It was Tiger Woods’ “greatest triumph” after an epic duel with the dogged American journeyman Rocco Mediate. Lawrence Donegan reports.
The man wearing red won the 108th US Open at Torrey Pines on June 17, but for once on the decisive day of a major championship Tiger Woods looked vulnerable before passing yet another milestone on his march towards Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors, defeating the dogged American journeyman Rocco Mediate after one of modern golf’s epic days.
The world No. 1 tapped in for par on the first extra hole to win after the two men had tied their 18-hole play-off, each shooting level par. It was the easiest shot Woods faced on a day that stretched even his talents to their outer limits.
“My greatest ever championship — the best of the 14 because of all the things that have gone on over the past week,” he said after picking up the trophy. It was a reference to the persistent problems with his left knee, an injury which now puts his participation in next month’s Open in doubt.
Those who have witnessed Woods’ otherworldly efforts at Pebble Beach and the Old Course over the years might take issue with his assessment of his latest triumph, but surely none would deny that the events of June 17 were unmatched for sheer nerve-shredding drama. For this, much credit must go to Mediate, who was given little chance of winning, least of all by himself.
“Tiger is unreal,” Mediate said afterwards. “I would have loved to have won, but it was a great day. They wanted a show and they got one.”
They did and the drama was all the sweeter for being so unexpected. None of it was foretold before a ball was struck.
Indeed, when Mediate showed up for the showdown wearing the same red shirt and black trousers as Woods his prospects looked even more ominous than they might otherwise have been. The last playing partner to indulge in such sartorial cheek at the great man’s expense — Luke Donald at the 2006 PGA championship — was dismissed with a routine swipe. Fortunately Mediate is cast from stronger metal, having earned his spurs — not to mention his money — in an era when life was not quite as lucrative for the jobbing professional. This was his one shot at glory, his one opportunity to emulate his great mentor Arnold Palmer, who won this tournament at Cherry Hills in 1960.
Still, the day began as expected, with Woods taking the lead at the 1st hole. More tellingly, Mediate’s approach shot into a greenside bunker confirmed what everyone on the premises already knew: behind the cheery veneer he was a bag of nerves. He hit another poor approach shot at the 2nd but scrambled a par — an escape which was greeted with huge roars from galleries which were clearly on his side.
Glee turned into euphoria at the par-three 3rd when Mediate almost holed his tee shot, leaving himself a tap-in birdie, whereas Woods could only manage a bogey four. The two-shot swing vaulted Mediate into the lead. It was the first indication that the day was destined not to be the procession many had expected.
Woods re-established his lead on the 6th with a birdie and stretched it to three shots around the turn. In normal circumstances he might have been expected to cruise comfortably back to the clubhouse to pick up the trophy. Yet such had been the drama of the previous four days on the southern Californian coast that there was an inevitability about the events that followed.
Woods’ dropped shot at the 11th was clumsy, but hardly indicative of a man buckling under pressure. But what was to be made of a poor chip on the 12th hole and subsequent bogey? Mediate reached the obvious conclusion and pressed hard. Two successive birdies, at the 13th and 14th holes, and suddenly — unbelievably — he was level once again. The 2008 US Open, a five-day marathon on a course that had stretched the best in the world to the limit of their talents, had been reduced to a four-hole play-off. Who had the skill or, more to the point, the nerve?
Woods’ record in such circumstances will stand forever in history but Mediate had twice before found himself in play-offs at PGA Tour events and won twice. He is no mug and he took little time to prove as much, holing a snaking 18-footer on the 15th green for birdie. The underdog held his advantage through the 16th and 17th holes, matching pars with Woods, and stepped on to the 18th tee needing only to equal his opponent’s score on the hole for a famous victory.
This was easier said than done, not least because Woods’ length gave him an advantage on the par five. Inevitably he reached the green in two shots, Mediate in three. Woods putted first and sent his eagle effort four feet past, leaving his 45-year-old opponent with an 18-footer for the history books. It was no disgrace to miss — indeed, he deserves credit for running his ball up to the cup — but that proved to be his last chance.
TIGER’S MAJORS1997: US Masters Augusta1999: US PGA Medinah2000: US Open Pebble Beach2000: The Open St. Andrews2000: US PGA Valhalla2001: US Masters Augusta2002: US Masters Augusta2002: US Open Bethpage2005: US Masters Augusta2005: The Open St. Andrews2006: The Open Hoylake2006: US PGA Medinah2007: US PGA Southern Hills2008: US Open Torrey Pines© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
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