'I guess I really am on the PGA Tour,' indeed

"It's going to be crazy," he said of his Woods pairing. "But I doubt it could be worse than the final day of Qualifying School. That's one thing Tiger's never had to do."

Woods never had to wait for some tour official to tap him on the shoulder to get into a tournament, either. But Streelman entered the year so low on the priority pecking order for tournament eligibility, this week marked the second time he made the final field after starting the week as the third alternate.

"I'd pretty much given up this week," he said.

He could have done likewise many times over the past seven years, during which he has led a nomadic existence and lived out of the back of his car. Streelman wore out two Nissan sedans traveling the country's back roads, racking up 170,000 or more miles on the odometer in each instance.

He hung his shirts on a rod that spanned the back seat. He didn't have an agent until after Q-school in December, nor a real equipment deal. Now he gets to meet Woods on the field of battle? It makes those bleary-eyed roads trips from hell worth it.

"It's really a dream come true," he said. "I look at tomorrow as one of the most gratifying days of my life."

A Chicago-area native, Streelman got a partial scholarship to Duke, where he played against future tour winners like Lucas Glover, D.J. Trahan, Matt Kuchar and Charles Howell. He joined a fraternity and made sure he had fun along the way.

"Probably had one beer too many," he cracked.

He showed steady improvement on the mini-tours, though it was hardly a meteoric ascent. He ran out of money a few times. The nadir came in early 2004, when a sponsor from Chicago disappeared and stopped returning his calls, leaving him stranded in Southern California.

"I probably had $400 in my bank account," he said.

Now the same SoCal terrain has produced his zenith, and not just at Torrey. While trying to find a way home four years ago, he met a new sponsor from nearby Orange County who helped stake him financially over the next few seasons. Streelman won a combined four times last year on the Phoenix-based Gateway Tour or Hooters circuit.

Given the anonymity on those tours -- on the Gateway, players fork over $18,000 up front and play for their own money all season -- his world ranking is no real shocker. Before playing this year at the Sony and Bob Hope events, he'd teed it up a combined six combined times on the PGA and Nationwide circuits.

How buried is Streelman in the rankings? San Diego native Jamie Lovemark, who has played sporadically in various pro events over the past two seasons, is No. 573. Mind you, Lovemark is still in college at USC. In other words, an amateur.

Woods was asked if he had ever heard of "Steelman," with the reporter mispronouncing his name. Woods hadn't. He was then informed of Streelman's world ranking.

"I think it might be going up," Woods deadpanned.

If nothing else, Streelman's presence indicated how deep the talent pool has become in golf. There are armies of players out there who, given a chance, might find fame and fortune. Every time a slightly older guy like Streelman makes it, more players are inspired to keep trying.

"People don't realize the difference between someone making cuts out here on tour, getting on tour and winning a golf tournament," Woods said. "It's just a couple good shots here and there, maybe a couple lucky breaks here and there. It really isn't as big a gap as people might think.

"But the great thing is watching guys taking advantage of opportunities, whether they're an alternate like what's happening this week, or they get an exemption into an event and they play well. Those are fun stories to see transpire because guys are taking advantage of opportunities." Sure, there are bound to be instances in the third round where Streelman feels like a rank newbie in the presence of Woods. But for the sake of a good underdog story, let's hope there aren't many.

Said Streelman: "It's still just clubs, a golf ball and a golf course."