Tiger wins 14th major championship

In what some people were describing as the greatest US Open in history, a beleaguered Tiger Woods limped home to record the 14th major championship of his career at the age of 32. He is now only four behind Jack Nicklaus who was 35 when he claimed his 14th.

It was anything but easy though. Indeed, with Rocco Mediate holding a one-shot lead as they came down the 18th hole in the 18-hole playoff, it looked as though the world number one was about to be pipped at the post.

Indeed, Mediate had a 20-footer on the 18th green to win and just pulled it a touch.

Then it was off to the 7th hole (or 91st hole of the week) just what Tiger’s left knee needed! Tiger’s solid par here was enough to seal victory.

“This is the best of the 14 I have won,” he said afterwards, “right up there with my first one [1997 Masters]. I need to shut it down now, because my knee hurts. But I was helped all week by the energy from this crowd. Even though it stung I knew I couldn’t bag on these guys. The thought never entered my head.”

Tiger had to hole a tricky 5 footer on the 18th just to take the playoff to a 91st hole.

“I was nervous,” he said afterwards about it ”and that’s a good thing. “I couldn’t see any break there, so I called Stevie [Williams] over and he said he couldn’t see any either. It was an unbelievably gutsy performance from Rocco out there.

After the 10th hole of the playoff, Tiger had a three-shot lead. No one gives Tiger a three-shot lead over 18 holes and comes back; but Rocco did. After the 14th they were level again. And then, on the 15th, Rocco sank a long putt to go one ahead.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t beat him,” said Rocco, who wore a red shirt to match Tiger’s in the final round. “I think I scared him a little though, and I’m proud of the way I performed. When we shook hands afterwards he said: ‘Great fight’ and that means the world to me. I didn’t want him to have a walk in the park, which it could have been. I’m a little bit tired today and he’s got me by 14 years. He hits it thousands of yards past me. But I just kept hanging in there. When I had that 20-footer on the last to win I knew I wouldn’t have another chance. I just told myself ‘You’ve been waiting all your life for this moment, just don’t leave it short’.
Tiger’s coach Hank Haney, just shook his head at the end.

“Somehow, when he needs to get it done, he does it. His safe shot is a little cut, but that was one of the shots which was causing him pain. He told me afterwards that he just sucked it up with his drives on the 17th and 18th, because he knew he had to hit those shots.”

Tiger wouldn’t say when his next tournament will be, but it seems clear that the earliest one he will play in next will be the Open Championship.