Furyk and Weir get a feel for the major club

SANDWICH, England -- Jim Furyk strolled off No. 18 at Royal St. George's, hanging a left toward the putting green to get in a little more practice.

Not so fast, Mr. Major Champion.

Furyk was quickly surrounded Tuesday by a horde of British Open fans. Autograph seekers came at him with pens drawn. His pace slowed, coming to a halt several times as he paused to pose for pictures.

"I don't skate through the crowd or get through the media quite as quickly as I used to," said Furyk, who claimed his first major title at the U.S. Open last month. "My days are a little longer."

Mike Weir knows the feeling. The left-handed Canadian entered this strange new world back in April by winning the Masters in a playoff. During a practice round this week, a broadcast crew had the audacity to stop him right on the course for an interview.

All this new attention has taken some getting used to.

"I'm a little guarded because I know my formula for success, what helps me feel comfortable," Weir said. "If I don't get that accomplished, maybe I get a little ornery."

While Tiger Woods still gets most of the attention, Furyk and Weir are the ones who claimed the first two major titles of 2003. Now, everyone is anxiously awaiting the fallout from their landmark victories.

Will they follow in the footsteps of a guy such as Jack Fleck, who won his first major at the 1955 U.S. Open -- beating Ben Hogan, no less -- and was never heard from again? Or, can we expect a few more major titles from this interminably linked duo, who were born on the same day in 1970?

No pressure, says Weir

From Weir's point of view, the pressure is off. He's certainly playing like it, finishing third in his last three events -- including the U.S. Open -- to establish himself as a bona fide contender at Royal St. George's.

The Canadian won two events before the Masters and is ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour money list with more than $4.2 million in earnings, having easily eclipsed his best previous year with more than five months still to go.

Amid all that success, Weir's performance at Augusta National stands apart.

"I've done it," he said. "This is a different type of tournament than Augusta, but pressure is pressure. You've got to be able to handle those situations. And since I've been able to do that, it gives me a better comfort level."

Don't get too comfortable, advised Nick Faldo. For him, a 1989 victory at the Masters -- coming two years after he claimed his first major title at the British Open -- was a defining moment.

"It's proof that your first time wasn't a flash in the pan," Faldo said. "When I won the Masters, my first Masters, that was a big message to me. Wow, two of them, rather than just one. It wasn't just a lucky week."