ASSOCIATED PRESS Jim Furyk opened with a 74 on Thursday, but has since shot a 70 and a 66 to put himself in contention for the title.

Furyk feeling at home at Plantation Course

KAPALUA, Maui » After shooting a 74 during the opening round on Thursday, world No. 3 Jim Furyk didn't appear to be headed toward the front seat of a new Mercedes-Benz. But after shooting a blistering 7-under 66 to match the best round of the young PGA Tour season, don't hide the keys from this guy just yet.

A faulty putter on the frontside decided to be Furyk's friend on the second nine as he shot out of the cannon from back of the pack right into the thick of things during yesterday's third 18 holes of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

By now, most folks know he and his wife built a home off the 18th fairway at the Plantation Course back in 1999 and had planned to live there a little more often than they have. But with Jacksonville, Fla., being their permanent home and a young family to raise on the mainland, Furyk doesn't get back this way as often as he would like.

This patch of the Valley Isle still holds fond memories for him, however, winning the old Kapalua International back in 1995, then capturing the Mercedes Championship in 2001, giving him the kind of local knowledge needed to counter whatever winds and shots come his way.

Even with a home barely a driver away from the 18th green, unlike many in this field who have been here since December, Furyk only arrived Sunday night, not sure if his golf game came with him, but still anxious to see if 2008 held any drama for him early on.

It just might.

Furyk enters today's final round four shots off the pace of Mike Weir and in need of another 66 today if he wants to track down the man from the Great White North. An ardent Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Furyk didn't want to spend a lot of time talking about his round.

Had he not won last year, Furyk would be in Pittsburgh right now, attending the game as a guest of the Steelers. He didn't want anyone telling him the score -- he was taping it back at his house -- but was pleased the Steelers thought enough of him to invite him to the game.

"Yeah, it's flattering," Furyk said. "I guess it's too bad I won last year. I would have enjoyed that immensely. I'm obviously a big Steeler fan. I don't know that many people from the organization. I have met some of the Rooneys before. They have actually supported my charity event up in the Philadelphia area. It's a lot of fun giving away Steelers tickets right in the heart of Philadelphia."

Furyk spent a lot of time on the back nine putting his golf ball in the heart of the hole. After opening with a ho-hum 2 under on the front, Furyk caught fire on the back, birdieing three consecutive holes and four of the last five to put him at 9-under 210 and in a tie for fifth.

"I really struggled with my putter early," Furyk said. "I had a ton of opportunities to make birdie on the front nine, some very, very makable putts, so I was a little frustrated. When I started that (back) nine I was pretty far back. And to go out there and shoot 5 under on the back, all of a sudden I'm in the thick of things tomorrow."

And that's a good thing for Furyk, who believes he hasn't prepared properly the last couple of years for this winners-only event. He tried to learn from that fact, spending less time on his overall game and more on what it takes to win here.

"Last year, I played poorly," Furyk said.

"I was too busy preparing my game for the season and thinking about my swing and different things. And this golf course is just a lot of different golf shots. You don't really particularly have to hit the ball great to score well here, you've just got to be able to hit the right shots.

"I know how to play at Kona, I know how to play the tradewind. After Round 1 when I shot 74, I actually hit the ball pretty well. I putted horrendous and my wedge game was bad. I just kind of revamped my thinking a little bit and said, I'm attacking this the wrong way. I've done a lot better job the last two days."

And because of it, a championship might be in his immediate future.