Tiger Rebuilding Tiger, Swing by Swing

Inch by inch, Tiger Woods appears to be in the process of climbing back into form. But there remains considerable distance to cover.

Despite putting together three consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time this season to finish T11 Monday in the Deutsche Bank Championship, Woods has played six straight tournaments on the PGA Tour without finishing in the top 10 -- a first in his career.

He recorded five straight finishes outside the top 10 in 2001, then won the WGC-NEC Invitational. Woods' last top 10 was at this year's U.S. Open, where he tied for fourth.

The recent work with swing coach Sean Foley appears to be showing results. It's amazing Woods is willing to attempt to rebuild his swing in midseason, but the results have been noticeable improvement in accuracy and distance.

Twice before in his professional career, Woods has gone through swing changes. The first was in 1997-98 under the tutelage of Butch Harmon. The second came in 2003-04 with Hank Haney. Interestingly, both times Woods undertook the task after coming off solid seasons.

This time the work almost seemed to be made in desperation.

Woods, who on Tuesday was added to the U.S. Ryder Cup team by Corey Pavin as a captain's pick, says an indication that things are starting to work is that he now feel capable of making adjustments on the course and during a round.

"That's the biggest thing is I wasn't able to do that at the PGA because I was still learning the new technique basically," he said. "This week was a good week. I was able to rectify it during the round, a couple loose shots here and there but was able to fix it right away and hit some good ones."

RISE AND SHINE

A week after being disqualified from The Barclays because he overslept and missed an early morning pro-am, Jim Furyk left no room for error in Boston.

"I set two, wake-up call and my phone," Furyk said.

Also, his wife called as another backup.

"So I guess I had three," Furyk added.

Still, he wasn't comfortable. Before going to sleep the night before an early start, the power went off at Furyk's hotel. It caused him to worry about the battery power of his cell phone.

"So I was going to sleep, and I opened the drapes because if it didn't come back on at least I'd see the sunlight. Eventually an hour later it came back on."

SEEING THE FINISH LINE

Steve Stricker (right) had a streak of 72 consecutive holes without a bogey end Monday on the first hole of the final round at Boston.

Stricker played the final round at Barclays and 54 holes in the Deutsche Bank without a bogey.

It was the longest bogey-free streak of Stricker's career.

The late season seems to bring out the best in Stricker, who is the only player to have played all 56 rounds in the four-year FedExCup playoffs, and leads all players with nine top-10 finishes, including a ninth Monday in Boston.

"I don't know if it is any different," Stricker said of the postseason. "I know the end of the season is near, and that excites me, spend more time at home. Maybe I just concentrate harder or whatever, but it's always a good time of year to play well."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Yeah, play like you deserve it. That's the goal."

-- Phil Mickelson on his continued (and unfulfilled) pursuit of the world No. 1 ranking

MENTIONABLES

• Charley Hoffman's win Monday in Boston was his second career title in 147 starts on Tour. The 33-year-old recorded 11 birdies on the way to a final round 9-under 62. Hoffman's 62 is a personal best on Tour. His previous best was a 63 from the 2008 Bob Hope Classic and 2009 Valero Texas Open.

• The University of Missouri-St. Louis was sentenced to two years probation by the NCAA for "unethical conduct" by its former men's golf coach. From 2004 to 2008, former coach Dustin Ashby allegedly participated in various online fantasy football and baseball leagues. In all instances, he paid an entry fee and played for a chance to win prizes, which meets the NCAA definition of sports wagering.

• Nationwide Insurance, the sponsor for PGA Tour's development circuit since 2002, will terminate its relationship after the completion of its contract in 2012.

However, Nationwide will remain involved with the Tour, adding its name to the Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

• Two PGA Tour rookies -- Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy -- remain alive in the FedExCup. Fowler will go into this week's BMW 25th and McIlroy 29th.

Since the beginning of the FedExCup only one rookie has advanced to the Tour Championship each season: Brandt Snedeker (2007), Andres Romero (2008) and Marc Leishman (2009). Each of those three players went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors.

• Vijay Singh holed a 5-iron from 230 yards for a double eagle at the par-5 second hole Monday at Boston TPC. It was the first double eagle of Singh's World Golf Hall of Fame career. It was also the fifth on Tour this season.

• Japan's 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa just won the Fujisankei Classic, his eighth victory on the Japan Golf Tour and second this year.