No 2008 Woods redux, but keep an eye on these five in US Open
The course logo for Torrey Pines, the site of the 121st U.S. Open this week near San
Diego, shows a tree leaning toward a setting sun on a single trunk.
Coincidentally, the defining moment of the 2008 national championship conducted at Torrey Pines belonged to a player leaning on a single leg.
At 5:52 p.m. West Coast time on June 15,
2008, Tiger Woods, having winced his way through 71 holes with a torn left knee ligament and double stress fracture in his left shin, lined up a 12-foot birdie putt that would either miss the mark or drop in the cup to force an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate.
As Mediate watched from the scoring hut, having already completed his round, Woods pulled back his Scotty Cameron putter and sent the ball bouncing along the bumpy green. Woods moved to his left and crouched as the ball slipped into the cup on the high side, the man in the red Nike shirt celebrating with a double fist pump as NBC commentator Dan Hicks exclaimed, “Expect anything different?”
Rob Oller Columnist
Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY NETWORK
The next day, Woods made a 4-foot birdie putt at 18 to extend the playoff, then won his 14th major championship with a par on the first hole of sudden death.
The U.S. Open returns to Torrey Pines for the first time since Woods wowed the world on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific, but these days the most dominant golfer in history — but only second-greatest, as fans of Jack Nicklaus would argue — can barely walk 91 yards on one leg, much less 91 holes.
Now, as then, Woods is nursing a leg injury, though this one was caused by high-speed SUV driving rather than a high-speed Nike driver.
Without Woods in the field, any homage to 2008 will need to be satisfied by the plaque placed adjacent to the 18th green on the South Course to commemorate Woods' legendary moment.
Now 45, Woods will watch from his home in Florida as the 156 players teeing off on Thursday attempt to create similar history without nearing the supremacy he enjoyed then.
Justin Ray of the sports analytics website twentyfirstgroup.com unearthed this morsel: from August 2007 through the 2008 Open, Woods played 11 tournaments worldwide, winning eight times and finishing second, tied for second and fifth in the other three. Of the 1,227 opposing players in those fields, only seven finished ahead of him.
So, who will win? We present five candidates, but dare not guarantee any will hoist the trophy.
The Buckeye
Jason Kokrak grew up in Warren, in northeastern Ohio, attended Xavier University and calls Hudson home. No player raised in Ohio has won a major championship since Ben Curtis shocked golf at the 2003 British Open. (Jason Day won the 2015 PGA Championship, but the Westerville resident grew up in Australia).
Ohio bias aside, Kokrak is one of four players with multiple PGA Tour victories this season, joining Stewart Cink, Bryson Dechambeau and Patrick Cantlay.
The Long Shot
Jhonattan Vegas is coming off a runner-up finish at the Palmetto Championship on Sunday. Golf is a game of “what have you done lately?” Vegas' game appears on form enough to risk taking a flier on him.
The U.S. Open is known for its gnarly rough, which should not bother the hulking Vegas, who also ranks tied for 14th in driving distance on tour. The past five U.S. Open winners — Dechambeau, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka (twice) and Dustin Johnson — all rank in the top 16 in driving distance. Gone are the days of bunters like Corey Pavin and Jim Furyk winning by keeping it in the fairway..
The Best Bet
Not to open that can of worms again — oops, just did — but if Jon Rahm had shown up at the Memorial Tournament fully vaccinated, the 26-year-old almost certainly would have won Nicklaus' tourney on Sunday. Instead, Rahm tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and withdrew with a six-shot lead with 18 to play.
Did that unfortunate setback turn the Spaniard into a psychological mess? Or will it motivate him to finish what he started at Muirfield Village? Just know that he has previously won at Torrey Pines.
The International
Some of my golf buddies hate this category because it goes against the red, white and blue of Old Glory. How to placate? Take Paul Casey, who represents the red, white and Union Jack blue of the United Kingdom. The 43year-old Englishman has finished second-17th-26th-fourth at his past four majors.
The Sentimental
Can Phil Mickelson do it again? After winning last month's PGA Championship at age 50, the old left-hander — who turns 51 on Wednesday — is seeking his first U.S. Open victory, which would give him the career Grand Slam.
Banking a seventh major, which would tie him with Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead, and doing it in his hometown would top 2008. Even if he needed both legs to accomplish it. roller@dispatch.com @rollercd