Snedeker taking medication to boost bone mass in his troublesome ribs

Brandt Snedeker is taking medication he injects into his stomach every night trying to increase the bone mass in his troublesome ribs that kept him from playing competitive golf earlier this year for about a month. Snedeker said Wednesday he checked with PGA Tour officials once his doctor recommended the osteoporosis medication Forteo, which is approved for use.

''It's just a rare thing that I have,'' Snedeker said at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. ''It's just a weird thing I've got to deal with ... It's like taking an insulin shot and taking it every day. I have to travel with it. I've got to keep it refrigerated. It's probably the biggest pain of my life keeping it ... refrigerated all the time.'' Snedeker started the year by finishing second to Tiger Woods in San Diego and second to Phil Mickelson in Phoenix before winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February to reach his highest career ranking at No. 4 in the world. Then his ribs kept him out of golf for a month.

A different rib injury kept him out of the U.S. Open last year. So Snedeker went through a battery of tests, more than he ever wants to go through again, back home in Nashville. Now Snedeker is hoping the medication will help a condition that also has limited how much he has been able to practice over the past two years.

''It's hopefully long-term effects can regrow some of my bone, specifically in my rib cage where they're very, very brittle comparatively speaking to the rest of my bones,'' Snedeker said. ''So they feel like this can maybe increase my bone mass 20 to 30 percent, which would get me back to a normal level if I have success with it. So hopefully it will have the same effect on me.''

Traveling with the medication has been relatively easy. Snedeker said he uses freezer packs with the medicine in his luggage, and the packs last up to 11 hours. But he plans to play in the British Open in July and the lengthy trip poses a different challenge. ''We're working on that as we speak,'' Snedeker said. ''So that will be the first problem I see arising.'' Snedeker said he checked repeatedly with PGA Tour officials to make sure the medication was approved for use to avoid any complications.

''I'm getting ready to get tested here shortly too, so you'll have evidence here next week,'' Snedeker said. Snedeker currently ranks third on the money list and has dipped to No. 6 in the world. He missed the cut last week at Memorial, but he tied for eighth at The Players Championship in May and was tied for the lead after the third round of the Masters before tying for sixth. He has six top 10s this year and feels like he's back to playing well again as he preps here for the U.S. Open. ''I feel like I'm on top of this and it's going the right direction,'' Snedeker said. ''I really think these next couple weeks will be a good couple weeks for me.''

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Memorial Win Gives Kuchar a Major Boost for Merion

Though Kuchar has yet to claim one of golf's four blue riband events, he has triumphed at every other level in the game and likes his chances heading into Thursday's opening round at Merion Golf Club. "There are a few times a year you really hope to be playing excellent golf, this is one of them," the American world number four told reporters at a sun-drenched Merion on Wednesday. "It's nice to be coming off the win.

"That's a fantastic test of golf at Memorial and it tests everything there, driver through wedge. It was great to perform well, have that extra confidence coming in this week. "If you're not clicking on all cylinders, a U.S. Open golf course is going to really show that and beat you up. I'm looking forward to playing this week and hoping the good performance continues."

Kuchar clinched the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio by two shots to become the PGA Tour's second multiple winner this season after Tiger Woods. Perhaps more significantly, it continued his steady upward path of success as he bids to land his first major title. "I feel like in my golfing career I've made steps in the right direction," said the 34-year-old Kuchar, a six-times champion on the PGA Tour.

"I've won regular Tour events, won big Tour events, won the Players Championship, won a Barclays FedExCup event. I won a World Golf Championship. I feel like I've kind of stepped up in the ranks of winning against the best players in the world. Kuchar won his first World Golf Championships title, widely regarded as just one rung down from the majors, at the Accenture Match Play Championship in February. That followed on from his triumph at last year's Players Championship, the unofficial "fifth major".

BEST PLAYERS

Ever humble, he does not embrace suggestions that he can now be bracketed among the best players in the modern game still waiting for a maiden grand slam title. "There's a lot of us in that boat, and I don't know that I'm quite in that talk yet," Kuchar smiled. "I know that a lot of people have been yelling out that they have got me in their pools and they're picking me this week, but we hear a lot of that talk every week.

"However, I feel like I'm on good form. I feel like I'm playing some good golf. I'm looking to continue to play good golf. I'm looking forward to competing and trying to put my name on this trophy." Kuchar, whose tie for eighth at the Masters in April also gave him a major jolt of confidence, played a practice round at Merion on Tuesday afternoon and was surprised to see how well the course had drained after more than six inches of rain here since Friday.

"I was amazed how dry the course seemed to be," he said. "Really still got some run in the fairways. Greens were receptive, but still had nice speed on them for the amount of slope they have got. "The rough is thick and nasty. If you're playing from the rough, you have no chance of scoring here." Kuchar is scheduled to tee off in Thursday's opening round in the company of English world number five Justin Rose and sixth-ranked American Brandt Snedeker.

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