Woods claims US Open after Sudden Death
17th June, 2008
Tiger Woods has claimed the US Open in dramatic fashion, after drawing the 18-hole extra day play-off with Rocco Mediate, then winning the first sudden-death play-off hole. In total it took 91 holes before the two could be separated, and Woods called it “the greatest tournament I’ve ever had”.
Despite just returning to golf after an operation on his knee, which he admitted was bothering him, he finished the stronger of the two players. After 10 holes Woods led by what looked like an unassailable three shots, but by the 16th hole he found himself one down. Teeing off on the 18th he had one stroke to make up, and when he placed his shot on the fairway with Mediate’s ball in the bunker, he had the opportunity to go for the green in one less shot. He found the green in one shot less that his opponent, and two putts from both men meant that the 18-hole play-off finished as a draw on level par. This took the play-off to a sudden-death situation on the seventh hole, on which Woods’ par was enough to clinch his 14th major.
Ranked 158th in the world, Mediate commented: "I think I had him a little scared. He said 'great fight' and that means the world to me. Obviously, I would have loved to win. I don't know what else to say. They wanted a show, they got one."
According to our odds comparison service, Woods has seen his odds shorten to 2/1 and lower to win The Open, with the likes of Els and Garcia on 14/1 and 20/1 respectively as his nearest challengers.
By Chris M
