Tiger and Butch

Woods' relationship with swing instructor Butch Harmon goes back to his days before he turned pro. It was Harmon who helped Woods retool his swing in 1998 to become more consistent, and Woods has won seven major championships since. Apparently, however, Woods believes Harmon has taken him as far as he can. While not going so far as to say their relationship has ended, Woods did acknowledge Sunday that Harmon will no longer have such a big presence. "Every player, as you get a little bit better and you understand your own mechanics, you understand your game, you don't rely on a teacher quite as often,'' Woods said. "That's what has transpired with me. "I still need Butch, yes, but not as much as I used to, because I've got a better understanding of my own game and of the faults that I have, and how to fix them. Ball flight never lies, I know what the cure is for a lot of my faults that I have while I'm playing, and that's the whole idea. But Butch, he's got a great eye for the swing, there's no denying that.'' Harmon had not been seen with Woods on the driving range during the week. In fact, he walked on to the range Sunday with Justin Leonard, another of his pupils, and there was no conversation with Woods. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Harmon's impact on Woods cannot be denied. But perhaps he has become too big. Woods does not like sideshows, and Harmon has profited nicely from the relationship. How both are affected remains to be seen.

Of course not. What's good for the game isn't necessarily good for Woods. Winning is what's good for Woods.

But his failure to capture the PGA Championship on Sunday is not a bad thing, either. It might have been a negative for him, but not for the game.

Woods was unable to capture his ninth major championship, which would have put him halfway to Jack Nicklaus' record total of 18 professional majors. Instead, Woods took his first step toward another remarkable Nicklaus feat: 19-runner up finishes in majors.

There was no Grand Slam, no U.S. Slam, either. A Grand Slam run was welcomed when Woods captured the Masters in April and the U.S. Open in June, both by three shots, both by taking the 54-hole lead and never letting anyone get near him.

Then came the buildup to the British Open, the talk of a calendar year Grand Slam, the inevitable comparisons to Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, the last players with a chance to capture the year's first three majors.

Those talks were blown away during a stormy third-round 81 at Muirfield, Woods' highest score as a pro.

After Tiger's breakdown at the British the PGA Championship predictably lost some of its luster, leaving another potential feat overlooked: Woods was looking to become the first person to win three majors in a year twice. Only Ben Hogan in 1953 and Woods in 2000 had accomplished the feat.

Again, Woods was unable to come through, this time coming up a shot short to unheralded Rich Beem, who played the golf of his life while Woods charged home with four straight birdies on Sunday. Great stuff, really.

And it should only help to enhance the game.

Woods needs rivals, to be sure, and if the game can't produce those, it at least has the feel-good story of Beem or the possibility that British Open champion Ernie Els could emerge as a challenger on a more consistent basis.

"Let's face it, we are playing in the era of one of the greatest players ever, maybe the greatest when he's done with his career," Els said. "When you have a player with that kind of talent, he's going to win a lot of golf tournaments. He's very focused. His swing is very sound. He's got everything going for him and he's got a lot of confidence.

But who would have thought of Beem, who just a few years ago was selling cell phones? Not even Woods' final-round 67, including those four straight birdies at the finish, could topple Beem, who was ranked 73rd in the world entering the tournament.

But he, like Bob May, is proof that such performances lurk at every turn. Two years ago, May nearly stole the PGA Championship from Woods, taking him to a playoff before falling. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour.

Beem never flinched Sunday, perhaps showing a few of the top-ranked players a thing or two about standing up to Woods. Don't think about him, he said. Worry about yourself.

Any concerns about a dropoff in interest at the PGA were alleviated when Woods was in contention. The tournament's Sunday ratings on CBS were the second highest for the championship since 1986, topped only by Woods' historic 2000 victory.

Woods gets people in front of their television sets, and even when he loses, that is a good thing. Now a whole new crowd of people know about a different kind of golfer named Rich Beem.

And they can hope for a Grand Slam next year.

Perks
Had a few more putts dropped, had he avoided a double bogey at the eighth hole, Chris Riley may have been celebrating a lot more than a third-place finish. Still, with a final-round 70, Riley, 28, earned a trip to next year's Masters. There were other ways for him to qualify, but the top-four finish at the PGA Championship secured the invitation.

"The Masters is the hardest major to get into, and it'll be a dream come true to play at Augusta,'' said Riley, who finished five strokes back of Beem. "It is the pinnacle. It will be great. . . . I have never been in an experience like this. It is a tremendous feeling. It is something you can't describe.''

Ryder fallout
If PGA Championship form is any indicator of performance in the Ryder Cup, the European team is in trouble. Only four members of the 12-man squad made the cut at the PGA: Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Pierre Fulke and Bernhard Langer. The eight who missed the cut were a combined 77 over par.

The Americans had eight of their team members make it. The four who missed: Paul Azinger, David Toms, Scott Verplank and Scott Hoch. The Ryder Cup is Sept. 27-29 in Sutton Coldfield, England.