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Tiger Takes U.S. Open Lead with Amazing Close

Tiger Woods shot two eagles in the final six holes to take the lead in the 2008 U.S. Open.

Tiger Woods Eagles 13th Hole U.S. Open Tiger Woods celebrates after making an eagle on the 13th hole during the third round of the US Open championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Saturday, June 14, 2008 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tiger Woods delivered a performance worthy of prime time Saturday in the U.S. Open. He kept an East Coast television audience and a sellout crowd at Torrey Pines in suspense when his left knee buckled and he nearly dropped to the ground from the sheer pain, limping along with his club as a cane. The drama came on the last six holes, when he turned a five-shot deficit into a one-shot lead.

And the amazing array of shots that put him atop the leaderboard? Pure science-fiction.

“The stuff he does, it’s unreal,” said Rocco Mediate, who watched it all unfold from the group behind.

First came Woods’ 70-foot eagle putt on the 13th to get back in the game. Then it was a chip that he struck too hard, only to bow his head and laugh when it one-hopped into the hole for birdie on the 17th. Woods ended one of his most exciting rounds in a major with a 30-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole for a 1-under 70 and a one-shot lead over Lee Westwood.

It was pure theater at Torrey Pines, leaving 50,000 fans and even his competitors wondering what hit them.

“It’s just the most amazing display of athletic, mental power that there is, there ever was,” said Mediate, who had a three-shot lead early on the back nine until a four-hole meltdown. “Look at him. He hasn’t played in 10 weeks. There’s no surprise to me, but he hasn’t played for 10 weeks! And he comes here. So I’m not surprised. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.”

Simply amazing.

 

Another clueless idiot writing about pro golf

Associated Press who uses two-time Knucklehead winner Doug Ferguson to cover pro golf, now employs another similarly incompetent writer. His name is Eddie Pells. Pells writes-

Woods is in search of his 14th major win and his first U.S. Open since 2002. His seven closest pursuers (OK, so Appleby isn’t officially a ‘pursuer’) have combined for one: the PGA championship won by Davis Love III more than a decade ago.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! How can a competent golf writer forget the US Open winner from two years ago?(Geoff Ogilvy). How can a competent golf writer forget a two-time US Open champ, and three-time major winner?(Ernie Els) Both Els and Ogilvy are within two shots of Woods and within his closest seven pursuers. To make sure I wasn’t unfairly picking on this latest idiot golf writer, I checked. Els and Ogilvy were playing in the same morning group together. Both these players were through and in the clubhouse while Woods was still out on the course. There is no excuse for a golf writer to be forgetting two players of this caliber.

I ask again- Why do golf publications, newspapers, and wire services only hire the most incompetent people to cover the sport? With a few exceptions(Craig Dolch at the Palm Beach Post is one. Jason Sobel at ESPN is another.), golf writers seem to be among the dumbest people covering pro sports today.

 

‘Rusty’ Tiger Fires 68, 1 Off Open Lead

Tiger Woods came into the 2008 U.S. Open not having played competitive golf in months while recovering from major knee surgery. The rest of the field didn’t have a chance.

There was no limping into the weekend for Tiger Woods. In fact, he put on a near record-setting display at the U.S. Open that may have left the rest of the field feeling hobbled. Pouring in birdies from distances great and small, Woods tamed Torrey Pines, shooting 5-under 30 over his final nine holes in the second round Friday to end at 2-under par. That was one stroke behind Stuart Appleby and tied with Rocco Mediate and Robert Karlsson.

Poor guys.

Tiger Woods 2008 U.S. Open Tree Shot Photo Tiger Woods hits from the rough on the first fairway during the second round of the US Open championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Friday, June 13, 2008 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

“People always ask me, ‘Who’s the favorite?’” Mediate said. “Well, of course, he’s the favorite. Of course he is. A lot of people said, ‘Well, he’s not going to win because he’s had, whatever, a thousand weeks off. But he’s different. It’s not the same.”

Playing in his first tournament since knee surgery after the Masters, Woods hardly looked like someone rounding back into shape, at least not at the end. He started on the back, and after an up-and-down nine holes, things turned around immediately. He made five birdies and finished one shot off the U.S. Open record for lowest nine-hole score, last accomplished by Vijay Singh in 2003. He finished the day with a 3-under 68.

“I felt if I could play well, could get back to even par, I could get back into the championship,” Woods said. “Then all of the sudden, I started raining ‘em in from everywhere.”

He’s just not like the other golfers. Or any other man to ever play this game. His opponents are resigned to the fact that, if he’s playing anywhere close to his best, he’s simply going to win.

“It’s just a matter of playing golf. He wants to go play golf, we want to go play golf,” Appleby said. “And I’ll be doing my best to accidentally throw a club towards his sore knee. It will be an accident, of course.”

Heh. I’m not sure Tiger couldn’t shoot par hopping on one leg.

But really, how to stop what looks like an unstoppable march toward victory?

Woods is in search of his 14th major win and his first U.S. Open since 2002. His seven closest pursuers (OK, so Appleby isn’t officially a ‘pursuer’) have combined for one: the PGA championship won by Davis Love III more than a decade ago.

He’ll soon be looking for his 15th major, methinks.

Update(Bill Jempty)- I had already written a long piece on how the US Open, when I saw James beat me to it. I’ll share some of my take. While Tiger is one shot out of the lead with 36 holes, I’m not ready to give him this tournament yet.

Only a week ago we had a similar storyline forming at the LPGA. #1 woman golfer Lorena Ochoa looking for her third straight major, was up by one shot going into the weekend. A golf writer I like, blogged that only the weather looked likely to slow Ochoa’s march to victory. Instead, a tour rookie(Who had finished second twice already in 08) named Yani Tseng derailed the Ochoa Grand Slam express. What’s to stop the a similar surprise from happening this weekend?

Second round leader Stuart Appleby has never won a major. The closest he has ever come was Appleby taking part in the 4-way playoff(along with Steve Elkington and Thomas Levet) at the 2002 British Open won by Ernie Els. Other than that Appleby’s only shot legit shot at a major was the 2007 Masters. He led going into the final round before finishing T7th. Appleby has won eight PGA tournaments in his career. An argument can be made for he being the best player on tour without a major championship triumph. Off the course Appleby has a interesting story. Next month will mark 10 years since his wife Renay was killed in a fluke accident while the couple was in London England. After several years spent grieving, Appleby married again and has at least two children with his new wife.

Appleby is a good player, but in spite of his having the lead he is being overshadowed by Tiger at present. The same can be said for the other golfers who are near the top of the leaderboard. Which include former major champions Davis Love III, Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy, plus more than solid international golfers Miguel Jimenez, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Robert Allenby. All of these players stand within two shots of Tiger and three of Appleby.

Note- I have always liked Rocco Mediate since I watched him in person play in a PGA tournamenet about 20 years ago. Rocco, who is one shot back and tied with Tiger, would be my sentimental favorite. As much as I like Rocco, I know his chances aren’t very good on the weekend even if you took Tiger out of the equation.

I didn’t think Tiger would win this week, and with him standing one shot out of the lead, the chances are strong I’ll be wrong. What I’m trying to say is Tiger isn’t a shoo-in to win the tournament.

 

Will Tiger Woods be rusty when he returns to the PGA Tour?

Tiger had knee surgery last week. Jason Sobel at ESPN writes-

If Woods is indeed Superman, his kryptonite may be that left knee, which has now required three separate surgeries. He previously had a benign tumor removed in 1994, and in late 2002, he underwent a similar procedure to his most recent surgery, proving he may not be invincible, but he is indestructible. After his second surgery, he returned neither gimpy nor rusty, winning in his first start at Torrey Pines and taking two of the next three titles as well.

Expect a similar result when Woods returns after this layoff, possibly at the Memorial Tournament in late May, certainly by the U.S. Open in June. That’s because he’s not only the most talented golfer around, but he works as hard as anyone else.

Tiger isn’t Superman, he’s human like the rest of us mortals. In 2006 Tiger took nine weeks off after the Masters. In that period of time, Tiger’s father died. What did Tiger do in his first tournament back after the layoff? Miss the cut at the US Open. Talking about the Open a few weeks later, Tiger said.

‘I was rusty,’ Woods told reporters on Wednesday after holing a chip shot at the 18th hole to finish his Pro-Am round at Cog Hill before Thursday’s start of the Western Open.

‘It was very disappointing. I had good practice sessions and I thought I was prepared.’

Now I’m not saying TIger would miss the cut in his first tournament back after his surgery, but I’d be willing to make a small wager he doesn’t win in his first outing. That is a really fearless golf prediction, what do you think?

 

Tiger Woods has knee surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks

Looks like his next tournament will be the US Open then. From Golfweek-

Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and will miss at least four weeks while he recovers.

It was the third time Woods has had surgery on his left knee, the most recent in 2003 when he missed the start of the season. His agent said he had been experiencing pain since the middle of last year.

*****

The surgery means Woods is likely to miss The Players Championship for the first time, but should return in time for the U.S. Open.

Tiger could come back at The Memorial or gasp Memphis.(Where he has never played.) If Tiger takes off till the Open, I fear he will be rusty. That’s just my opinion.

Anyway get well Tiger.

 

Tiger Woods five PGA Tour tournament winning streak is over

He finished the final round with a score of 68 or -15 for four day. With one hole to go, Geoff Ogilvy leads Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, and Jim Furyk by one shot. Woods is two behind, but Goosen and Furyk are in the clubhouse.

Due to rain both Saturday and Sunday, this weekend’s WGC- CA Championship had to be finished on Sunday. Three weeks till Tiger tees it up at The Masters. Will another streak start then?

 

Tiger Woods stretches winning streak to five

By winning tthe Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill today.

Tiger Woods sank a 24-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, extending his USPGA Tour winning streak to five straight tournaments.

The 13-time major winner fired a final round four-under 66 to reach 10-under 270 overall and beat fellow American Bart Bryant (67) by one stroke.

Woods produced another piece of brilliance by hitting his approach shot to 24-feet at the par-four 18th.

He then sank the curling putt to edge Bryant at Bay Hill.

He carded 66 to finish at 10-under-par 270, posting his sixth consecutive official victory during an amazing six-month winning streak.

It is his 63rd victory on the PGA Tour, tied for third on the all-time list with Ben Hogan, behind only Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus.

Going into today’s final round, I suspected Bryant would be the one to challenge Tiger today. Bryant made a serious run at derailing Woods, but Tiger beat him off. While Tiger won at Bay Hill each year from 2000-2003, this looked like the most likely week for his winning streak to end.

Next week is the World Golf Championship- CA Championship at Doral in Miami Florida. Tiger is defending champion, the next event for him after that is The Masters. Uhhh….when will the streak end?

 

Tiger Woods wins Accenture Match Play

Stewart Cink played well but never had a chance. From AP-

MARANA, Ariz. – Tiger Woods still rules the world of golf, perhaps now more than ever. With a record-breaking victory Sunday in the Accenture Match Play Championship, Woods won his fifth straight tournament and captured his 15th World Golf Championship, holding all three world titles for the first time. Golf is not a fair fight at the moment.

Stewart Cink found that out at Dove Mountain, where Woods overwhelmed him with 14 birdies in 29 holes for an 8-and-7 victory, the largest margin in the final in the 10-year history of this tournament.

*****

Woods has won four straight times on the PGA Tour, the third time he has built a streak at least that long. He has set the tournament record for margin of victory in his last three wins.

The next tournaments Tiger is likely to play in- Bay Hill, Doral, The Masters, Wachovia. The first three he has won 3 times or more. Tiger is the defending Wachovia champ. If I were to bet Tiger’s streak were to end, I’d say Bay Hill, Masters, Doral, and then Wachovia. Not that I’d any money on Tiger losing them.

This win sees Tiger pass Arnold Palmer on the all-time win list. Next up is Ben Hogan. Tiger needs one win to tie Ben, two to win. Barring an injury, Tiger will pass Hogan before summer begins.

 

Tiger Woods’ tournament to stay at Congressional for 2009

The inaugural AT&T National was played last year and won by KJ Choi. From AP-

BETHESDA, Md. — Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour event will get an extra year at Congressional Country Club.

Congressional announced Thursday that its members have voted to host the AT&T National in 2009. The tournament will essentially replace the 2009 U.S. Amateur, which was moved because of concerns about the conditions at Congressional’s famed Blue Course.

Congressional had originally agreed to host Woods’ tournament in 2007 and 2008. The tournament had a successful debut last year, drawing large crowds during the Fourth of July week.

Woods has said he would like Congressional to be his tournament’s permanent home, but the club already had been awarded the 2009 U.S. Amateur and the 2011 U.S. Open. Ironically, it was last year’s AT&T National that spotlighted the bumpy greens and other problems that prompted the USGA to move the Amateur to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

Woods will likely have to find another venue for 2010 because course improvements will already be under way for the 2011 U.S. Open.

Congressional is one of the four or five best courses to host a PGA Tour event every year. Pebble Beach, Riviera, and Augusta National are the only courses I would rank above it.

Back in the 80′s I attended a couple of Kemper Opens played at Congressional. I’ve seen the course up close.

As for professional major championships, I think Congressional is pretty mediocre. With courses like Pebble Beach, Shinnecock, Winged Foot, Balustrol, Pinehurst, Olympic, Oakland Hills, Southern Hills, Merion, Inverness, to name just some, I have a hard time putting Congressional in the top 20 courses for majors. Hazeltine site of the 1991 US Open, 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships, once said to be only missing 88 acres of corn and a few cows, I think is a superior course compared to Congressinal when it comes to hosting a US major.

 

Tiger Woods expected to skip Northern Trust LA Open

The last year Tiger played 72 holes at the tournament was in 2004. From Golf Week-

Tiger Woods will not play next week’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, sources close to Woods told the Los Angeles Times.

Woods has played the event 11 times, nine as a professional. His best finish at Riviera is a tie for seventh in 2004. Woods lost a playoff to Billy Mayfair in 1998 at Valencia Country Club.

“I haven’t heard for sure that Tiger isn’t coming,” Northern Trust tournament director Tom Pulchinski told the Times, “and we’re always happy to have him, but we still have a great field, one of the strongest all year, and we’re confident we’ll have a great tournament.”

Tiger skipping the LA event doesn’t surprise me. For both his dismal track record and that Tiger has been snipping PGA tournaments from his schedule on a regular basis. He used to play at Phoenix, Pebble Beach and Orlando(Disney World) but not anymore. LA and Riviera will be lucky to see Tiger in the future.

I’m not criticizing Tiger’s schedule making, just giving an honest opinion.

Also note- Golf week again screws up. Tiger’s best finish in LA at Riviera was a tie for second in 1999, not a tie for seventh. Don’t believe me, look it up at Golfstats.com. Riviera has hosted the LA Open every year since 1973 with the exception of 1983 and 1998.

 
 


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