USA TODAY International Edition
Woodland’s gutsy pitch a mark of a champion
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – When we look back on Gary Woodland’s victory in the 2019 U.S. Open years from now, everyone will remember his pitch shot on the 17th hole in the fourth round.
With Brooks Koepka in hot pursuit down the stretch Sunday, Woodland’s tee shot on the par-3 ended up 90 feet from the hole on the hourglass green. But he pulled out a 64-degree wedge and nearly holed his chip off the fringe. Woodland tapped in for par and held on to his two-shot lead.
Jack Nicklaus didn’t miss the theater of it all, tweeting that the pitch “took a lot of guts. Promise you I would not have had that much guts. I might have putted it & played for 4.”
Woodland said he and swing coach Pete Cowen had worked on the shot earlier in the week.
“If I putted it, I don’t think I could have got within 20 feet,” Woodland said after winning his first major. “Fortunately I did have that shot earlier in the week. And I was just trying to get it down there, trying to get it past the hole so I could be putting back uphill, and it came off perfectly. I clipped it nicely.”
The 35-year-old from Topeka, Kansas, hoisted the giant silver trophy Sunday night after signing for a 2-under-par 69 to finish at 13 under and three shots clear of Koepka, the world No. 1 who was trying to join Willie Anderson as the only players to win the national championship in three consecutive years.
Before Sunday Woodland was 0for-7 when holding a 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. But at Pebble Beach he led by one with 18 holes to play and never buckled under the weight of the U.S. Open and the chasing pack that also featured 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose.
“From a mental standpoint I was as good as I’ve ever been,” said Woodland, who has four PGA Tour titles. “I never let myself get ahead of myself. I never thought about what would happen if I won, what comes with it. I wanted to execute every shot. I wanted to stay in the moment. I wanted to stay within myself.”
It’s obvious that Woodland has elevated his ball-striking to an elite level, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said.
“The difference is, he brought his putter along for the ride this week, and that’s why he’s holding the trophy,” Chamblee said Sunday.
“What he’s done over the last year and a half, two years from a ball-striking perspective, from a strategy perspective is very impressive. He’s got (coaches) Pete Cowen and Butch Harmon helping him tee-to-green. This is essentially like having Belichick and Lombardi help you design a play in football.”