SAN DIEGO -- Tiger Woods made a five-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole to grab a one-shot lead over Rocco Mediate in their 18-hole playoff Monday at the U.S. Open.
The birdie put Woods at even-par with 12 holes to play in his quest for a 14th career major -- but the first he'd have to play a full extra day to win.
Tiger Woods throws his iron down after his bunker shot on the 12th hole during a playoff round for the US Open championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Monday in San Diego.
Mediate is the ultimate underdog, ranked 158th in the world and trying, at age 45, to become the oldest man to win a U.S. Open. Through six holes at Torrey Pines, he showed signs that he would not go down easily.
On the par-3 third hole, Mediate's tee shot almost grazed the cup, stopping 18 inches away for an easy tap-in birdie. Woods made bogey on the hole and Mediate took a one-stroke lead.
But after they both made pars on No. 4, Woods pulled back into a tie on No. 5 when Mediate teed off into the sand and hit his approach off the cart path twice and far to the left of the green. The gallery crowded around the ball in the tamped-down rough.
As Mediate approached, a marshal warned fans, "As soon as he pulls a club, we need total quiet." Mediate pulled his club, went to survey the shot, then cracked, "Or you can talk."
It's that kind of interplay that makes him a fan favourite and early in the day he was hearing a lot more shouts of encouragement than Woods.
Both players came to the course wearing red -- that's Tiger's traditional Sunday colour -- and Woods noticed Mediate's apparel choice on the range. "Nice shirt," he said.
Woods opened the day by hitting a shot that got a good bounce and landed in the fairway on No. 1, the first time he'd hit the short stuff on that hole this week. He made three double-bogeys there in four days, and when the ball landed safely, he raised his hands in mock celebration, knowing he'd taken the 6 out of play. He made par and took an early one-stroke lead after Mediate failed to get up and down and settled for bogey.
Woods is going for his third U.S. Open championship and first since 2002. He is 13-0 in majors when he's held at least a share of the 54-hole lead and led by one at that point this year, but he needed a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to force the playoff with Mediate.
It means his left knee, surgically repaired two months ago, will have to endure 90 holes of walking instead of just 72. Woods, who had originally been scheduled to be in Mexico on Monday for a course-design project, said the pain was worth it.
Mediate, meanwhile, looked at this as the chance of a lifetime. He has won only five career tournaments, never a major.
"To go up against the best player in the world and have a chance to beat him, there's nothing more you would ask for as a professional golfer, period," he said after Sunday's round.
--The Associated Press
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