elevated status in the rankings

Jim Furyk must feel like the odd man out. Slowly, but stealthily, he has manoeuvred his way to number three in the official world rankings. Only Tiger and Phil are ahead of him. But only rarely does it seem that the guy with the goofy, loopy swing and the cross-handed putting grip gets the credit his status in the sport would seem to merit.

Why should it be? He's intelligent and articulate, with keen observations on the game he plays so well.

Is it to do with charisma? With looks? Who knows for sure, but one thing is certain: Furyk, with nine top-10 finishes including a win in 18 outings on tour so far this season, is a player capable of giving anyone, including Woods and Mickelson, a run for his money.

The anonymous life seems to suit him, though.

"I'm happy with where I stand in the world of golf," he said. "Whether or not I show up on TV every week versus Tiger or Phil or whoever it may be is not important to me. The guys who get more attention than me are deserving of it and are obviously great players. I get my due (attention)."

If Woods is the hottest player in the game, Furyk isn't too far behind. It's just that while Woods fist-pumps and bonds with the galleries, Furyk does things in his own, quiet but effective way.

Although he has won only once on tour this season, beating Trevor Immelman in the Wachovia Championship May, his last four tournaments have seen a run of second-fourth-fourth-second. Two of those finishes came in majors; he finished runner-up in the US Open at Winged Foot and fourth in the British Open at Hoylake.

Furyk, a one-time major winner in the 2003 US Open on the other side of Chicago at Olympia Fields, has been around the block often enough to know there is no point looking back on what might have been at Winged Foot (particularly) or Hoylake.

"To get close, obviously you're frustrated, because not getting over the hump is tough. It stings initially, but I actually got over it quickly . . . getting close is part of golf. It's tough, but as time goes on, you draw a lot of positives from it and think back to how well you played. You know, I think you can only draw a positive from that."

Given his consistency this season, and especially in recent months, Furyk enters Medinah with confidence high. The PGA is a title that, thus far, has eluded the 36-year-old but he has numbered four top-10 finishes in his previous 11 appearances in the season's final major. He led after the first round in Hazeltine in 2002, only to eventually finish ninth.

Could this be his year? Certainly, he likes the course (despite it playing 7,561 yards, making it the longest in a major championship) and the way it has been set up.

"There's some tough holes. It's always an advantage to have length and to be able to hit the ball far and high and to spin the ball and have some options. But there's still a lot more important things on this golf course. You have to drive the ball extremely well, and the greens are very severe from back to front on a lot of them. You have to put the ball underneath the pin to give yourself some opportunities.

"I would love to be 20 yards longer, but usually at majors, length isn't an important factor."