Farmingdale, N.Y. – He just couldn’t find his putter when he needed it.
Too many missed putts irked Tiger Woods. For the championship, he took 120. That’s way too many for someone trying to win a major.
“That's just what it is,” said Woods, who shot 1-under 69 and finished T6 at level par. “I shot over par coming in and had a lot of work to do, and I gave myself a chance going into today. As well as I hit it all day today and to miss that many putts, I've missed them all week, so that's just the way it is.”
Yet he did make a late run. After playing the first 12 holes of his fourth round even par, Woods started his late charge by reaching the par-5 13th hole in two shots.
But he slightly pulled his eagle putt, tapping in for birdie to get back to even. He then stepped up to the short, par-3 14th and lofted a wedge to within 10 feet of the tight, front-left hole location. He calmly made the putt for his second straight birdie, reaching a red number for the first time, falling to one under.
But his chances to win faded on the same hole that had given him trouble all week – the 15th. From the fairway, Woods overshot the green long and right, leaving his comeback chip shot some 12 feet short. A missed par putt took the steam out of his game, and when he failed to sink makeable birdie putts at 16 and 17, there wasn’t much more he could do.
Low Amateur
For many, the U.S. Open at Bethpage this week will be remembered as much for the weather as Lucas Glover holding the trophy. There were umpteen delays, suspensions and a weather-diluted golf course. For 21-year old For Nick Taylor, it was a thing of beauty, the time of his life.
“The last couple of rounds didn't go as I planned or hoped, but the whole week was pretty awesome,” said Taylor after finishing his U.S. Open adventure with a final-round 75.
During the second round, Taylor got more than he had planned on. He posted one of the lowest rounds in the history of the championship, a 5-under 65 that tied the Open record for the fewest strokes in an 18-hole round by an amateur. At that point, he was in contention.
Things changed over the final two rounds, as Taylor carded back-to-back 75s and finished in a tie for 30th. But his eight over par total was good enough for the low amateur score and a gold medal.
“It's pretty cool,” said Taylor, who will play in the U.S. Amateur Public Links and the U.S. Amateur in the weeks ahead before returning to the University of Washington in the Fall. “I had a great time and I learned a lot.”
Taylor fully realizes he caught a break this week. A Bethpage that is wet and soft is considerably more friendly than a Bethpage that is firm and fast.
“If this course was firm, it would have been scary how hard it would have been,” said Taylor. “We got pretty lucky with the rain. The delays [weren’t fun], but for the condition of the course to be the way it was, it was the easiest it could have played.”
Two other amateurs made the final field. Virginia Tech senior Drew Weaver, who had a 1-under 69 in the opening round, finished one stroke behind Taylor at nine over. Clemson product Kyle Stanley pulled in at 13 over.
Hard Hole
The Black’s 15th hole ranked as the cumulative hardest hole in the championship. The 459-yard par 4 produced an average score of 4.469 and yielded just 17 birdies over four rounds, the fewest on the golf course. And if you don't believe the numbers, just ask Woods if it was hard. Woods played the hole at four over par for the week, including a rally-killing bogey on Monday. Those four strokes would have put Woods in a tie for the lead with Glover.
Coming Back
Rory McIlroy finished with a 68 and tied for 10th, assuring him a spot in next year's Open at Pebble Bleach. The top 15 finishers and ties are automatically invited back. For the 20-year-old native of Northern Ireland, it was a second top-10 finish on the PGA Tour this season and a fifth top-20.
“Yeah, it's great,” said McIlroy, who tied for 20th at the Masters. “It's another good performance in a major this year and gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season. I feel as if I've got the game to contend in majors now and try to compete to win them. The Open is a big target of mine in the summer.”
Fans Motivate
Ross Fisher, who finished fourth in his second U.S. Open, gave the New York galleries props for hanging in there during a long week and keeping the players pumped up.
“I think they kept me going, they kept everyone going,” said Fisher, 28, who is from Chigwell, England. “Because it's been a long week. Without the crowd turning up day after day in that weather, and especially today, it would have been difficult. Hats off to all the guys and gals who came out to support everyone.”