Doubting Thomas?

His major championship record-tying 63 Saturday is the latest evidence that Thomas Bjorn is conquering the mental aspects of his game. Now, says Jim Litke, we'll see whether he can keep his upswing going with a strong finish at Baltusrol.

By Jim Litke, AP Sports Columnist

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- Try and find a story written about Thomas Bjorn in the last two years that doesn't include the word "demons.''

See what I mean?

It pops up every time the Dane gets in contention anywhere around the world. It's like Tiger Woods and "relentless,'' or Phil Mickelson and "smiling,'' or Retief Goosen and "stoic'' -- except in Bjorn's case, it carries only unhappy connotations.

No sooner had he completed the third round of the PGA Championship by tying the lowest score ever in a major -- 63 -- than a brief stopover in the interview room quickly turned into a contest to see whether anyone could coax one of those demons off Bjorn's shoulder and back onto his lips.

One question began: "As somebody who's battled the mental side of the game ...''

Then came another: "Not to revisit what specifically went down, but could you talk about ...''

And a third: "You've had a couple of documented times where you needed to step away from the game ...''

Bjorn handled each query with the same cool demeanor that kept him out of trouble most of the way around Baltusrol Golf Club on a hazy, muggy afternoon in near 100-degree heat.

The short answers, in order, were: Bjorn is still struggling with the mental side of the game, and probably always will; he still feels the sting caused by collapses in at least two high-profile tournaments since 2003, and his withdrawal from a third; and he'll step away from the game every time he feels the need.

"It's not to be recommended to everybody,'' Bjorn concluded, "but that's the way I like to do it, and I'll keep doing that.''

That's hardly what most people want to hear from a golfer beginning the final round of a tournament just a stroke off the lead, especially a 34-year-old in pursuit of his first major championship. But trying to fulfill other people's expectations was likely what caused Bjorn to put one spiked shoe too far out in front of the other.

"I came in here with no expectations, and that's what I'm going to keep doing tomorrow,'' he said. "Try and stay in the moment.''

Considering the man's recent history, there was nothing else Bjorn could say. Before the 2003 British Open, his reputation was that of a solid ball-striker who might one day break through and claim a major or two. He had already won nearly a dozen tournaments around the world, played a steadying role on both the 1997 and 2002 European Ryder Cup teams, and was the first golfer to stare down Tiger Woods in the final round of a tournament, at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2001.

But the slide down the slippery slope came with the peak nearly in sight. Bjorn was cruising toward a win at Royal St. George's, leading by three shots with four holes to play, when he dumped an iron into a greenside bunker at No. 16.

Not once, but twice, he exploded from the sand, then stood there disgustedly, right hand still wresting on his wedge, watching as both shots barely reached the green before rolling back to his feet in the deep, sandy pit.

Little did Bjorn know at the time that up-and-down, up-and-down would become the template for his career ever since.

Almost a year later, after acknowledging he was still wrestling with the golfing demons to regain his confidence, Bjorn was forced to concede a round. He was on the sixth hole at the Smurfit European Open and, all of a sudden, the fairways looked no wider than a sidewalk. Unable or unwilling to see what would happen next, Bjorn simply walked off the course.

Then, this past May, came an upswing almost as surprising. He won a three-way playoff at the Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters and announced, "I've learned a lot about myself.''

If Bjorn thought he was in the clear, his demons still thought otherwise. A few weeks later, tied for the lead at the European Open after 16 holes, he hit the ball into the Liffey River snaking along the 17th at the K Club, made an 11 and gave the tournament away.

"You've got to go away from things like that and say the one thing I am capable of is putting myself in good position, that my good golf is still good enough,'' he said.

For one day, at least, it was much better than that. Still trying out a new swing he put into play barely 10 days ago, Bjorn made eight birdies and only once needed to hole a putt from more than 12 feet to do it. As much as he felt in control for once, few people appreciate the temporal nature of that feeling more than Bjorn.

His 63 marked the 22nd time that number was posted in a major. And Bjorn knows that of the 19 golfers who did it before him, only four -- Johnny Miller at the 1973 U.S. Open, Greg Norman at the 1986 British Open, Raymond Floyd at the 1982 PGA Championship and Jack Nicklaus on this same Baltusrol course in the 1980 U.S. Open -- went on to win.

Earlier this week, Bjorn recalled standing around the locker room. At one point, he looked up and came across Nicklaus' scorecard.

"No matter where you go in the golfing world,'' Bjorn said, "there's always a wall with Jack Nicklaus on it.''

He wasn't about to call it an omen, but at least Bjorn was looking in the right direction: Up.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.