Golf
Golf, News, Sports - Monday, June 16, 2008 21:21 - 0 Comments
Dramatic finish at U.S. Open
Tiger Woods clinched his 14th major title after defeating valiant veteran Rocco Mediate at the first sudden-death hole of an absorbing US Open play-off.
Mediate, 45, bogeyed the first hole and was three behind Woods at three over after 10, before the world number one bogeyed two holes in succession.
The outsider posted three consecutive birdies to take the lead after 15.
Woods then birdied the 18th to extend the match, which ended when Mediate could only bogey the first extra hole.
Mediate, bidding to become the oldest winner of the Championship, was one of the biggest outsiders ever to take part in a major play-off, coming into the event at 158 in the world rankings.
But although he was up against 32-year-old Woods, who has never lost a tournament having led on the final day, there was little to choose between the pair as the contest engineered some thrilling golf.
The victory took Woods one step closer to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors and it was made more remarkable as the Californian struggled with a knee injury over the five-day contest at Torrey Pines.
When Mediate nervously prodded a par putt to drop behind at the first it seemed as if the occasion may have got to him, but he responded superbly at the dramatic third hole.
His tee shot at the par-three overlooking the ocean trickled inches past the flag and his birdie put him one shot ahead as Woods was unable to save par from a plugged lie in the front bunker.
The shock lead did not last long as Mediate’s approach from the sand at the fifth bounced into the wilderness off a cart path, and he did well to just drop the one shot.
Woods appeared to have underlined his supremacy with a drive and a nine-iron to four feet at the 500-plus yard par-four sixth, and added another birdie at the next with a 12-foot putt to move two clear.
But he had his problems as well and he dropped a shot at the eighth after finding another perilous spot in the bunker.
Putting opened the gap again, Woods holing two good ones, the second from the apron off the 10th green and Mediate missing two relative tiddlers.
Mediate somehow stayed in contention with some determined play, but was unexpectedly aided by Woods finding sand at the next two holes.
With his injured knee causing extreme discomfort, Woods drove so far right at the 15th that he found a bunker on another hole, and Mediate kept up the pressure by finding the middle of the green in regulation.
Woods produced one of the very great shots, drawing one in from the sand to six feet, but Mediate got his blow in first, holing a snaking one from around 20 feet, Woods missed and was one down with only three to play.
He left two birdie chances agonisingly short at the next two holes and Mediate calmly sank a three-footer to take a one-shot advantage to the final hole.
Mediate found the fairway trap and laid up 124 yards short, while Woods sent a three-iron towering over the pond to find the par-five in two.
After Woods two-putted, Mediate then had to hole a nerve-jangling putt from around a yard to take the match on.
The first extra hole was the seventh, and while Woods ripped a monster drive way down the fairway, Mediate found the sand, and then had to drop out from the stands beside the green.
With Woods making a solid four, Mediate needed to hole from around 20 feet but this time he could not do it and his great adventure came to an end.
SOURCE:BBC SPORT