GOLF: The walk from the driving range to the first tee at Bethpage Black is little more than 300 metres and involves climbing over a pedestrian footbridge before briefly entering and exiting the new $10 million clubhouse where mahogany framed jackets and selected merchandise associated with this particular 102nd US Open hang on pristine white walls.
Shortly before 3.20 p.m. (local time) yesterday, as Tiger Woods, chaperoned by security personnel, took purposeful strides through the building, with the din of an admiring and baying crowd outside supplying acoustic accompaniment, he could have looked at one of the open spaces between the framed items and figured that, sooner rather than later, his own image would be adorning the same plaster.
Not for the first time, and not for the last, Woods took his place on the first tee in the final round of a major with destiny in his own hands. In his seven previous major wins, Woods had led going into the last round; and won on each occasion.
Recent US Open history was also on his side. For the past three championships, the player leading going into the final round - Payne Stewart (1999), Woods (2000) and Retief Goosen (2001) - went on to win. Woods, in seeking to become the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the first two majors of the season, and so keep alive the Grand Slam dream, held a four-stroke lead over his nearest pursuer, Sergio Garcia. He also had a little extra incentive to fend off the Spaniard.
After Friday's rain-hit second round, Garcia icily opined that play would have been suspended if Woods had been among the late starters. On Saturday, Garcia had second thoughts about his remarks, and sought to end any antagonism that might creep into the pair's relationship by slipping a note into Woods's locker.
"I wanted to tell him I didn't mean anything bad," said Garcia, who was heckled by spectators in Saturday's third round. Of course, Garcia's woes were somewhat self-inflicted, considering that he had slammed balls into the soft greens like any angry baseball pitcher on Friday while also giving a one-fingered gesture to the galleries. Yesterday, he was as contrite as could be - putting a stars and stripes clubhead cover on his driver, and extending the sympathy to Padraig Harrington on the range - embracing the Irishman in a brotherly hug after the World Cup penalty shoot-out - but not forgetting to collect his little wager.
For his part, Woods was intent on letting bygones by bygones. "We'll be focusing on what we need to get done, which is taking care of business," remarked Woods, who started off with a four-shot lead over Garcia, the only two players under par, with Phil Mickleson, who celebrated his 32nd birthday, and Jeff Maggert a stroke further back. Harrington, meanwhile, started out in a three-way tie for fifth. He knew he could have been in an even better shape.
In Saturday's third round, Harrington, who had covered the opening two rounds with the concession of just three bogeys to the course, had 73. Having started the day as chief pursuer to Woods, three shots adrift, he finished the day six behind.
"The conditions were perfect for golf, and I had an opportunity to gain on Tiger. The pin positions were generous. The greens were nice and soft. There was no wind. There was the possibility to shoot a really good score, and I didn't."
Yesterday, with a tornado warning across the Long Island Sound in Connecticut and a strong wind hinting at the threat of a forecast thunderstorm, there was an uncharacteristically nervy start from Woods, who three-putted the opening two holes for back-to-back bogeys to see his lead reduced to two over Mickelson, who started with a birdie. When Mickelson bogeyed the fifth, however, Woods's lead had stretched back to three shots, and the second leg of the Grand Slam was back on course again.
Garcia, playing in the final pairing of a major with Woods for the first time, bogeyed the short third, to drop back to level par, and there was a fighting display from Jeff Maggert who promptly overcame a double-bogey on the third with two successive birdies to move into a share of second.
Meanwhile, for Darren Clarke, who completed his championship with a final round 71 for 11-over-par 291, it was a case of failing to deliver on last week's English Open title over the Atlantic. "I just never got anything out of the course at all," he said. "In fact, 72, 71 over the weekend was about as bad a score it could possibly be. Overall, considering my form last week, I was hoping for a lot better than this. But coming to a US Open, it is tough unless you are firing on all cylinders and in all departments of your game. It is difficult to score."
