Jim Furyk, from Pennsylvania, was the first alternative for the Grand Slam based on his runner-up finish at the US Open at Oakmont and top 15 finishes at the Masters and British Open.

The 27-year-old's biggest win to date came in 2003 when he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score in US Open history to win his first major championship.

His early years were spent in the Pittsburgh suburbs learning the game from his father, who was head pro at Uniontown Country Club, near Pittsburgh.

Furyk won at least one tournament each year on the PGA Tour between 1998 and 2003. At the time, this was the second best streak of winning seasons behind Tiger Woods and he made the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings.

In 2004 he only played in 14 events after missing three months due to surgery to repair cartilage damage in his wrist and he fell out of the top 100 on the money list. But he returned to good form in 2005 and regained his top ten ranking, winning a PGA Tour event in that year and two in 2006.

In the 2006 season, he finished a career-high second on the money list and won the Vardon Trophy for the first time. He also had a career-best thirteen top-10 finishes, including nine top-threes, four second-place finishes, and two victories.

The only instructor he has ever used is his dad, Mike Furyk, which may account for his unusual swing. His caddy is Mike (Fluff) Cowan, who was Tiger Woods' caddy for Woods' first two years as a professional.

Furyk's trademark golf swing involves a distinctive looping motion. However, his father never forced him to change what came naturally.

The commentator David Feherty memorably described Furyk's swing as "an octopus falling out of a tree".