Lucky #13
I watched the best ball striking round of golf that I have ever seen, yesterday, during the third round of the US Open. Tiger hit the first seventeen greens in regulation; at the US Open. At Oakmont. You are just not supposed to do that. Tiger shot 69, but it could have been so much better. He had 35 putts. He had more putts than shots (34 swings to the green) and that is other-worldly. Tiger lipped out 7 putts, so it wasn’t that he was putting badly, but they just weren’t going in.
It is Sunday morning and the players have not yet started teeing off for the final round, but there is a feeling that this one is over. Tiger trails the very impressive young Australian, Aaron Baddeley, by two. Badds, as he is known, may yet turn out to be the best young player on Tour (he won back to back Australian Opens when he was 18 and 19) and at 26, he is maturing into a very fine player. If he were to win today, he would have more credentials, than his more celebrated young countryman, Adam Scott.
But this is the final round of the US Open, and he will be paired with Tiger. Interestingly, Tiger has never won any of his 12 majors to-date, coming from behind. If he swings anywhere near as well as he did yesterday, this will be lucky #13 but yesterday’s round was as close to perfect, as I have ever seen.
