• Fred Funk has turned the corner on his summer putting problems thanks to his wife, Sharon, who suggested that the new member of the Champions Tour turn the right hand on his claw-type grip underneath the club. “I don’t know why, but it works. I’ve stopped pulling everything,” Funk said.

• Think guys don’t care about their golf after the major championship season? Jim Furyk and Ernie Els both hit the practice putting green after their finals rounds in the PGA at Medinah. Furyk had 35 putts Sunday and Els 30.

• Speaking of Furyk, the former U.S. Open champion earned the last qualifying spot for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf with Woods winning his second major title of the year at Medinah. Furyk earned the final spot by leading the major champions points list, while Els and Mike Weir were second and third.

• Vijay Singh missed consecutive cuts in majors for the first time since falling short at the 1994 PGA and the ’95 Masters. Only once before in his career had he missed cuts in two majors in a season.

• Colin Montgomerie has decided to skip this week’s event in Akron to appear in a made-for-TV event in Wales. Monty is joining Catherine Zeta-Jones and other celebrities in the All-Star Cup at Celtic Manor, site of the 2010 Ryder Cup -- where he could well be the European team captain.

• Two-time PGA champion Nick Price, who competed in his first PGA since 2002 last week at Medinah, is entered in the Reno-Tahoe Open for the first time. He is one of seven former major winners in the field, joining David Duval, Rich Beem, Larry Mize, Mark Brooks, Shaun Micheel, and Steve Elkington.

TI’s power ranking for the WGC-Bridgestone Championship: 1. Tiger Woods, 2. Lee Westwood, 3. Fred Couples, 4. Stewart Cink, 5. Geoff Ogilvy.

TI’s power ranking for the Reno-Tahoe Open: 1. Woody Austin, 2. David Duval, 3. Pat Perez, 4. Joe Durant, 5. Ian Leggatt.

Parting shot: “We all want success in this game, and we all want it yesterday.” – former PGA TOUR winner Charles Howell III.