Happy Father's Day and U.S. Open Sunday. It's going to be in the mid-70's in La Jolla, with partly cloudy skies and lights winds from 5-10 mph. Feel free to e-mail any comments to thegolfwatcher@thegolfwatch.com -- I will get things started at 3:00 EST. See you soon.
3:04 - Just read that Torrey Pines is playing at just 7,282 yards. Looks like the tees are up!
3:06 - That didn't take long...the first Tiger/Earl Woods montage.
3:12- Johnny Miller is right: Yesterday's third round did feel like a Sunday.
3:15- The Golf Digest Open Challenge was pretty entertaining. We didn't see too much John Atkinson, but watching Tony Romo is a treat.
3:29- I've never seen Bob Costas laugh that hard...
3:32- Johnny Miller: "Nobody prepared more than Phil...Preparation and Phil aren't always compatible. I think sometimes it would be better if he just showed up and played, not so many things going on in his head."
3:36- Hometown hero Pat Perez just closed out with a bogey on the 18th, finishing at 9-over-par.
3:41- Health Slocum just carded a 6-under 65. Low scores are clearly out there.
3:57- Did Jimmy Roberts really make another Tiger Woods-Big Brown comparison?
4:02- Less than 30 minutes until the leaders tee off...
4:07- Another classic Johnny Miller line: "I think experience is only good when it's good experience, personally. This stuff about saying, 'I learned from that 84 today.' You don't learn anything except for the fact that you gagged."
4:12- Nice ovation for Phil as he walked up the 18th green.
4:19- Hunter Mahan's third shot 1st hole- Haven't seen a ball hit a greenside bunker lip and kick back into the sand in a while.
4:32- It looked like Tiger was set up for a fade, but his hands manipulated the club like he was hitting a draw. The result: dead left.
4:38- Woods and Westwood are all over the place on the first.
4:41- Phil Mickelson--classy as usual during his interview with Jimmy Roberts. Way to take the high road.
4:43- I can't believe what we're seeing out of Tiger Woods on the first He's not on the green and is still lying four. It's like watching Matt Lauer. He might reverse everything he did on 17 and 18 yesterday.
4:46- Man, Rocco almost holed his tee shot on the third. He almost got the same bounce Tiger got on the 17th yesterday.
4:48- Tiger with another double at the first. He's +5 on the hole for the week.
4:51- I haven't seen Tiger Woods in this much pain the whole tournament... He just hit his tee shot on two way right and he initially had trouble walking forward.
4:56- Geoff Ogilvy with a huge mistake on the fourth tee--missing way left and apparently over the cliff.
5:01- I can't believe what we are witnessing. Tiger with a bogey at two. He just threw his putter at the bag.
5:09- Tiger leaves his birdie putt on three well short. Westwood should learn something from it.
5:11- Englishman Luke Donald just withdrew after 14 holes due to a bad left wrist. That has to be pretty dissapponting--playing 68 out of 72 holes, and having to call it quits. I fully expect him to root on Westwood in the clubhouse.
5:17- I don't know how Tiger is going to keep this up. It looks like he is in too much pain. He is going to need some help from some of the other players.
5:25- I like that close-up of Rocco's swing. It's pretty unorthodox, but it works.
5:29- Geoff Ogilvy is hanging around, only two strokes back. I wonder if the USGA has any gripe with his shirt being tucked out.
5:31- "Looks like he is ready to paint somebody's house" -Dan Hicks in reference to Camillo Villegas' outfit.
5:35- Mediate misses his short par putt, and now Westwood is all alone at 1-under.
5:38- With three pars in a row, maybe Tiger has finally settled down.
5:44- Even I let out a grimace after Tiger's latest groan on the 6th tee.
5:49- Ogilvy's birdie on the 7th--It wasn't quite like the ball that dropped in for Tiger a few years back on 16 at the Masters, but it was pretty close. The biggest difference was Ogilvy's reaction--he stayed pretty calm.
5:57- The biggest problem with Ernie Els the past couple months has been his adjustment to the new swing. But today, the swing looks fine. It's the putter that has been the problem.
6:01- After hitting his second shot on the seventh, it seems to me that Tiger feels much more comfortable swinging his irons, than his woods.
6:12- Tiger shortsided himself on eight, and is in the front bunker. His distance control has been off thus far.
6:20- Is it just me, or does Peter Jacobson's voice remind you of Chris Berman's?
6:25- Tiger hits his lengthy second shot onto the green at the 9th, and will have an eagle putt. I think Curtis Strange called it--even par should win it.
6:33- Woods and Westwood birdie 9, Mediate birdies 10...Westwood hits the turn with a one stroke lead.
6:40- Westwood just skulled his second shot from the fairway bunker on 10. If he leaves the hole with a par, it'll be a heck of an up-and-down.
6:43- About the drop zone: " Miracle growth's been put on it, it looks like." -Johnny Miller
6:47- Tiger pars, Westwood bogeys 10...3-way tie now, along with Mediate, at 1-under.
6:51- For the first time all day, Tiger had the honors on 11 tee. He took advantage of it, with a great long iron shot to a few feet. Westwood misfired and put his tee shot in the greenside bunker. The good news for Westwood is that he has plenty of green to work with.
6:56- Tiger birdies the 11th. Not a good sign for the rest of the field.
7:00- Less than two hours ago, it looked like Tiger had lost the momentum he hoped would carry over from yesterday. Now, it seems like it's back. He hit his tee shot in the middle of the fairway, Westwood's tee shot hooked left in the fairway bunker.
7:06- We just witnessed how detrimental the rough can be at Torrey. It took Ernie Els three shots to get out of it on 15, resulting in a triple bogey.
7:12- Westwood just dropped another shot and is at even-par. Mediate is within striking distance of making a birdie on the 13th.
7:14- Rocco just missed a three footer on 13. When Tiger has the lead, Rocco knows better than anyone else that you have to capitalize on those opportunities.
7:22- IâÂÂve always thought that Tiger Woods is one of the best on-course strategists in the game. That is why Tiger hitting 3-wood for his second shot on 13 makes no sense. HeâÂÂs now in no-manâÂÂs land, when all he had to do was hit a short iron to a good lay-up distance. He saw where Westwood ended up, so where's the incentive to go for it?
7:29- Johnny Miller just questioned Tiger Woods and Stevie Williams judgement when it comes to club selection today.
7:32- Because of poor decision making, Tiger and Westwood both dropped shots at 13. Mediate's birdie on 14 gives him a one stroke lead.
7:44- Tiger decided to play 14 conservatively, and that cost him a birdie. Westwood missed his eagle attempt and birdies the hole--both trail Mediate by one.
7:51- Rocco bogeys 15, after nearly pulling off a spectacular par. Woods and Mediate now tied at 1-under, Westwood trails by one.
8:02- Rocco saves par at the par-3 16th, while Tiger has a lengthy putt to save par on 15.
8:05- Tiger misses his par putt by a hair. Now, Rocco has a one stroke lead heading into the final two holes at the U.S. Open.
8:09- No matter how much pressure there is, Rocco seems to be loving it. He is riding all of the energy from the crowd, and just stuck his second shot on the 17th.
8:17- Rocco and Tiger both drained testy par putts. Rocco has a one stroke lead as he heads to the par-5 finishing hole.
8:29- Rocco two-putts, and finishes at 1-under.
8:32- Tiger can't capitalize on birdie opportunity on 17, heads to final hole one shot behind. Bring back any memories from last year?
8:34- Westwood drains par-putt, in same position as Tiger. The excitement of this final round couldn't make the USGA or NBC any happier.
8:42- Tiger layed up from the fairway bunker into the right rough. He has 105 left. Westwood is inside Tiger’s ball, and is in the fairway.
8:46- Woods and Westwood are both on the green with makeable birdie putts. Let's sit back and enjoy this...
8:50- Westwood misses birdie putt, finishes one stroke back.
8:54- Tiger drains the birdie putt. Rocco and Tiger are going to an 18-hole playoff tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
