Tiger Ties It Up: US Open Takes A Dramatic Twist With a Last Shot Comeback
It was the roar heard around the world. But there was only one Tiger that could have pulled off a stunt like that. He took a while to unsheathe the claws but, boy-oh-boy, talk about the right moment!
True to the trend that had been established over the past few days, Tiger started the day poorly, then rallied to tie up the lead in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
Being a shot behind after the 17th, he moved on to the last hole, a par 5 nightmare that causes more than its fair share of broken hearts.
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Throughout the day, the knee was niggling at him. Nothing too major, but clearly he's been overdoing things a bit, and he's had a few painful moments.
Nonetheless, I had faith in Tiger's mental toughness, and figured it would carry him. Little did we all know, but it was going to be a much tighter finish than anyone anticipated.
So, first drive off the 18th tee, the ball goes wild and lands in the bunker. Everyone with a live ticket on Tiger groans in agony, no doubt feeling some sort of psychosomatic twinge in the left knee!
Tiger lines it up and hits a shocker! The ball heads for the crowd, ending up in a bad patch of rough. Now the drama... can he spin it up from there?
This is the cool part—a par five, he's two shots in, a stroke behind the leader, and the ball is in a very difficult lie. It's highly unlikely that he can get an eagle at this point, so the best he can hope for is one shot onto the green and then a successful putt, or he settles for a minor prize.
Plays the ball—who could predict that spin up?! Hits the middle of the green and it rolls back ever so subtly to come to rest about 12 feet from the target. A little too far for everyone not to be on the edge of their seats by now, whether they're rooting for Tiger or not.
Still a stroke behind, 4th shot on a par 5, he must sink a 12 footer under the most intense pressure imaginable. And he does it... the magic works again! Who else but Tiger, eh?
In case you were hiding under a rock and you missed it, you can catch the highlights here. And take note of Tiger's brilliant shot at the 11th—fantastic!
But now is the time to start worrying about that knee. I didn't doubt he had the fortitude to make it through the weekend—but an extra day? How much more can this guy stand?
Well, tomorrow we will know for sure, but one thing to know is that the odds offered on Tiger are very unreasonable at 1.33.
Rocco Mediate played a better game for sure, and unlike Tiger, he's 100% fit. If Tiger loses tomorrow, nobody is going to blame him, but of course he has all the pressure. He's the one with a reputation to live up to, whereas Mediate hasn't won anything really serious since 2002.
One way or another, a record will be broken tomorrow. Either we shall see Mediate triumph and become the oldest US Open winner in history, or Tiger (who is currently tied on six for most US Open wins) goes one better.
How do they stack up, head-to-head?
| World Ranking | 1 | 158 |
| Tour Wins | 64 | 5 |
| Cuts Made (played) | 221(235) | 356(535) |
| Avg Drive | 287.7 | 270.7 |
| Drive Accuracy | 58.93% | 64.18% |
| Greens in Reg. | 73.26% | 63.52% |
| Source: PGATour.com | ||
It's a true "David and Goliath" contest, but this time "Goliath" has a wonky knee!
I wouldn't miss it for anything, and neither should you.
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