Four rounds could not decide the U.S. Open. Not even a fifth round Monday at the Torrey Pines South Course could decide the championship.
Tiger Woods’ birdie putt on the 18th hole in the fourth round forced an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate on Monday. After both Woods and Mediate shot an even par 71 through those 18, Mediate could not answer Woods’ par on the first sudden death playoff hole, which gave Woods his 14th major championship.
Woods won despite undergoing knee surgery following The Masters in April. Woods said before the tournament that he did not know what to expect over the weekend, given his physical condition and because the U.S. Open was his first tournament since the surgery. He announced Wednesday that he would miss the rest of the 2008 season to have more knee surgery.
“I haven’t played obviously competitively since The Masters,” Woods said. “So getting out there and getting into the flow and dealing with the adrenalin, dealing with the juices flying, all these different things that a lot of guys have been dealing with for a little bit and I haven’t.”
Woods had trouble getting into the flow early in the tournament, shooting a double bogey on his first hole and finishing the first round one over par. But he shot a 68 in the second round and was at or near the top of the leaderboard for the remainder of the championship.
Woods is no stranger to success at Torrey Pines, having won the last four Buick Invitational tournaments. But based on his practice rounds, the course is different from the one the PGA Tour stops at each January, he said.
“We’re playing different distances in the tee boxes than what we normally do for the Buick,” Woods said. “So getting a feel for that over the practice rounds I think is pretty important to develop a feel, but also develop a game plan on how to play them.”
Woods’ 14 career majors are second only all-time to Jack Nicklaus, who has 18 major victories. The playoff was the first at a U.S. Open since 2001.
Absent from the playoff was San Diego native Phil Mickelson. The second-best golfer in the world finished tied for 18th, shooting six over par for the tournament.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to compete in the U.S. Open on the course I grew up on in the prime of my career,” Mickelson said.
Mickelson’s only round under par was the fourth, in which he shot a three-under-par 68.
Mickelson was paired with Woods and Adam Scott for the first two rounds, a marquee group that featured the top three golfers in the world. Huge galleries followed this group on Friday and Saturday.
“I like the opportunity to play with the best players in the world,” Mickelson said before the tournament. “Whether at the time it’s Tiger, Adam Scott, whoever it is ” we all want to play with the best.”
Although the course played difficult, it was more playable than recent U.S. Open courses. This year’s Open produced the first under-par winner at the championship since 2004. Although difficult, most players thought the course was fair. Mickelson said before the championship that this would make the tournament a true Open, giving more players a shot at victory because it wasn’t as penalizing.
The next major championship will be in a little over a month, when the British Open is held at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Merseyside, England from July 17 to 20. The PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan will round out the 2008 major calendar in August.