Woods needs a miracle;
Maybe one he can make – U.S. Open Championship
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Tiger Woods, seeking a repeat U.S. Open title and his fourth overall, will have to create some kind of miracle. He’s at 3-over-par 143, just one under the cut number, but 11 behind tournament-leader Ricky Barnes The largest come-from-behind victory at the U.S. Open in the final 36 holes was recorded by Lou Graham in the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah. He was 11 strokes behind 36-hole leader Tom Watson before storming back to tie John Mahaffey and win in a playoff.
Woods shot a 1-under 69 for the second round, tying at 143 with Andres Romero. He had just gotten in one hole, a par-4 at his first, No. 10, when play was called. Woods hit his drive into a fairway bunker, put his second into the rough off the green, then chipped up close and holed the putt.
THE UNPLAYABLE OPEN -- This is the U.S. Open that can’t be played.
Just when the U.S. Golf Association thought it was going to get at least a good chunk of the third round started Saturday, along came another rainstorm.
“It’s just temporary,” said David Fay, executive director of the USGA. “Our meteorologist tells us it will pass. We’re holding the players out here, and then we’ll resume.”
Oh, yeah? Fay had the best of intentions, trying to get in as much play as possible so that that much less would have to be carried over. But then play was suspended at 6:55 p.m. due to a non-dangerous situation, meaning there was no threat of lightning. But the water was rising again, the greens were again flooded, etc. And so they blew the horn at 7:30. So 44 of the 60 players left in the field had begun the third round, and the other 16 would start Sunday morning, looking at 36 holes of golf. Weather permitting.
THE CUTMAN COMETH -- A total of 96 of the starting field of 156 got wiped away by the 36-hole cut, but no one raised eyebrows as much as Ernie Els did. The two-time U.S. Open champ from South Africa shot a whopping 78-77 – 155, 15 over par at Bethpage Black.
The cut came in at 4-over 144 – tying the second lowest in U.S. Open history -- leaving a neat 60 players advancing to the final two rounds. Els was the most notable victim, but close behind him was Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, two-time British Open champ, at 76-76 – 152. Other notables gone: Jeev Milkha Singh, Darren Clarke, Paul Casey, Zach Johnson, Justin Leonard and David Toms.
Making it right on the money at 144: Vijay Singh (72-72) and Ian Poulter (70-74). The starring cast from the ’08 Open also made it, but not convincingly: Defending champ Tiger Woods, 74-69 – 143, and his playoff runnerup Rocco Mediate, 68-73 – 141.
GLOVER LURKING -- Lucas Glover, just one behind Barnes, is making his fourth U.S. Open start. His first was at Bethpage Black in 2002. He missed the cut with rounds of 74-77. He also missed the cut in 2006 (75-77) and 2007 (71-80). Glover, 29, is playing in his 12th major championship. He’s made five cuts in 11 previous starts, with a best of a tie for 20th in the 2007 Masters.
Said Glover, after play was called Saturday: “I did 36 holes to get here [qualifying], I did 31 holes yesterday and I can go 36 again.”
PUT IT IN REVERSE – Was the rough tough? Yep, and wet, too. At the 12th, Irish whiz kid Rory McIlroy hit his tee shot to the right, next to a clump of fescue. He had no shot toward the green, so he straddled the fescue and chopped out backwards, into the fairway. Then he put his third on and holed about a 12-footer for his par.
AMATEUR’S HOUR – Forgive Canadian amateur Nick Taylor, 21, if he seemed breathless. He’d just rocketed from a tie for 44th in the first round to a tie for seventh at the halfway point, thanks to a 5-under-par 65 Saturday at long and soggy Bethpage Black. His 65 tied the U.S. Open amateur record, shared by James McHale in 1947, and Jim Simons in 1971. “I hit all the fairways but 18,” said Taylor, who made just one bogey. Taylor was the leading amateur through the halfway point with 73-65 -- 138, 2 under. Drew Weaver, low amateur in the first round with a 69, shot 72 and is second low amateur at 1-over 141. Was Taylor surprised at how he played? “Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I knew I had some birdies in me. I just stayed patient …” Biggest turnaround by an amateur: Rickie Fowler, 78-68. Great, but the cut still hurt.
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