Live Blogging The Final Round of the 2008 US Open

Live blogging the US Open: Click here to read the complete text The latest appears here, and then will be appended to the back of the rest.

8:04

Rocco with a par putt attempt at 15. He nails it and stays at one under.

Westwood has a chance at staying at even par.

Tiger is taking a very long time studying this putt for par. I don’t blame him. In the last group, it’s not like there’s anyone waiting behind him. If he misses this, Rocco has the lead by himself.

The announcers have gone back to the factoid about Tiger having never lost a 54 hole lead in a Major. I think the real story is that without a couple of miracle shots, he would not have had the 54 hole lead.

Tiger misses the par putt.

Rocco now is the sole leader. He’s on 17 with a driver.

I’m holding my breath. Rocco is my age, and I wou;d love to see him pull it off.

8:07

Mediate -1
Woods E
Westwood E

Rocco’s tee shot on 17 finds fairway.

On the 16th tee, Tiger and Westwood wait. Westwood hitting five iron.

I admit it. I’m pulling for a disaster in the final group.

No disaster with Westwood. He hits the green

Mediate from 172. The ball hits green and runs just past the hole. He dang near holed it. Birdie attempt coming up. Par at worst. He needs a birdie.

Tiger delaying on the tee, waiting for a plane to pass over.

That’s a heckuva par 3. When I played, the tee box was to the right and there was a lot of fairway in front of it. These guys have to carry over a canyon.

Tiger’s shot falls just sort of the green. He’ll still make par at worse.  The grass is long, though. He would have been better off if he had hit the bunker.

Rocco is waving to the crowd. But he’s not smiling. Not a good sign. He’s been playing so well because he’s been so loose. I hope there’s not a van de Velde moment coming up on the 18th water hazard.

A fan yelled to Rocco that Woods just bogeyed. Rocco said “I could care less. I just want a birdie.”

Rocco just misses birdie. He has a long putt coming back. This is not a sure thing. I’m worried.

Westwood’s putt is short.

My palms are sweating. Rocco HAS to make this one. He does. Another par.

Tiger has a chip out of the rough, with the flagstick out. He’s going for it. He just misses and goes about ten feet past.

He’ll make this putt, though.

Rocco on the 18th. Strategy is important here. I wonder if he can make it in two. The tee is up to 527. If he hits it 275, he can get there. But does he want to risk it? He could lay up and try to stick it close.

it may depend on how Tiger does with this putt. He drains it.

8:19

Rocco leads by 1. His tee shot is over hooked. He finds rough. That likely decides it. He should lay up to the front of the water, then stick a wedge close, get a bird and take a two shot lead.

He hits eight iron to the middle of the fairway. There’s no telling if that was the yardage he wanted.

8:24

DJ Trahan is the leader in the clubhouse at +2

Tiger needs to go birdie birdie to win. He’s set up for a birdie right now.

Rocco desperately needs a birdie on 18.

Tiger waiting for another airplane to pass.

Rocco with his third from the fairway. It’s not bad. He’ll get par.

Tiger is on the green, but not close enough to ensure birdie. Maybe.

Westwood from the light rough. He skips off the front edge into the bunker. He’s out of it anyway.

On 18, Rocco has the putt of his life. He has to get par. Birdie probably seals it for him.

Is it sacreligious to pray for birdie here? I’ve got to root for the old guys.

Not a birdie, but a pretty good putt.

Westwood out of the bunker. He skips it just past the hole.

Tiger desperately trying to make a birdie putt.

Rocco HAS to make this putt. It’s not a gimmie. He makes it

8:31

Rocco Mediate is the leader in teh clubhouse at -1

Tiger misses his birdie putt, makes the par.

He now has to Eagle to win, birdie to tie.

Westwood is now even. He can birdie to tie, and Eagle to win also.

Westwood on the final tee. His shot hits a bunker.

Tiger on the final tee.

Tiger’s shot is well left and into a bunker.

Tiger is 227 to the hole, sitting in a trap.  He chunkis the shot and flies right into the rough. Tiger throws his club.

Westwood is laying up. He hits fairway.

They’re interviewing Rocco. He’s amazingly cheery and calm.

Tiger from the rough. They’re bring out the 54 hole lead factoid again. The shot is a mighty wack. It’s in a good spot, curling back toward the hole after it hits the green. It’s all up to his putt.

Westwood takes his swing. Westwood is above the hole. About the same putt Rocco had.

8:48

Westwood and Woods both have birdie putts to tie and force a playoff tomorrow.

Westwood will putt first. He misses, misreading the break. Rocco dodges one bullet.

Tiger to putt now. I dread the fist pumping mayhem.

The putt goes right in.

Tiger goes into that insipid fist pumping dance. I hate it.

18 holes tomorrow.

POSTS STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING

4:23 PM

Geoff Ogilvy has just teed off. Interesting. Johnny Miller noted that he has missed 27 greens in regulation this week, and is still just one over.

Rocco has hit yet another fairway.

4:30 PM EST

Lee Westwood is teeing off. Apparently has never shot under par in the final round of a major. He misses his tee shot way right.

Tiger’s tee shot is hit way left into the really thick stuff.

Not a good start for either.

4:33

Ogilvy manages to save par. So does Rocco.

The announcers keep talking about how the knee will determine the championship. How about the play of the other guys? Will they not get credit if one manages to pull it out?

4:35 EST

Tiger catches another break. He’s in the area trampled down by the spectators. He keep pacing around, looking at his lie. He yanks it straight left, it hits a tree and lands amongst the spectators. An awful shot. Looks like one I might hit.

Westwood’s second misses right and lands among the spectators.

Not a good start for either.

4:40

Rocco’s second shot on two will give him a chance at birdie.

4:41

Phil’s comment about what he will remember: I’m so proud of San Diego.

He’s a class act.

Tiger’s third at the green will have to go under a tree, and land short of the green. He hits a tree, and it’s knocked down after about 20 yards. His fourth falls short of the green, but thankfully is in the fairway.

Rocco makes his birdie and likely will take the lead. Holy Smokes!

Westwood’s second slides about fifteen feet past the hole. He misses his par putt.

Tiger has got to be shaken. His pitch for bogey misses right about two feet.

Rocco at three. 137 yards to the stick. He uses a pitching wedge, and hits the back of the cup on the second bounce. He will have another birdie putt.

4:48

Rocco now is in first place with a one shot lead.

Westwood on the second. He finds the fairway with a very nice shot.

Tiger is hitting driver, swings hard. He misses the fairway again. He’s limping badly.


4:51

Rocco misses the birdie putt. A bad break. He needs make those to have a padding for when Woods goes into one of his patented hot streaks.

4:54

Westwood’s second doesn’t give him much on the green. He won’t be able to get a birdie.

Tiger’s second out of the rough leaves him a VERY long way from the hole. It’s amazing that he had the strength to get out of that rough.

At the fourth, Rocco just misses the fairway. He’ll be fine.

Ogilvy puts his shot over the cliff. How the heck did he do that? You know the cliff is left Line up on that part of the tee box and shoot across the fairway to the right.


4:58

Tiger need another miracle putt here. He leaves it 5 of 6 feet short.

Rocco’s second shot on the fourth comes up short.

Ogilvy takes a drop with his ball dangling off the cliff. He misses short in the bunker.

These guys have got to try to take advantage of Woods’ poor start and they’re not.

Westwood leaves his birdie putt just short. Par.

I just saw Els miss a short putt. These guys have played these greens for years. How do they misread these?

Tiger misses the short putt. See the comment above. He makes the bogey putt.

Tiger throws his putter in disgust. He needs to be careful he doesn’t break it. Under the rules, he couldn’t replace it.


5:00

Roccos’ third gets him in par putting distance. Ogilvy plays a very nice bunker shot.

Rocco drains his par putt.

5:04

Both Tiger and Westwood are on the green on the third.

I’m predicting that Tiger makes birdie.

5:10

I was wrong. Tiger misses the birdie short.

Rocco hits another fairway on the fifth. I thought this one had one of the hardest greens on the course.

Westwood misses his birdie putt also. Too tentative.

5:12

Luke Donald has withdrawn with a wrist injury.

Rocco misses the green with his second shot. It looks like a good lie. He’ll be ok.

Westwood on four ends up in the right fairway bunker off the tee. Tiger with the three wood? Four wood? Finally, he manages to find a fairway.

Tiger and Westwood have been warned to pick up the pace.

5:15

Rocco makes a poor chip. He leaves it well short. Ogilvy with a birdie opportunity. It’s a long putt.

He makes it. Wow. Not Tigeresque, but very good.

Tiger from the left side. He hits a big hook that bounces off the bank to the side of the green. The ball bounces onto the green, but its a long way from the hole

Rocco misses his par putt. He needs to get it back together. Hit fairways and greens.

Westwood from bunker also bounces it off the bank and onto the green. It’s like the NBA here.

5:23

Westwood’s putt slides just past the hole. Tiger surely got a good look at that one.

Tiger putting on the fourth for birdie. He also just misses.

At six, Rocco hits it over the tree on the left (that thing is very distracting from the tee). He finds another fairway.

Westwood and Tiger save birdie.

Could even par eventually win this tournament? Not likely. Tiger will get one of his breaks later.

Westwood off the tee. They’re a hole and a half behind. The USGA should penalize them for slow play, but they won’t. It’s Tiger.

Westwood misses right in some light rough. Tiger has a fairway wood of some sort. He’s just trying to hit the fairway. He does so again.

5:29

Rocco’s second misses the green. It’s not bad, though. He really needs to get up and down.

Ogilvy from 180. He carries it to the green. A great shot.

Tiger from the fairway, 182 yards. He switches clubs. It’s on the green but a long way from the hole. That’s going to be the problem with the fairway wood strategy and the same thing that killed Phil. Those approach shots aren’t leaving much room for birdie putts.

Rocco’s chip gets away from him. Not good.

5:36

Rocco with the par putt. He misses and drops another shot to even.

Westwood now has the lead by himself. There was no excuse for that.

Ogilvy makes his par putt. Tiger

Westwood leads by 1. Tiger and Rocco are even.

Westwood has a delicate chip. He puts within a couple of feet.

Tiger has a long putt here. He misses right. It’s going to be another par.

The problem for the other players here is that he keeps hanging around. All it will take is one of his patented eagles and he takes control of the tournament.

5:40

Rocco hits a bunker off the tee. Not a good lie.

I still think it’s Tiger’s tournament to lose.

Westwood on the sixth just misses the fairway. Tiger straisn his knee again on the tee shot. But he hits the fairway.

Rocco from the sand. He winds up in another bunker. He can still save his par.

Els chips in and moves to within 3 at +2.

Ogilvy with a nice shot to the green.


5:46

Westwood from just off the fairway. It’s not a bad lie.

Rocco from the bunker. It’s a great shot. He’s in par distance … maybe. He hasn’t done well on those.

Westwood’s shot hits green. Tiger’s second falls short and rolls back.

Brandt Snedeker has some trouble with the rules. He dropped his ball marker and it made the ball move. He will take a one stroke penalty.

Els misses a makable putt on 11. Lots of guys missing these things.

Woods’ chip on leaves him with a par putt. His fourth straight par.

Ogilvy on the tee at eight hits the green, but is too far from the hole to have a reasonable shot at birdie.

Rocco is on the upper tier, but is likely to get just a par.;

Westwood’s putt misses and doesn’t leave him with a good putt coming back. He makes it though, to keep his lead.

A one shot lead is not enough.

6:00

I wonder about a playoff.

Westwood’s tee shot on the seventh finds the fairway. Tiger hits driver. His knee twinges again. He finds the light rough on the right.

Westwood at -1, Woods, Mediate and Ogilvy even; Els at +2

Tiger with his second has a good lie.  He’s picking at something in the grass. His shot is very high, hits the green and rolls a little while toward the flag. Not bad.

Westwood has 150 to the flag. The ball’s a little below his feet. He’s on the floor.

Tiger and Westwood both make par putts.

Els on 13. What a huge hole. I hated it when I played Torrey Pines. He’s one of only two under par today.

6:09

Westwood on the tee at eight. It’s an eight iron from 179. He makes a tremendous shot. There’s a birdie opportunity. He really really needs to convert here. Tiger can’t be counted on to continue to play mediocre golf.

Tiger also hits an eight iron. He doesn’t carry to the green.

An eight iron from 179. That’s my 140 club. Amazing.

Ogilvy’s taking a shot from just behind a bunker on the eighth. It’s a good shot, but rolls just off the green.

Westwood misses a birdie putt and remains at one under.

I wonder what Els is up to.

Tiger makes par.

Rocco’s fourth on nine drifts by the hole. He’ll have a tough par. Ogilvy plays a weak chip.

Meanwhile, Karlsson has come back to +2, to tie with Els.

Ogilvy misses a long par putt. He heads to +1. Rocco

This is how Tiger wins. Plays even golf on the last day and lets everyone else come back to him.

Speaking of Els, his third misses right into a bunker.

Rocco makes a good par saving putt.

On the ninth, Tiger hits driver and finds the fairway.

Els’ shot out of the bunker gives him a makable par.

Westwood with his second on the ninth, has his feet slightly above the ball. I hate those shots. He misses right into a bunker. That’s better than being in the rough.

Els makes his par. He still needs two birdies to get into it.

Tiger’s second at the ninth is an iron. It hits the green and rolls toward the hole. He has a possibility of an Eagle. Birdie at worst. That’ll put him in the lead.


Rocco’s second at the tenth gives him a birdie possibility.

Westwood’s third is out of a bunker. It’s a great shot that’ll give him a birdie opportunity.

On 14, Els is going for the green. I don’t like the shot. He could lay up and get a good birdie chance.  He catches a bit of a break and gets into the bunker. He’s a great sand player; he can get out and in.

Woods with an Eagle attempt. He leaves it short. He’ll get a birdie and go to -1.

Westwood makes the birdie and goes to -2.

Westwood -2; Tiger -1; Mediate E

Rocco makes a birdie and goes to -1

6:33

Westwood -2
Woods, Mediate -1

Rocco is still hanging around with a good birdie.

Westwood on the tenth. His tee shot takes a bad bounce and settles under the lip of a bunker. Tiger hits fairway.

At 11, Rocco takes a four iron into the par 3. He misses left and is in the bad rough. It’ll be tough to save par from there.

Again, I wonder what Els is up to. I think that even par might be enough to get into a playoff.

Westwood has a terrible shot out of a bunker.

At 11, Ovilvy settles for par. Rocco made a terrific shot out of the rough to get back to the green.  He makes his putt for par. An amazing up and down. Tigeresque.

Rocco on the par 12 misses the fairway. Not good.

Finally, back to Els. He misses the fairway on 15. He’s missing his chances.

Westwood got himself into trouble and how has a very long par putt. He misses and falls back by one.

Tiger can take the outright lead with this birdie putt. He misses. Just.

Westwood -1
Woods -1
Mediate -1
Els +2

6:50

Westwood -1
Woods -1
Mediate -1
Els +2

Tiger at the long par 3.  A great shot. It’s a sure birdie as the ball rolls back. Westwood is going to need to match it. He doesn’t like the shot and hits the bunker right.

On the 12th, Rocco has 221 uphill to the green. He hits the green and runs to the back. Not bad. He’ll get par from there. But he needs a birdie.

They’re showing a montage of Tiger’s bizarre long hole-out putts. How can anyone continue to do this?

Westwood saves par with his bunker shot. He can’t miss from there. But Tiger’s going to get the birdie.

Rocco with a long birdie try. He has no chance unless he’s channeling Tiger. He will make the putt and remain even.

Tiger takes the lead with his birdie putt. I figure it’s over.

7:00

Tiger on the 12th. The rest of the field needs him to miss the fairway. He has driver in his hand. It’s uphill into the wind. He hits fairway. Trouble for the rest of the field.

Westwood has to match. He doesn’t. He’s in the bunker on the left.

They’re pointing out once again that Tiger’s 13 for 13 when he has a lead.

Westwood has to just get it into the fairway. It’s a good shot.

Tiger takes a shot at the green. It’s pretty good. He hits the right side of the green. It’s a par for sure.

On 13, Rocco lays up down in the bottom. Once again, I’ll say that this is a terrible hole.

Ernie Els has just shot himself out of the championship with a triple bogey on 15. He’s seven behind.

Westwood’s third has got to be close if he’s to have a chance. It’s not close enough. He’s going to bogey this hole and spot Tiger a two shot lead.

7:08

Rocco hits an amazing shot from the bottom of 13. It hits the flagpole. He’ll have a birdie putt.

Westwood putting for bogey. He falls to even.

Woods -2
Mediate -1
Westwood E

Now there are only three.

Rocco misses the putt and a great opportunity.

Now Tiger at the 13th. He hits fairway.

Westwood hits fairway, just a foot behind Tiger, but it doesn’t matter.

Woods -2
Mediate -1
Westwood E

7:19

Westwood goes for the green rather than lay up. He ends up in the ice plants on the left. It’s over for him. He played right into Tiger’s hands and self-destructed.

Now its just Rocco.

Wait! Tiger also is going for the green. He parks his right next to Westwood.

Rocco pulls out the three wood on 14. He’s in the bunker. He can make par from there.

Tiger and Westwood are not going to find their balls. This is an opportunity for Rocco to get into a tie for first.

What was Tiger thinking? He didn’t need to do that. A par would have been plenty.

Tiger’s hitting out of six inch grass. He somehow manages to get it up onto the back of the green. He can par from there.

Rocco’s bunker shot is brilliant! He can birdie and become the leader.

Westwood also is hitting out of a jungle after a drop. It runs off the green.

Johnny Miller is speculating that Tiger was trying to get his second into one of the facing bunkers.

Rocco HAS to make this putt. He does. He’s now in the lead.

If Rocco manages to win this, the story will be a mental mistake by Tiger on the 13th.


7:30

Westwood and Tiger both bogey the 13th.

Mediate -2
Woods -1
Westwood +1

On 14, Tiger hits iron. He hits fairway. The announcers are puzzled as to why he didn’t go for it. He’s smart. That’s why. Westwood is hitting a fairway wood. He rolls up onto the green. He has a chance for Eagle.


Rocco’s been waiting a long time on the tee.

Tiger’s second is a little long. No realistic shot at a birdie here.

Rocco misses left and is in the rough. That was too long a wait.

Westwood’s putt is not even close. Tiger is taking a long look at this. He leaves it well short.

A lot of these guys are tentative on their putts.

Rocco plays smart and pitches out to the fairway. He can still get it up and down.

Lee gets a birdie and moves back to even par, two behind Rocco.

Rocco nearly holes hit pitch. He can make par. He misses, and falls back to a tie with Tiger at -1.

Tiger’s tee shot at 15 has missed the fairway (what else), but he’s sitting in the area trampled by spectators (what else), so it’s not a bad lie. There’s a tree in front of him. He’ll make this one

At 16, Rocco hits a five iron to the green. It runs off the back into some deep stuff. He still has a chance at par. He just needs to keep making pars.

Tiger’s due for a miracle shot. He needs to try a high cut. He misses and ends up in some really thick stuff, short of the green.

8:00

Westwood hits the green and has a possibility at a birdie putt, which would put him at even par.

Rocco could possibly bogey from where he is. It’s hard to even see the ball, even though he’s just a foot off the green. He has to be very careful.

Par is all he needs. He hits another very good shot. But it may be too far to ensure a successful par putt.

Miller is making excuses for Tiger. In doing so, he’s depreciating the effort of Rocco, who is doing what anyone must do to win a US Open—Tiger’s knee or not—making par after par.

Tiger’s shot out of the rough seems to be about fifteen from the hole.

Mike Davis said he hoped that the final hole would decide the issue, especially with the risk reward on moving the tee up. It may happen.

On 17, Westwood just misses the green. Tiger hooks the ball a bit but it hits the fairway. He could get a birdie.

Rocco trying to decide what to do in the fairway. Don’t go for it Rocco.

5 thoughts on “Live Blogging The Final Round of the 2008 US Open”

  1. I like the first, but having played it, I can’t for the life of me figure out how so many players have missed the fairway so badly. It’s not at all tricky, in the sense that some courses deceive you as to the line.

    Reply
  2. Understood. Thanks for providing the updates along the way. I didn’t have tv and your blog was a great way for me to follow the action.

    Reply
  3. I just had to laugh as I read along through for the final holes? How do you NOT cheer for a heroic performance by the greatest golfer of our time (and probably any other)? Whatever. I do think Tiger wishes he’d won this sucker in 4 rounds. Instead he’s going to have to soak that knee and then gut his way through 18 more holes.

    Reply

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