U.S. Open Update: Tiger Wins In Sudden-Death

By Simon Lewis
Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- It took 91 holes to separate them but Tiger Woods finally overcame Rocco Mediate to claim the 2008 U.S. Open title after a compelling 18-hole playoff went to sudden death at Torrey Pines on Monday. The victory completed Woods' quest for a 14th major title, leaving the world's top-ranked player only four short of Jack Nicklaus' record. It was Woods' third U.S. Open victory and a seventh at Torrey Pines, his second at the course this year.

Woods was playing his first tournament since finishing second at The Masters on April 13, having undergone surgery on his left knee two days later. Nine weeks on, he forced the playoff in dramatic fashion Sunday, sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to tie Mediate at 1-under. On Monday, he produced another birdie on the final hole to send the championship playoff into sudden death after the golfers posted level par 71s.

At 45 years and five months, Mediate was looking to take over from Hale Irwin as the oldest winner of the championship and the oldest first-time winner of any major. In 23 years as a professional, Mediate had won only five of 535 PGA Tour events and in 43 majors he had only three top-10 finishes, two of them, a fourth and a sixth, in the U.S. Open. Woods had led by three shots after 10 holes, only for Mediate to battle back over the back nine before the world No. 1 leveled once more at the 18th.

The drama reached epic proportions as they entered the closing four holes level at 1-over. Over 72 holes, Woods had a three-shot advantage over Mediate on those closing holes, scoring 3-under over four rounds to the veteran's 2-over. On the 15th, though, the tables were turned as fortunes swung to and from between tee and green.

First, Woods found sand on the right off the tee while Mediate landed on the fairway after kicking out of the rough. Woods saw his opponent loft his second shot to 18 feet from the flag and then promptly rolled his bunker shot inside Mediate's ball. The 45-year-old hit back again by holing out his birdie putt, only for Woods to miss the shorter effort, leaving Mediate with a one-shot lead at even.

There was more drama as the duel continued at the par-3 16th, with Mediate's tee shot falling just short of the green and Woods sending his to its back with the pin centrally located. Both facing monster putts, Mediate rolled his 50-footer to within two feet while Woods left his mere inches from the cup as both settled for pars. At 17, Woods found the fairway while Mediate caught the intermediate rough. The two-time champion appeared to be in a quandary over club selection for his second shot, before his caddie Steve Williams persuaded him to switch from a 7-iron to an eight. Woods' faith in Williams was justified as he sent the ball to within 20 feet. Mediate, meanwhile, left himself another long putt from the front of the green for his third shot and sent it to within eight feet before Woods two-putted for par. That left Mediate putting for par, which he duly completed to take a one-shot lead to the par-5 18th.

Mediate had held a similar lead approaching the 72nd hole on Sunday only for Woods to birdie and force the playoff. Driving first, Mediate pulled left into a bunker while Woods' tee shot left him grimacing in pain from his left knee but managing to keep his ball in the fairway. Both second shots cleared the lake guarding the green, Woods left with the longer eagle putt. He sent his 50-footer to three feet, leaving Mediate from 20 feet to putt for the championship. He missed left, and Woods holed to leave Mediate with a short putt to force this remarkable playoff into sudden death for only the third time since its introduction in 1954. Again he failed to convert and the golfers returned to the seventh hole for sudden death.

Mediate was immediately in trouble, following Woods' tee shot onto the fairway by finding the left fairway bunker on the dogleg right. His rescue shot went left again, into a mandatory drop zone just in front of a spectator stand. As Woods waited by the green to putt, Mediate's chip rolled past the flag, leaving Woods to go first from the front of the green, putting for the championship. Woods' effort was close to finishing the job and he dropped to his knees as his ball stayed above the hole, placing all the pressure on Mediate to rescue his title hopes from 18 feet. He missed and Woods claimed the title.

U.S. Open Update: Tiger & Rocco Square Off

By John Nestor
Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Rocco Mediate nearly won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on Sunday. Tiger Woods will have something to say about that on Monday. With Mediate holding a one-stroke lead and watching from a scoring booth, Woods holed a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force an 18-hole playoff Monday.

"Unbelievable, I knew he would make it," Mediate said after Woods' putt wrapped around half the cup before dropping. "That's actually one of the worst parts of the green, it's so bumpy down there," Woods said. "I told myself it was two-and-a-half balls outside to the right, but make sure you stay committed to it. And I did. I hit it good. It took forever to break, but it finally snuck in there at the end." Mediate shot an even-par 71 to finish at 1-under 283. Woods, who played his first two holes in 3-over, signed for a 73.

The U.S. Open is decided by an 18-hole stroke play playoff, which will get underway at 9 a.m. local time. Mediate had a chance for a two-stroke lead but missed a birdie putt at 17 from about 10 feet. He had another chance at 18 from 35 feet, but had to settle for par and wait for the final group to finish. "I was trying to beat him on my putt, my 35-footer," Mediate said. "I just didn't quite get it out there. But anyway, I made good putts on 16 and 17 just to be here. What can you do?" Not much more than he did Sunday. Mediate was two strokes better than Woods for the day and has only one over-par round this week - a 72 on Saturday.

U.S. Open Update: Tiger Birdies to Force Playoff

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Rocco Mediate nearly won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on Sunday. Tiger Woods will have something to say about that on Monday. With Mediate holding a one-stroke lead and watching from a scoring booth, Woods holed a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 to force an 18-hole playoff Monday. "Unbelievable, I knew he would make it," Mediate said after Woods' putt wrapped around half of the cup before dropping. Mediate shot an even-par 71 to finish at 1-under-par 283.

Woods, who played his first two holes in 3-over, signed for a 73. Woods entered Sunday at 3-under and with a one-stroke lead over Englishman Lee Westwood. But Woods never got in a consistent rhythm Sunday, carding his worst round of the week. Westwood had a chance for a birdie on 18 as well, but missed from 25 feet and finished a stroke out of the playoff at even-par 284.

U.S. Open Update: Tiger Tames Torrey, Leads By One

By John Nestor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- It looked like Lee Westwood was going to have the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open. Tiger Woods had other ideas. Woods played the final two holes of his third round in 3-under-par, including an eagle at the par-5 18th to take a one-stroke lead at Torrey Pines. Woods is at 3-under 210 and in great shape to win his third U.S. Open and 14th major championship. He is 13-for-13 in majors when he has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Westwood finished two groups ahead of Woods and, at 2-under 211, was alone in the lead for a short time. Woods chipped in from the rough at 17, his ball taking one bounce, gently glancing the flagstick and dropping into the cup. On No. 18, Woods split the fairway and launched his second shot onto the green with a fairway wood, grimacing in pain from his surgically repaired knee after the shot. It didn't affect him on his putt, as he dropped a 35-footer that was never headed anywhere but the hole. Now it appears Woods is headed toward an improbable victory.

U.S. Open Update: Tiger Lurks Behind Leader

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- This is not the Buick Invitational, but Tiger Woods played like it was on his back nine Friday at Torrey Pines. Woods fired five birdies coming in for a 30 on his final nine holes and moved within a shot of the lead after the second round of the U.S. Open. Australian Stuart Appleby is alone in the lead at 3-under 139. Woods has won the PGA Tour's annual stop here six times as a professional, including each of the last four years.

Despite playing for the first time since undergoing knee surgery two days after The Masters, Woods was considered one of, if not, the favorite here. He showed why after the turn in Friday's second round. Woods put nothing worse than a four down on his scorecard for the entire back nine. He posted five consecutive threes - four of which were birdies - and looked right at home on a course he has come to dominate. He made his last birdie at the par-5 ninth to close out a 3-under-par 68 and move into a tie for second, one stroke behind Appleby.

Appleby birdied 18 by sinking a 50-foot bomb to grab the lead after a second-round 70. Rocco Mediate and Robert Karlsson are tied for second with Woods at 2-under 140. Woods was slow out of the gate again, but turned it on coming home. He double-bogeyed his first hole on Thursday and he started with a bogey on the 10th hole Friday. He bogeyed No. 12 but looked poised to turn things around with an eagle at the par-5 13th. But he had two more bogeys on his first nine and the comeback would have to wait until after the turn. "I was just hanging around, made an eagle on 13 but gave it right back on 16 and 17," Woods said. "Then on the back nine, I just started making some putts."

A lot of them. Woods hit fairway after fairway and gave himself a birdie chance on just about every hole on his back nine. After three pars, he closed his round with a six-footer for birdie on No. 9 to wrap up an impressive performance. "To be honest with you, I was just trying to get back to even-par for the tournament," Woods said. "I felt that if I played well on that back nine I could definitely get back to even-par and I would be right back in the championship, and all of a sudden I started running them in from everywhere."

Even though the monster putt at No. 18 gave Appleby sole possession of the lead, he is well aware of the loud footsteps behind him. "I think that you don't avoid it. It's always there. It's a given," Appleby said of Woods looming. "So I guess as players we're sort of used to it. It is very different playing with him. There's a whole lot of more movement, action, sounds, whatever it is. "So I mean, getting in your own world is certainly harder to do. And that's a learned skill in itself."

Mediate had the lead at 4-under for a good portion of the afternoon after he played his first seven holes in 2-under. He had a three-shot cushion at one point but while Woods was making a charge on his last nine holes, Mediate slipped back to the pack by playing them in 2-over 38. "I played as good a front nine as I could play," Mediate said.

Kevin Streelman and Justin Hicks started the day tied for the lead but both tumbled down the leaderboard. Streelman went off in the early groups and stumbled to a 77 and is at 3-over for the tournament. Hicks signed for an 80 to drop to 6-over and barely make the cut.

U.S. Open Update: Hicks & Streelman Lead

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The spotlight was supposed to be on the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson showdown, but it is Justin Hicks and Kevin Streelman who find themselves atop the leaderboard entering Friday's second round at the U.S. Open.

Hicks and Streelman found more than their fair share of birdies during Thursday's opening round at Torrey Pines - a course that the players have dubbed tough but fair. While the day started with the galleries buzzing about the grouping that featured Woods, Mickelson and Adam Scott, Hicks and Streelman took advantage of their relative anonymity and share a one-stroke lead at 3-under-par 68. Rocco Mediate, Stuart Appleby, Eric Axley and 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy are tied for third at 2-under 69. Lee Westwood, Sweden's Robert Karlsson, Ernie Els, Robert Allenby and American amateur Rickie Fowler completed their first rounds in 1-under 70.

Hicks, who missed the cut at the 2004 U.S. Open, and Streelman, who is playing in his first Open, combined for 13 birdies on Thursday, and each were as low as 4-under. Woods, who was playing competitively for the first time since The Masters, gave the field a two-stroke head start on Thursday. Then, after making up the deficit, he duplicated the feat on the back nine.

The world's top player hit his first shot of the tournament into the rough at No. 1, leading to a double-bogey. He spent the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard and was 1-under at the turn. He started the back nine with four consecutive pars before his second double-bogey of the day, this one at the par-4 14th. Woods finished his 1-over 72 with a three-putt par at the par-5 18th.

Hicks was able to fire seven birdies with four bogeys. He started on No. 10 and had two runs of three consecutive birdies on his first nine holes. He added a birdie at No. 4 and dropped to 3-under with a bogey at the seventh. Westwood also started his round on No. 10 and sank two birdies and a bogey. He closed his front nine with a birdie at 18 and then parred every hole after the turn to place himself comfortably near the top of the leaderboard. Karlsson got to 4-under with a 25-foot birdie at No. 1, but he had bogeys at the third, fourth and eighth coming in to drop back.

Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Luke Donald are among a group of seven at even-par 71. Only 11 players carded under-par rounds on Thursday, and the statistic of the day from the first round is that Hicks and Streelman combined for 13 birdies while Woods, Mickelson and Scott - the top three players in the world - had 11 between them.

U.S. Open Update: Hicks Steals The Show

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - It was supposed to be the Tiger and Phil show, but Justin Hicks is the one in the spotlight early on in Thursday's first round of the U.S. Open. Hicks dropped seven birdies on Thursday and while he gave four shots back, he still carded a 3-under-par 68 and has a one-stroke lead at Torrey Pines.

Tiger Woods started his day with a double-bogey at the first and fought back only to give it away again. He finished at 1-over 71. Phil Mickelson had three consecutive bogeys at one point and was at 3-over again after a bogey at No. 12. He rallied with birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 18 coming in to get to even-par 71.

Woods hit his first shot of the tournament into the rough at No. 1, leading to a double-bogey. He spent the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard and made the turn at 1-under. He stumbled with his second double of the day at No. 14, then when he had a chance to get to even-par at the par-5 18th, he three-putted for a disappointing par to close out the round.

A number of players have flirted with taking the early lead, but only Hicks has been able to stay with it. Robert Karlsson and Steve Stricker got as low as 4-under before coming back to the pack. Rocco Mediate and Stuart Appleby are both in the clubhouse at 2-under 69 and both were tied for the lead at 3-under during their rounds. Stricker started on 10 and went out in 32, but played his final nine in 41 and is at 2-over 73.

At least a hundred media members gathered inside the ropes to watch Woods and Mickelson play along with Adam Scott, the third-ranked player in the world. the galleries swelled in the thousands outside the ropes but the real show was going on on the other side of the course. Hicks did not have one par on his first nine holes. He slipped out of the gate with a bogey on 10 but rebounded with three straight birdies. his next hiccup was back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 but he remedied that with another three birdie run. The last nine holes Hicks played held far less drama. He got to 4-under after a bogey at the par-4 fourth and had his final bogey of the day at No. 7.

Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and Justin Rose are among the contenders that have late tee times.

U.S. Open Update: Woods Moving Up

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Tiger Woods gave the field at the U.S. Open a two-stroke head start on Thursday, but he's taken it all back. Woods hit his first shot of the tournament into the rough at No. 1, leading to a double-bogey. He spent the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard and is in good position early in the first round at Torrey Pines. After a pair of pars, Woods carded his first birdie of the day at the par-4 fourth. He added another at the par-3 eighth and closed his front nine with a birdie at the 612-yard par-5 ninth, where he bounced his second shot off a spectator to the left of the green but chipped his third to about five feet and made that for his third birdie. At 1-under-par, Woods is three shots off the early pace being set by Sweden's Robert Karlsson. Karlsson started on No. 10 and charged to the lead with three consecutive birdies starting at No. 17. He made a 25-footer at No. 1 and has a one-stroke lead. Patrick Sheehan, Justin Hicks and Stuart Appleby are all at 3-under. Playing along wiwth Woods in the premiere grouping of the first two rounds, Phil Mickelson made the turn at 3-over and Adam Scott was at even-par. Woods, who has won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines four consecutive times, is looking for his third U.S. Open title and first since 2002.

U.S. Open Questions Abound

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - If sports has taught us anything, it's one simple lesson. There is no such thing as a sure thing. It just takes a quick look at the sports landscape - even recently - to bear this out. How about that Big Brown - unbeatable right? Absolutely not, and the Triple Crown drought will now reach 31 years. What about the New England Patriots? They went from football immortals to victims of one of the most stunning upsets in Super Bowl history in one night.

Even golf has shown us the sure bet is often a sucker bet. Good thing we didn't just give Tiger Woods a green jacket on Tuesday of Masters week. It turns out Trevor Immelman would have had plenty to say about it. It just shows why we play the game, the match, the tournament, It's because in sports, the result is unknown until we play it out, and that brings us to this week's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The season's second major is presenting question after question with a number of possible answers. We'll start to get a clearer picture starting today and we will have our answers, with undoubtedly more questions Sunday night.

The uncertainty starts at the top. What should we make of Tiger Woods? After a two month layoff due to knee surgery the World No. 1 has not played since Sunday at The Masters. Will he be rusty? Will his knee hold up? Will he maintain his usual dominance at Torrey Pines where he has won six times as a professional, including each of the last four years. Woods has played three abbreviated practice rounds and was spotted on the practice putting green on Wednesday morning. There haven't been any signs of trouble with his knee but Woods would not let on about its condition one way or the other. "Is it fully recovered? Probably not." Woods said. But does it need to be for him to win his third U.S. Open? Probably not. "I'm good to go. I plan on playing competitively," Woods said. "Come game time on Thursday, I'll be ready."

The second favorite is Phil Mickelson, who played high school matches at Torrey Pines and can barely contain his enthusiasm at the event being held in his back yard. But with that excitement also comes expectations. Can Mickelson snap his U.S. Open jinx? Can he handle the pressure of a major coupled with the pressure of playing with Tiger on Thursday and Friday? He's 0-for-17 in U.S. Opens with four runner-up finishes. He loves this championship, would love to win it and especially love to win it here. It just seems that the U.S. Open just doesn't like Mickelson like that. "I love it," Mickelson said of the Open. "I just haven't gotten the love back." Maybe it's because Mickelson is too open about his affection for and desire to win this tournament.

The U.S. Open is called the toughest test in golf, it's not some touchy-feely pro-am. Look at last year's winner. Angel Cabrera gutted out a closing 69 on a hellish Oakmont setup and then went into a chain smoking fit that would have made the Marlboro Man proud as he waited for Jim Furyk and Woods to finish a stroke out of the lead. Cabrera is back to defend his title but minus the smokes. "Everything is still the same, just without the smoking," Cabrera said. He quit earlier in the year, but his game is the same. He's a tremendously long hitter off the tee and with his irons. That part of his game is intact, but the defending champion is still working on his putting and if that doesn't come around, it's hard to imagine him repeating. "My game is in very good shape, especially the long game," Cabrera said. "I'm working on my putting, trying to improve a little bit. Hopefully I have. "I'm having a rough time on my putting right now. I'm trying different things, different putters. I have two putters, the one I used last year at Oakmont and a new one. So I'll see. The one that feels best I'm going to play on Thursday."

And when play does start Thursday, one of the biggest questions of the week will be answered, just how tough will Torrey Pines be? We know it won't be setup like the Buick Invitational, not with the USGA in charge, but will they maintain their protection of par or loosen the reigns a bit? Geoff Ogilvy, a contender this week and the 2006 U.S. Open champion, feels players will have some options, even if they miss fairways, with the big hitters having more options than the rest. "The rough in spots is shorter than in the Buick, at least just off the fairways," Ogilvy said. "I'm not saying a guy who doesn't hit it long can't win, but length is definitely an advantage. Last year at Oakmont, you could poke some irons off the tees. There's not much of that here." But there are plenty of questions and four days worth of answers ahead.