Spectators filled all 452 yards of grass outside the ropes from the tee box to the green, in some cases standing 15 yards deep to watch Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson go toe-to-toe at Torrey Pines.
This was five years ago in the final round of the Buick Invitational.
Brad Faxon, the other member of the threesome who was known that day as “Switzerland” for his neutral role in this affair, stepped behind the fourth green and whispered to reporters, “Is it always like this when Tiger plays, or is it both of them?”
Imagine what it will be like at the U.S. Open.
Woods, Mickelson and Adam Scott — Nos. 1-2-3 in the world ranking — will be in the same group the first two rounds of the U.S. Open next week at Torrey Pines. That’s a dream group for television, and for fans in the front row and in grandstands.
But it could be a circus for the guys trying to win the second major of the year.
The only time Woods and Mickelson played together early in a major was the PGA Championship two years at Medinah. That was tradition, because the PGA always puts together the three major champions of the year. Mickelson won the Masters, Woods the British Open and they were joined by U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
This seems more contrived.
At least everyone knows now — not like there was ever much doubt — that the USGA manipulates tee times the first two rounds.
For years, the U.S. Open was famous for grouping the best three players to have never won a major.
This time, the USGA didn’t stop with the current Big Three.
It also grouped Nos. 4-5-6 (Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Justin Rose), Nos. 7-8-9 (Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and K.J. Choi) and Nos. 10-11-12 (Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink).
Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of rules and competition, has been thinking about tee times since last summer. He could not recall the last time Woods and Mickelson were ever in the same group the first two days of a U.S. Open, much less on the same side of the draw.
“They always put Tiger in the opposite wave as Phil because television wanted it that way,” Davis said. “As you know, our traditional pairing is the U.S. Open champion, British Open champion and U.S. Amateur champion. Sometimes that worked out if one of those two guys wins one. Of course, Phil has never won an Open.”
Of course.
Davis, though, decided to take it one step further, and he found approval with every step up the USGA ladder.
“This year we got to thinking, ‘Isn’t it kind of crummy that we’ve never had the two guys ranked 1 and 2 in the world in the same wave?” Davis said Wednesday night from San Diego. “Weather can affect outcomes in the U.S. Open.”
Some believe Woods got the good end of the draw at Pebble Beach in 2000, although it’s hard to say luck played a role in his 15-shot victory. His bid for a calendar Grand Slam was derailed in 2002 at Muirfield when he was caught in 40 mph wind at the British Open and shot an 81, his worst score as a pro.
And remember Bethpage Black in 2002, when Garcia was stuck in the rain Friday afternoon and complained that officials would have stopped the tournament had Woods been out there?
“Why not put them in the same wave?” Davis reasoned. “The heck with what TV wants. Let’s do what we want for the championship.”
That’s a little disingenuous.
TV runs everything, and it’s not like viewers will suffer by not having Woods and Mickelson on opposite ends of the draw. Coverage the first two days starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. on the East Coast, a combination of ESPN and NBC Sports.
Applaud the USGA for trying what no one else — the PGA Tour, especially — has dared and everyone wants to see, even if there might be so many spectators that half of them won’t be able to see anything at all.
But it must be cautious.
The U.S. Open, known as the toughest test in golf, is on the verge of trying too hard to live up to its reputation. It went over the line at Shinnecock Hills in the final round of 2004, when the greens were allowed to get so baked that players could not keep the ball on the seventh green in the final round. The last two winning scores were 5-over par.
And the USGA decided to go along with a gimmick that takes place Friday at Torrey Pines, when three celebrities and one lucky (or unlucky) amateur will play the course in U.S. Open conditions to see if they can break 100.
The last thing it needs is more accusations of trying to become more than it was meant to be — a circus, not a championship.
Even so, it’s worth a shot.
The players won’t suffer too much, because these guys are used to an audience. Woods and Mickelson, especially, have been around long enough not to get caught up in the hype. Personalities aside, it’s all about posting a score and staying close to the lead.
Just don’t be disappointed if this doesn’t live up to expectations. Woods, Mickelson and Ogilvy all shot 69 on the first day at Medinah in what looked like an ordinary round of a major.
The real treat will be if they’re still together on Sunday afternoon.
Or even just one of them.
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