Caddie Steve Williams slaps hands with Tiger Woods after a remarkable third shot on the sixth hole.
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Todd Fischer had a nice wake-up call. On his first shot at 6:30 a.m., he aced the par-3 seventh hole -- the 29th ace in U.S. Open history.
Lee Westwood had a nice wake-up call as well. He played the final four holes of his second round Saturday morning in 4-under, including the first-ever eagle at the 18th hole at Pebble in a U.S. Open. "I'd hardly woken up, so anything was a bonus," Westwood said.
A heckler was ejected on the eighth hole for verbally assaulting Colin Montgomerie. The man apparently yelled "Snowman!" after Monty took an quadruple-bogey 8.
Jim Furyk said: "Personally, I don't feel I'm playing that well." And that was before he shot an 84 Saturday afternoon.
Woods launched a pair of expletives after hitting his ball into the ocean on the 18th at the end of Round 2 -- right about the time most kids in America would have been watching their Saturday morning cartoons.
Woods has been par or better in 10 of his last 11 rounds in majors. Only his 75 in the first round at The Masters breaks the streak.
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Moving day
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Retief Goosen was the first man to play the third round Saturday, starting in a 10-way tie for 53rd in the U.S. Open.
And after shooting a 1-over 72, he's now tied for 15th.
Michael Campbell went from 45th place to a tie for ninth. Loren Roberts shot a 2-over 73 -- and moved up 18 places. Ernie Els was in the 13th of 32 groups on Saturday, starting in 36th place. Sunday, he'll begin play as the runner-up and play with Tiger Woods in the final group of the day.
The lineup Saturday at the U.S. Open had more ups and downs than Ally McBeal's love life. Only Woods was immune. And, if you weren't playing in the howling winds, it was just as fun to watch.
"It sounds kind of crazy, but you almost feel lucky to be able to experience it," said David Duval, who shot 74.
That wasn't the popular sentiment.
"It's potluck and it's getting out of control," said Nick Price, who shot 78.
"Dicey. A little dicey," said Justin Leonard, who shot 75.
"I'm embarrassed. I'm humiliated. I got my big dose of humble pie today," said Hale Irwin, who shot 81.
Kirk Triplett went from fourth to 43rd after shooting 84. Hal Sutton went from sixth to 43rd after shooting 83. Robert Damron went from 19th to 60th. Jim Furyk fell from a tie for 26th to 63rd place. A quarter of the field -- 16 players -- shot in the 80s.
Els shot 68 and called it "probably one of the best rounds I've played in major championship golf." That from a two-time U.S. Open champion. Nobody else broke par.
"I played a good round of golf," Els said. "I was just trying to get myself back into the tournament."
Or at least into the battle for second.
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Birdie, birdie in the sky: Sergio Garcia killed a bird Friday. His tee shot on the fourth hole drilled a seagull, with the bird dropping 30 yards from the tee and the ball 20 yards farther down the fairway.
From another pitch: A sign that Tiger Woods' six-shot lead after two rounds had dashed some excitement? The biggest crowd -- and loudest roars -- in the media room was around the Germany-England soccer match on television. Said one disgusted golf writer at a particulary loud moment: "Must have been a nice pass."
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OVERHEARD
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MICKELSON
On Woods: "Typically in the Open, everybody always comes back. You have a little different sense of that with Tiger." |
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DUVAL
On the Saturday afternoon conditions: "Remove the thick rough and it's playing pretty much like a (British) Open." |
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ELS
On the course conditions: "The golf course is probably fair ... but if you don't score on your scoring holes, you're in trouble." |
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MEDIATE
On the hardening greens: "That 12th green -- I don't know if it's going to survive. It's, like, purple now, it's so hard." |
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