Nobody but Tiger could have done what he did
For those tuning in to watch the final round of the US Open this evening, it will have to go some to match the drama of when it was last staged at Torrey Pines in 2008.
Alastair Forsyth was inside the ropes that week in his sole appearance in America’s national championship.
He played all four rounds in San Diego, finishing in a tie for 60th, and saw the challenge that Torrey Pines offered to the world’s best players.
And the Glasgow golfer knows that Tiger Woods’ achievement in conquering the course and his competitors – while battling with a crippling knee injury that required surgery immediately after the tournament – has only got bigger in the 13 years that have passed.
“You were always wondering: ‘It couldn’t be that bad’ with Tiger that week because the guy was leading the US Open,” Forsyth told The Sunday Post.
“For example, there was one hole, a par-five, where it was difficult to hold the green in two. Tiger managed to hit the back of the green, and holed a monster putt for eagle.
“But it’s only when you see the highlights that you realise the state he was in.
“I saw an interview with Tiger’s old caddie, Steve Williams, talking about it. He said to Tiger that maybe he should leave the course. But Tiger’s response was: ‘No way’.
“Nobody but Tiger Woods could have put themselves through that, let alone win the tournament in the condition he was in.
“We all know his talent. But Tiger’s level of determination is way beyond that of anyone else out there. We saw that again when he won at Augusta two years ago.”
Tiger holed a clutch birdie putt on the 72nd hole in 2008 to draw level with Rocco Mediate as they finished one clear of Lee Westwood.
Another round of golf was the last thing he needed. But Woods returned on the Monday and eventually triumphed at the first extra hole after 18 more holes could not separate him and Mediate.
“I remember Rocco sitting there, watching Tiger hole his 15-footer on the last on the Sunday,” recalled Forsyth.
“Rocco was smiling at the time, but he must have been spewing on the inside! Somehow you just knew there was only going to be one winner in the play-off.”
Forsyth loved the set-up at Torrey Pines, and he used that experience when he returned to America later that summer for the US PGA Championship.
As Padraig Harrington held off Sergio Garcia to claim the Wanamaker Trophy, Forsyth finished in a creditable tie for ninth – his best-ever Major result.
“You see some horror stories about the US Open, but Torrey Pines was tough but fair,” he said.
“We’ve seen a few over the years where it got a bit silly but not that one. You got rewarded for a good shot, and punished for a bad one. And the backdrop by the Pacific Ocean was stunning.
“The experience of trying to grind out pars was something I was able to feed off at the US PGA.
“The set-up at Oaklands Hills was similar, as you were also trying to keep big numbers off your card.
“I look back at 2008 with good memories. I won in Madeira, and lost a playoff in Portugal.
“But I had some pretty poor results, too.
“I got to 80, 81 in the rankings a few times in my career, including that year, but I never kicked on at the right time.
“I never got that big win or big finish which would have pushed me towards the top 50 or even a Ryder Cup spot.”
Forsyth, now 45, last played a full season on the European Tour in 2014, and last week played in the Scottish PGA Championship at Blairgowrie.
But having seen Richard Bland win at 48 and Phil Mickelson become a Major Champion at nearly 51, does that make him want to have one last crack?
“No, I’ve moved on from the Tour,” he explained.
“But it was an incredible story for Blandy, and watching Phil, he was still hitting the ball an incredible distance.
“I’ve got five years until I’m 50, so I’ll see how I feel then about Seniors golf.”