U.S. Open Preview: Tiger Woods
On June 17, Tiger Woods will return to the scene of one of his biggest career triumphs. The US Open will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The last time the US Open was held at Pebble Beach, Woods won by a historic margin.
Woods experienced his first taste of success at the US Open in 1999. He finished in a tie for third place with Vijay Singh in a tournament that ended up being won by Payne Stewart.
The performance put on by Woods at the 2000 US Open remains as one of the great golf performances of all time. Despite adverse weather conditions, Woods shot an opening-round 65 to give him a one-stroke lead over Miguel Ángel Jiménez and he never looked back. He ended up at 12 under par, becoming the first golfer in the 106-year history of the US Open to finish at double-digits under par. Ángel Jiménez and Ernie Els tied for second 15 strokes behind Woods. The 15-stroke margin of victory remains the largest margin of victory in any major championship.
Woods returned to the top of the leader board at the 2002 US Open held at Bethpage State Park. He led after each round and ended up at three under par. Phil Mickelson, his closest competitor, finished three strokes behind.
After a pair of top-20 finishes in 2003 and 2004, Woods nearly won his third US Open in 2005 held at Pinehurst. Woods did not finish in the top six at the end of each of the first three rounds but came charging back in the final round to nearly steal the victory. He shot four birdies on the back nine and shot an overall best-of-the-day 69. It was good enough for second place.
Woods won his third US Open in 2008 at Torrey Pines. His 12-foot putt on the final hole tied him with Rocco Mediate at minus one, forcing a playoff. After an 18-hole playoff between the two ended in a tie, Woods defeated Mediate in a sudden death playoff.
