Joel Hammond watched the US Open and saw more Tiger in Jim Furyk than in Tiger Woods.
By Joel Hammond
210 west Writer [send email]
Jim Furyk won the 103rd US Open last weekend, holding off a young Australian named Stephen Leaney and a lovely female flasher on his 66th hole.
With the weekend's eyes watching, nearly every other golfer who made Olympia Fields look more like a ladies' course in the first two rounds disappeared faster than Milli Vanilli. But not Furyk, who instead resembled another golfer on the Professional Golf Association's tour: Eldrick "Tiger" Woods.
Eldrick, though, was nowhere to be seen; except of course by the rest of those in the field who, like Mr. Woods, were dropping like flies to the bottom of the leaderboard.
Vijay Singh, just weeks removed from being chastised for ripping Annika Sorenstam, and promptly winning the Colonial, shot 78 in the final round and finished three over.
David Duval missed the cut. Nick Price, nine under at one point during Saturday's third round, shot 75 and finished even.
Phil Mickelson, supposedly Woods' biggest challenger, finished nine over and didn't shoot a round under par.
Furyk, though, seemed unfazed by the toughening course and the grit it takes to win an Open, finishing in 72, showing intestinal fortitude like no other during the final round. After Leaney birdied 13 to move within three, Furyk calmly knocked his approach at 14 within six feet and sunk the putt to essentially crush Leaney's spirit and win the Open.
Sounds like Tiger. The old Tiger.
Furyk bogeyed 17 and 18, which played as hard as any other holes on the course Sunday, and still took the championship by three.
Sounds like Tiger. The old Tiger.
No, Tiger was in no position to show how tough he was on Sunday at Olympia Fields, because he was too busy showing just how far he has slipped since last June, when he overcame raucous crowds at New York's public Bethpage Black to win the Open. One writer made the assertion this weekend that, as Woods said himself, that the world No. 1 is not in a slump, despite finishing badly in the two majors thus far this year. He has, after all, still won three times and is still cashing some large paychecks.
That doesn't sound like Tiger.
Fourteen golfers were under par at the beginning of the final round. Four finished in red numbers, two of whom finished just a stroke under.
None were Tiger Woods. His second round, which showed flashes of the golfer we've all come to expect, put him in perfect position entering Saturday's round, three strokes behind the leader and ready to pounce after a 65.
Instead, he bogeyed the first after a spectator whistled at the top of his backswing, and never recovered, struggling to a 75. He shot 72 Sunday, four-putting the ninth.
Supposedly the best and toughest golfer in the world seemingly allowed a spectator and an ensuing bogey ruin the third round of a major championship.
He's won an astounding seven of the last 15 majors on tour, and is still easily the most popular draw on tour. That's fine if you're Anna Kournikova.
But popularity contests aren't what Tiger is most concerned about winning.
Furyk's mental tenacity was the ultimate decider in this championship.
That sounds like Tiger.
But not anymore.