Furyk won't be reading the papers in Ohio this week

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Someone asked Jim Furyk last week at the RBC Canadian Open whether he found it refreshing to see golf stories about someone other than Tiger Woods.

"You actually assume that I read," Furyk said to laughter.

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Jim Furyk -- still looking for his first '08 TOUR win -- won't be letting the media affect his play this week.

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On the fringe

Only he wasn't kidding.

Furyk said he goes out of his way to avoid newspaper coverage at golf tournaments because there is nothing to gain.

"If something positive is written about you, I guess you can either ignore it or your head can get big," he said. "If something is negative about you, which happens quite a bit, then that can just (tick) you off, and that's not all that good."

Furyk figures he knows the score and doesn't need to read about what's going on.

"I have a great relationship, in my opinion, with the media. I feel like I've been treated fairly," Furyk said. "But I think you all would be surprised at how little I pay attention."

But he does read. His favorite items are Q&As in a magazine.

"I love quotes because I like to see what guys had to say," he said.

EARLY RISER: Pat Perez is starting his day about the same time it used to end.

Perez had a miserable experience at the Open Championship, opening with an 82 in the worst of weather and punctuating the round by criticizing himself, the weather and just about everything else at Royal Birkdale.

Lost in his outburst was that he was up at 3:30 a.m. every day to stay true to his new fitness routine with trainer Joey Diovisalvi. Even with a 6:41 a.m. tee time the first day, he didn't miss his time in the gym.

"I just wanted to get in shape and play better," Perez said. "Joey is intense. He's tough, but he wants 110 percent from every workout."

Perez figures he has been wasting his talent -- a message has been preaching to John Daly -- and at least wants to give himself a chance.

DUPLANTIS TRUST: Jim Furyk is in the middle of four straight tournaments in three countries, but he still found time to play in a charity outing in Canada on Monday and serve as the host during a dinner on Tuesday.

The outing was for Steve DuPlantis, the Canadian caddie who was killed while crossing the street at the Buick Invitational in January. The idea was to raise money for a trust fund for DuPlantis' daughter, Sierra.

"The reason I played on Monday was because it was the right thing to do and because I talked to the family and I told them I'd be there," Furyk said. "We had a great time."

Furyk said Royal Bank of Canada donated $50,000 to the trust.

DIVOTS: Ten players in their 20s have won on the PGA TOUR this year, with Chez Reavie the latest at the RBC Canadian Open. ... Friday is the deadline to apply for tickets to the U.S. Open next year at Bethpage Black. A random drawing will be held later in August. The U.S. Open has been a sellout the last 22 years. ... Will MacKenzie withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open to be with his wife, who gave birth to their first child. Maverick Noah MacKenzie was born Saturday evening, presumably with a snowboard attached to his feet. ... Research out of Purdue University reveals that golfers who play well are more likely to see the hole as larger than those who play poorly. This breakthrough has been published in June edition of Psychonomic Bulletin and Review journal.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Eighteen players have finished second behind Tiger Woods in the World Golf Championships.

FINAL WORD: "It's as quick as you'll ever see, considering we're not in Georgia with a lot of hills." -- Stuart Appleby, comparing the greens at Firestone Country Club with Augusta National.