HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) — If the golf gig doesn't work out, Rich Beem might have a future in show business. It would sure beat his old job selling phones and car stereos.
Five years after showing off his dancing ability in a jubilant victory celebration following a memorable duel with Tiger Woods in the PGA Championship, Beem made it clear that he's not shy about singing in public or telling jokes during a press conference.
When he's on his game, the streaky Beem also is one of the best players in the world as he has demonstrated in the first two rounds of The Barclays.
After following his opening 7-under 64 with a 68 on Friday to enter weekend play two strokes behind leader K.J. Choi in the FedEx Cup opener, Beem led the media in a round of "Happy Birthday" — to himself on his 37th birthday.
And he was just getting started.
When told that Choi was using an oversized putting grip that he bought after watching an informercial, Beem noted that he didn't have anything to match that, but did have a funny story about an informercial. Long story short, he said a friend of his bought some memory-help tapes, forgot about them, then ordered another set a few months later after watching the same informercial.
The Beemer also was asked about tweaking the FedEx Cup format?
"I'm going to have to sit down and order a few beers and think about it, because that's when I really get smart," said Beem, whose carousing days with former caddie Steve DuPlantis were chronicled in a book called "Bud, Sweat and Tees."
Winless since taking the International and PGA in consecutive starts in 2002, the 134th-seeded Beem has put himself in position to make a big jump in the playoff standings. The top 120 after The Barclays will be eligible for the Deutsche Bank Championship next week in Massachusetts. The field will then be cut to 70 for the BMW Championship and to 30 for the Tour Championship.
"I know that unless I play well, I'm going home. And I don't want to go home," Beem said. "No offense to my wife or kids or anything, but when you're playing well, you want to stay on the road."
While Beem is fighting to avoid elimination, Choi is trying to take the top spot in the playoff standings from the absent Woods.
