 |
|
Tiger
Woods pumps his fist after his eagle putt on the 18th hole
to go into the lead after the third round of the US Open
championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.
|
SAN DIEGO - The throngs gathered on
the edge of the Pacific straining to get a glimpse of Tiger Woods
never doubted this was his U.S. Open, even when they saw him using a
putter and sand wedge as impromptu crutches to get out of a deep
greenside bunker.
The guy carrying a couple of beers
and shouting "Get in the hole!" as Woods teed off on the
fourth hole was a true believer, too.
By late afternoon Saturday there were
undoubtedly some who thought Woods might actually be able to ace the
448-yard hole.
He didn't, but give the guy a break.
On the day golf moved into prime time, Woods provided NBC more drama
than any dozen screenwriters could have come up with.
He celebrated, and he hurt. He
laughed, and he almost cried.
One moment he was making an eagle so
sweet it needed a double-armed fist pump to let mere mortals know
just how good it was. The next he was buckled over in agony to let
us all know how much pain he was in.
And when it was all over he walked
off the 18th green with a lead in the U.S. Open so improbable that
those dozen scriptwriters would have been laughed at for even
suggesting it.
Put his name on the trophy because he
doesn't lose when he has the lead. Give him his 14th major
championship, assuming, of course, that he can manage to walk to the
first tee.
Heck, throw in an Emmy, too, because
this guy is more than ready for prime time.
Things came to such a stunning
conclusion in the early evening on the Pacific coast that it was
hard to tell who was happier afterward.
Anyone lucky enough to snare a $100
ticket to watch Woods on the back certainly came away ecstatic.
Woods himself was smiling at both the ending and the prospect of
some ice on his knee.
And NBC executives had to be high-fiving
each other for coming up with the idea of showcasing the country's
golf championship in prime time with a featured performance by the
most brilliant athlete of his time.
"He's the best who ever walked
on grass," said Rocco Mediate, who had both the lead and a
great view of Woods from behind for most of the day. "I can't
wait to see what happens tomorrow."
Whatever happens couldn't top what
transpired during the third round of the Open on a day that merely
burnished the legend that is Tiger Woods. It couldn't, because this
script has already been acted out, and it turned out to be all so
real.
A day that started with yet another
double bogey on the first hole ended with yet another eagle on the
18th that gave him the lead for the first time. That by itself would
have been plenty enough for most players, but Woods has such a sense
of drama that he had to throw in some subplots just to make sure no
one watching around the country gave in to the temptation of going
to bed early.
He made 3 on a hole where he should
have made 6, and where Phil Mickelson made 9. He nearly fell over a
few holes later when his knee buckled on the tee shot but still
played the last six holes of a brutal golf course in 4 under par.
OK, so it wasn't Ben Hogan coming
back from a near fatal car accident to win the 1950 U.S. Open. This
was just the third round, and just a gimpy knee that has sidelined
him since the Masters.
But it was a masterful performance no
matter how you look at it.
"I just keep telling myself, if
it grabs me, if I get that shooting pain, I get it," Woods
said. "But it's always after impact. Go ahead and just make the
proper swing if I can."
The left knee won't be any better
Sunday, no matter what the 14 doctors, eight therapists and four
masseuses that surely must travel in Woods' entourage can do for him
before he limps to the first tee. Woods himself admits it's gotten
worse as the week has gone on. If caddie Steve Williams wasn't
handing him clubs to climb out of bunkers with Saturday, he was
giving him a hand to get up hills.
Woods isn't afraid to show that it
hurts, though he has to be prodded to talk about it. He would rather
describe the curling 70-footer he made for eagle on No. 13 than the
state of his knee.
That's how great athletes react to
adversity. They tuck it aside, compartmentalize it and get on with
their business.
Woods will do just that on Sunday, a
day that he'll begin with a one-shot lead on Lee Westwood and even
more of an advantage over a group of other players not exactly known
for making final round charges in majors.
He's never lost a major championship
taking a lead into the final round, and he's not likely to do so now
as long as he can walk.
The only question is how much more
drama he'll provide in winning this one.
|
