Notes and Quotes from the U.S. Open:
Woods favorite, knee and all – U.S. Open Championship
SAN DIEGO - The betting houses are betting that Tiger Woods not only can beat his sore knee, he can beat Torrey Pines and everybody on it, too.A sampling of the odds shows Ladbrokes, the big British house, offering Woods at 3-1, and making Mickelson the second favorite at 8-1.
Everyone else is just out for the walk. Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia, for example, are next at 20-1. That makes it a two-man race, say the oddsmakers.
Woods is making his first start since having athroscopic surgery on his left knee six weeks ago. He said it's feeling better, but not quite 100 percent OK.
Mickelson, many believe, has the home-course advantage. The prevailing belief for years has been that Mickelson grew up playing Torrey Pines. Actually, he played nine-hole high school matches here. But he did show a certain affinity for the course later, winning the Buick Invitational three times there, the last time in 2001.
When it comes to familiarity and the home-course advantage, Woods has the huge edge. He's practically camping out at Torrey. He's won six Buick Invitationals here, including the one last January.
COUNTING DOWN -- Mickelson has been the countdown champ of the majors. He was 0-for-43 until he finally won the Masters in 2004. Now he's 0-for-17 in the U.S. Opens, and tied with Sam Snead with four runner-up finishes.
The most notable was in 2006, where he blew the lead in the final round, hit four fairways, and then on the final hole hitting a tent, a tree and a bunker and tying for second by a shot behind Geoff Ogilvy. Mickelson's first runner-up was in the 1999 Open, when the late Payne Stewart stunned him on the final hole, then congratulated him on becoming a father for the first time.
So to date, in addition to the 0-for-17 in the U.S. Open, he's 0-for-15 in the British Open and 1-for-15 in the PGA.
TORREY FACTS - Torrey Pines, a municipal course, has been beefed up for the U.S. Open and will play at a par-71 stretched over an Open record 7,643 yards.
The fairways will be unusually wide for a U.S. Open, ranging from about 24 to 33 yards. The first six feet of rough on either side will be about 1 _ inches deep, followed by 2 _ inches, and finally 3 _ inches. The greens are to run at about 13 feet.
THE DEFENDER - Argentina's Angel Cabrera, who won last year at Oakmont, says the course will favor long hitters. “But you have to be straight off the tee,” he said. Pretty much a standard prognosis.
IN THE DOLDRUMS - “I'm a little frustrated,” said loopy-swinging Jim Furyk. I haven't played poorly this year, but I haven't played well by any means.” On the course: “I would say there's no way to disguise 7,600 yards.”
Return to Tournament Notebook archives