Wounder tigers are dangerous
June 15th, 2008 by Jonathan Maziarz in Editor's Desk, SportsIf you did not watch the U.S. Open golf tournament over the weekend, you missed the best sports theater on television since the Giants stepped on the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The setting: La Jolla, California, Torrey Pines Golf Course.
The major players:
1. Tiger Woods - the greatest golfer ever to step into the tee box. Winner of 13 major tournaments and 13-0 in major tournaments when leading going into the final round. Normally mere mortals would have no chance, but this U.S. Open was tiger’s first tournament in a few months and first since have knee surgery in May.
2. Rocco Mediate - Ranked #156 in the world, but playing cool and somehow, above the pressure. Mediate had never won a major and has only won five times on the PGA Tour, most recently six years ago.
3. Lee Westwood - once a top-five player, he’d plummeted into the mid 200s before taking his Dad as swing coach. He’d since regained form and was aiming to be the first Englishman to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970.
Noticeably absent from the list is hometown favorite Phil Mickelson. Still looking for his first U.S. Open win, Mickelson played Woods to a draw during their first day pairing, but to quote Rick Reilly (here’s Reilly on the matchup before the Open), played like a diseased yak on Friday and Saturday, fading from contention. He even had a Tin Cup-like 9 on one hole where he was forced to make the same chip three times. It was painful to watch.
As other players faded from leaderboard on Sunday, it came down to the fated trio. All held at least a share of the lead for part of the day, but it came down to the final hole. Mediate was in the clubhouse at one under par; Woods and Westwood were coming up 18, each needing a birdie to tie and an eagle to win. Both sprayed drives and second shots to less than ideal places, Tiger even tossing his club in disgust after his second shot.
But, he is the best for a reason. Tiger knocked his third shot about 12 feet from the pin. Westwood missed a 20-footer and was out.
Tiger calmly rattled in putt forcing an 18-hole playoff Monday.
Can Tiger’s knee withstand another 18 holes? Will Rocco’s magic pixie dust wear off? Tune in Monday at noon to find out.
I would love to think that Rocco can be Jack Fleck to Tiger’s Ben Hogan, but gimpy knee or not, it’s going to take some sort of miracle.
Either way, it’s going be some of the most compelling sports of the year.
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