US Open thread...

[SF Kid]

Woods, Mickelson, Scott put in same Open pairing
Associated Press
Thursday, June 5, 2008

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will play together the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, a decision by the USGA to create equal footing for the highest-ranked players.

Woods and Mickelson, Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, will be joined by No. 3 Adam Scott. The full pairings for the tournament, which starts June 12, will be released today.

Mike Davis, the senior director of rules and competition for the USGA, said the top 12 players will be grouped together and spread over the four various time slots.

Woods played his first round of golf Wednesday since knee surgery two days after the Masters, using a cart to cover 17-plus holes at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Woods played in solitude with swing coach Hank Haney amid tight security. The two stopped when they saw a small crowd gathered near the 18th green.

---------------------------------------------

I love this. It'll be good to see the top three players go head-to-head at the Open.

Personally I don't see Woods being ready to compete at this level after taking two months off because of the knee surgery. He had planned to come back for the Memorial but apparently the knee isn't where it should be. He played a practice round yesterday at Torrey Pines but rode in a cart. That doesn't sound good to me.

You have to wonder why if he knew he was going to have this done he didn't do it in December or January instead in the middle of the golf season when the majors come into play.

If by some miracle Woods were to actually win the US Open under these circumstances he must be anointed a god for sure. I just don't see it though.

[McCovey]

Why is Woods trying to come back so fast if his knee is not 100%? :shrug:

[SF Kid]

Because it his mission in life to win golf's major championships and he doesn't want to miss an opportunity. As I said the thing that puzzles me is if he knew he wanted to get this knee thing taken care of why not in December or January. Two days after the M<asters with the US Open looming doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[McCovey]

That is odd. It's not like Tiger is 48 years old and his time is running out.

[Bear]

That is odd. It's not like Tiger is 48 years old and his time is running out.


Tiger is just fine. If he was not he would not be playing making a fool of himself. He has too much pride to do that.:nono:

[SF Kid]

Even with a surgically repaired knee and not playing in 2 months Woods is better than the rest of the world. Guy shot 30 on his back nine yesterday to get within one of the lead.

And do you wonder why Phil Mickelson is associated with Dave Pelz? What are this guys credentials for teaching Phil Mickelson? All Pelz does is gather statistics and draws pie charts and puts them into a book. So it was Pelz's idea for Phil not to carry a driver in the US Open? D'oh. What was Mickelson thinking? He's being out driven by 40-60 yards and he can't keep his 11 degree mickey mouse 3W in the fairway. Bad idea.

Anyway I hope Woods wins.

[SF Kid]

Incredible.

Nope, no doubt Wodds is the best of all time.

That was an incredible display of a guy who gutted it out today with a knee that is hurting unbelievably.

The eagles at 13 and 18 were just not to be believed.

The guy is a freak.

[McCovey]

What makes Tiger better than everyone else is his mental toughness. The only other athlete that I can think of that was just as mentally tough like that was Michael Jordan. The day before Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals Jordan got some serious food poisoning. He couldn't even walk. The Bulls medical personnel told he can't played Game 5. Game 5 was in Utah and the Jazz had won the previous two games and were on a roll. So Jordan gets out of bed and played, scoring 38 points to lead the Bulls to a win.

[McCovey]

I found this online. Part 1


He remembers waking up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely, shaking, and feeling as if he was going to die. "I was scared; I didn't know what was happening to me," Michael Jordan would say. At first, he thought it was a nightmare. Then he realized it was real, that he was seriously ill. "I felt partially paralyzed," he would later say.
When he lifted himself up from his bed in his Utah hotel room, his head began spinning. He'd never been so nauseated before. He feared that somehow, some way, someone had slipped some kind of drug in something he ate.
It was the middle of the night in Salt Lake City, an off day between Games 4 and 5. The series was tied, 2-2, following Utah's second consecutive win, but how in the world could Jordan play in this condition in Game 5?
Jordan called the Bulls' medical personnel, which came rushing to his room. They determined that he was suffering from food poisoning or an intestinal stomach virus. "There's no way you'll be able to play Game 5," Jordan was told.
Jordan remains in bed for the next 24 hours, missing the Bulls' morning practices the day before and the day of Game 5. He had lost several pounds. He was dehydrated. Then, at 3 p.m., just three hours before tip-off, Jordan rose from his hotel bed and dragged himself to the Delta Center.

[McCovey]

Part 2


THE MOMENT
It's 4:30 p.m. when Scottie Pippen sees Jordan emerge from a side door of the Delta Center. "The way he looked, there's no way I thought he could even put on his uniform," Pippen would say. "I'd never seen him like that. He looked bad -- I mean really bad."
Jordan sequesters himself in a dark room adjacent to the Bulls' locker room. He slowly lies his weak body down. He closes his eyes. He visualizes himself running, shooting, passing, rebounding, dunking. Soon, he emerges from the room, staggering slowly. He puts on his uniform and walks out to the court, weak and pale. "I can play," he tells coach Phil Jackson. "I'll let you know how I'm feeling as the game goes on."
As the game begins, Jordan drags himself up and down the court, running at only 65 percent of his normal speed. He is so dehydrated and fatigued that he is sure he is going to pass out any second. Halfway through the quarter, during a pause in the game, Jordan bends over to rest, pulls on his shorts, closes his eyes and nearly falls over. He has no energy whatsoever.
Later in the first quarter, during a timeout, Jordan slumps into a seat on the Bulls' bench, his arms dangling, his shoulders sagging. "He could hardly sit up," Chicago center Luc Longley would say.

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/page2/quickie/040619jordan.jpg

MJ could barely make it off the court after his 38-point performance.
He is essentially useless in the first quarter, but in the second quarter, after Utah takes a 16-point lead, something happens to Jordan physically, emotionally and mentally. He begins running harder, running faster and making shots. Somehow, miraculously, he begins looking like the typically dominant Michael Jordan. He scores 17 points in the quarter. "It was all about desire," he would tell the media. "Somehow I found the energy to stay strong."
At halftime, Jordan is fed fluids and given cold towels. In the third quarter, fatigue and nausea return, dragging him down again, rendering him virtually useless. But early in the fourth quarter, when the Jazz go up, 77-69, Jordan somehow turns it on again, leading a 10-0 run that puts Chicago back on top with five minutes left.
He starts the Bulls' burst with a 12-footer, then Toni Kukoc and Jordan both drill 3-pointers to tie the score at 77. MJ caps the run by putting the Bulls on top, 79-77, with an 18-footer over Bryon Russell. Jordan had 33 points at that stage, a staggering total for someone so ill and weak.
"In the third quarter, I felt like I couldn't catch my wind and get my energy level up," Jordan would say later. "I don't know how I got through the fourth quarter. I was just trying to gut myself through it."
With 3:07 left, John Stockton nails a three for an 84-81 Utah lead. Jordan quickly hits a runner in the lane to make it 84-83. Moments later, Jordan is fouled by Stockton. He makes the first free throw to tie the score at 85 with 46.5 seconds left, but misses the second. Kukoc, however, tips the miss, and Jordan, his instincts still amazingly sharp and his reactions still quick despite his flu-like symptoms, grabs the loose ball and sets up the offense again.
Clearly exhausted, clearly weak, Jordan looks for Pippen posting up Jeff Hornacek. MJ also looks for three-point specialist Steve Kerr, wide open in the corner. Jordan, his arms hanging like a piece of rope, makes a weak fake to Kerr, but then quickly fires a pass to Pippen. Russell quickly moves to double Pippen, 5 for 17 in the game, leaving Jordan open on the perimeter. Pippen quickly fires the ball back to Jordan. The clock shows 0:26. With Stockton's hand right in his face, Jordan launches a shot from beyond the three-point line. The ball hits nothing but string. Bulls, 88-85. His 15th point of the quarter and his 38th of the night. "We never want to double off Michael Jordan in that situation," Utah coach Jerry Sloan would say later.
Utah pushes the ball upcourt, and Stockton breaks down the defense and feeds Greg Ostertag for a dunk, making it 88-87 with 15.2 seconds left. The Bulls quickly inbound the ball and work the ball upcourt to Kukoc, who feeds Longley for a dunk and a 90-87 lead with 6.2 seconds remaining. One possession remains. Utah works the ball around and as the clock hits 0:01, Hornacek heaves a 3-pointer & and misses.
Jordan, who plays 23 of 24 minutes in the first half and 21 of 24 minutes in the second, doubles over, collapsing from emotion and exhaustion.
"That was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done," he would say after the game. "I almost played myself into passing out just to win a basketball game. If we had lost, I would have been devastated." Jackson was almost at a loss for words, but finally told the media, "Because of the circumstances, with this being a critical game in the Finals, I'd have to say this is the greatest game I've seen Michael play. Just standing up was nauseating for him and caused him dizzy spells. This was a heroic effort, one to add to the collection of efforts that make up his legend."
After MJ's epic performance, Pippen would say, "He's the greatest, and everyone saw why tonight."

[SF Kid]

Good stuff Mac.

It's funny that on Friday they interviewed that goofy Woody Austin who said that Tiger is "tough" because everything always goes his way. :rolleyes: About the most ignorant statement I have ever heard.

After being 5 down with six holes to go you can''t tell me every other golfer in the world wouldn't have quite (mentally). Woods is the only one who actually felt he could still do it. It's remarkable how that guy never ever quits. That is the difference although his physicals skills are incredible too.

[SF Kid]

Updated: June 15, 2008, 12:08 AM EST 181
SAN DIEGO (AP) - 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."

A Woods sequel usually is no mystery.

He has never lost a major when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and it has been seven years since anyone beat him anywhere in the world when he had the lead to himself.

But there never has been so much uncertainly with his name atop the leaderboard in a major.

"Is it getting worse? Yes, it is," Woods said about the burning pain in his left knee from surgery April 15 to clean out cartilage.

The knee caved in after a tee shot on the 15th, again on the 17th, and it stung so badly that he bowed his head and winced on a 5-wood to the 18th, never watching the ball clear the pond and settle 30 feet from the cup.

"I just keep telling myself that if it grabs me and if I get that shooting pain, I get it," Woods said. "But it's always after impact. So go ahead and just make the proper swing if I can."

He played the final six holes in 4 under par - and that included a bogey - and will play in the final group for the sixth time in the last eight majors. This is the first time he has held a 54-hole lead in the U.S. Open since he won at Bethpage Black in 2002.

Even Tiger was a little stunned with some of the shots he holed. Woods was at 3-under 210, one of only three players still under par.

Westwood was as solid as Woods was spectacular, playing his final 10 holes without a bogey. He holed a short birdie putt on the par-5 13th and finished with five straight pars, missing a 4-foot birdie on the last hole for a 70. The 35-year-old Englishman has never had this good an opportunity in a major.

He isn't without experience.

The only time Woods failed to win a tournament when leading by more than one shot in the final round, it was Westwood who beat him in Germany eight years ago. Now he has a chance to become the first European to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin of England at Hazeltine in 1970.

"That would be great to follow in his footsteps," Westwood said. "I've won pretty much everything else there is to win. But players are always rated on how many major championships they have won. So it's a good opportunity to try and win one of those."

Mediate, trying to become the oldest U.S. Open champion at age 45, looked as though he would leave everyone behind when he made an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 10 to reach 4 under and kept putting his shots in the fairway and on the green.

But a three-putt bogey on the 13th was the start of a four-hole stretch that he played 4-over par. That included a chip he bladed over the green and into a bunker for double bogey on the 15th. He had to settle for a 72 and was at 1-under 212.

Woods, grimacing with every step over the final hour in sunshine, lightly pumped his fist and smiled when his 30-foot eagle on the final hole broke sharply to the right down the hill and straightened in time to fall into the cup for his third eagle of the tournament.

There were other reasons to look so content.

"I'm done," Woods said. "It was nice that I could finish this round."

Then it was off to his room to ice his left knee, hopeful he can make it through 18 more holes in a major he hasn't won in six years.

Not many would have guessed he would be in this position when he stood on the back of the 13th green, five shots out of the lead, facing a dangerously quick putt down the ridge from 70 feet. It was reminiscent of his putt on the 17th green at Sawgrass in 2001, minus the island. The line was perfect, speeding down the slope and bending sharply to the left in the final foot for an unlikely eagle.

Woods turned and pumped both fists, walking briskly.

But it was the tee shot two holes later where the pain could no longer be disguised. He took his hand off the driver immediately and bent to the ground, balancing himself with his right finger twice. Two holes later, he again failed to get through the swing and sent his tee shot well to the right, again doubling over.

Woods put his approach on the 17th into thick grass between a bunker and the green, giving him an awkward stance with his weight on the painful left side. The flop shot came out hot, and Woods looked concerned as he barked out instruction: "Bite!"

It took one hop and disappeared in the bottom of the cup, and Woods broke into embarrassing laughter as caddie Steve Williams held out his hand to help him onto the green.

"It was just exciting all day," Mediate said. "It was cool to be a part of that."

The third round sure didn't shape up to contain that much excitement at the start.

Woods opened with a double bogey for the second time in three days, but he wasn't alone in his misery.

Stuart Appleby, who had a one-shot lead to start the third round, took four putts from 18 feet on No. 5 for a double bogey and turned a 3-foot birdie into a three-putt bogey on the ninth. He made his only birdie on the 18th hole to break 80.

D.J. Trahan three-putted for par on the 18th hole and threw his ball in the pond after a 73, leaving him at 1-over 214 along with former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, who overcame a double bogey on the 14th for a 72.

Phil Mickelson finally put a driver in his bag, but it was the wedge that ended his dream of a U.S. Open victory in his hometown. In a "Tin Cup" moment without the water, Lefty watched three lob wedge shots from 80 yards roll back to his feet on the par-5 13th before the fourth stayed up, and then he three-putted for a quadruple-bogey 9 - his highest score in 1,206 holes at the U.S. Open - on his way to a 76. He was at 10-over 223.

"I've had a 9 on 13," Mickelson said. "I was 8 years old. I have had a 9 there."

**************************************************

Hard to say what is going to happen today. If history is an indication then it's a foregone conclusion but anything can happen and with the added pressure of the bad knee who knows.

Hoping for #14 today.

[SF Kid]

and...

Tiger spectacular in taking over U.S. Open lead

by Jay Coffin, Golfweek.com

Updated: June 15, 2008, 1:42 AM EST 25

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods was standing at the podium addressing the media after one of the most memorable rounds of his illustrious career when Rocco Mediate jumped into the scrum, raised his hand and asked The Great One a question.

"Mr. Woods, Mr. Woods, Mr. Woods," Mediate said, jumping like a grade-school student with his hand raised. "Are you out of your mind?"
2008 U.S. Open

Woods gave one of those classic grins. He didn't respond but the answer, for those living in a cave, is yes. Not only was he out of his mind Saturday over the final six holes here at the 108th U.S. Open, he made nearly everyone at Torrey Pines lose theirs.

After struggling to a three-over score through the first 12 holes, Woods turned the last six holes into a career highlight reel with three unforgettable shots, playing them to an insane 4-under. He shot 70 and stands at 3-under, a shot ahead of Lee Westwood.

Woods pushed a nasty drive into the right rough on the par-5 13th that was near a concession stand and directly behind a television tower. After a free drop, Woods hit his 5-iron from 210 yards onto the front of the green, but his ball rolled to the back, settling some 60 feet beyond the hole.

Then he put a smooth stroke on the putt that had 10 feet of break from right to left and the ball dropped dead center of the cup, setting Woods into a fury of fists pumps that even he hasn't produced too often on the course.

An eagle from the hot-dog stand.

Impressive.

A bogey on the ensuing 14th steamed him, and par on the next two holes didn't exactly make him pleased.

The final two holes, however, were dramatic even by Woods' standards. He blew his tee shot right on the par-4 17th and hit his approach into rough left of the green just outside the bunker. Then he hit a one-hop pitch shot into the jar for a birdie three, sending the Southern California onlookers into a tizzy. Woods' celebration of choice this time was a laugh that sent the vibe that he was embarrassed the ball found the hole.

Birdie from nasty rough after two poor shots.

Crazy.

That was nothing compared to the final hole, where Woods hit driver, 5-wood to 35 feet beyond the hole and then drained the putt for his second eagle on the back side. This time he ended his round with one, strong emphatic fist pump.

Eagle, with a bad knee and the world watching.

From event coverage to commentary to fantasy tips, Golfweek.com provides all you'll ever need to be up to speed on the world of golf.
Seriously, this stuff doesn't happen to mortals.

Woods often likes to refer to his fortunes as luck, but it's skill. If it were luck, these things would happen to other players. But they don't. Phil Mickelson hit two good shots on No. 13 and made nine. Woods hits one terrible shot, follows it with two great ones and makes three.

"That's what he does; it is what he does," Mediate said. "But just once, can't someone else do it? Come on."

No, Rocco, no one can. Kudos are in order for Westwood and Mediate, who are the only other players under par through 54 holes (at 2-under and 1-under, respectively), but by Sunday afternoon, both will be footnotes, also-rans.

The proof is in the numbers. Woods is a perfect 13-0 in major championships when holding at least a share of the lead after 54 holes. He is 43-of-46 when holding at least a share of the lead in his career on the PGA Tour. This is the first 54-hole lead Woods has had at the U.S. Open since he beat Mickelson by three shots to win at Bethpage Black in 2002.

He will not relinquish it.

"Sure, he's probably going to win, but he might not," Mediate said. "You just don't know that."

The only thing that would keep Woods from winning is his delicate left knee, which bothered him often over the final four holes. The first sign of pain came after a tee shot on the 15th hole, and he winced again minutes later after hitting his approach. Ditto on the 18th.

"If the pain hits, the pain hits," Woods said. "So be it. It's just pain."

It's difficult to tell who was in more pain — Woods because of his knee, or everyone else in the field because of Woods heroics.

Woods was asked about his heroics after the round, when a reporter asked him why he celebrated each of the three dramatic shots differently. Seems we're so used to Woods doing the impossible that we're now onto dissecting his fist pumps.

"It's all spontaneous," Woods said of the various Saturday celebrations. "Thirteen, I went nuts and 18, I was like sweet. It's just one of those emotional things. I can't tell you what's coming."

What's coming? Major championship No. 14.

:bugeye:

[SF Kid]

Woods doing his best Big Brown intimation today starting double bogey/bogey to fall two off the pace. That knee is a BIG problem now.

[SF Kid]

Flashback -- 1962. Gaints have won. Dodgers playing St. Louis. The Giants need a St. Louis win to force a playoff for the National League pennant. As the Giant's broadcasters were relaying the happening in St. Louis on local SF radio the call by the great Russ Hodges...

``he popped up to Xavier, we have a playoff"... I will never forget it.

...and, I'll never forget today at he 108th US Open. Tiger Woods rolling in a 15 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force an 18 hole playoff.

No matter the outcome tomorrow this is the most compelling US Open I have ever seen now surpassing Payne Stewart's dramatic par save on the last hole to prevail over Phil Mickelson. Jack's win at the Masters in 1986 gets an honorable mention.

Terrific.

:bowdone: :bowdone: :bowdone: ----> Tiger

[Bear]

That's 14 majors for Tiger!:toast:

[McCovey]

That's 14 majors for Tiger!:toast:

And he's only 32years old old! For reference the Golden Bear had 11 majors titles through the same age.

[SF Kid]

'Ol Rocco gave Tiger all he could handle. Props to the old man.

What will be remembered, however, about this US Open is that Tiger beat the field playing on one leg. :bugeye:

I'm happy for the guy.