On the Green

7th hole, Par 4, 461 yards (first hole of sudden death)

It’s over! There’ll be no Cinderella story as Tiger wins his third U.S. Open championship, his 14th major, with a par on the first hole of sudden death.

Rocco had pulled his second shot, from out of the bunker, way left where it hit the bottom of a grandstand. Meanwhile, Tiger’s second was a nice 9-iron that settled on the front of the green, a little more than 20 feet from the hole.

Rocco had to hit his third from a drop zone (a free drop because of the grandstand). From there he hit a pretty good one onto the green, where he had 20 feet left for par.

Tiger’s birdie try came up just short, but par was enough to win after Rocco missed his putt for par.

18th hole, Par 5, 573 yards

We’re going to extra holes. Maybe a little nervous, Mediate pulls his drive into a bunker on the left. He then hits a good layup to the right side of the fairway. His third shot, from 123 yards, is solid, and puts him well inside where Tiger’s second shot landed on the green. But he can’t make birdie from 25 feet. It’s a par.

A little grimace on the drive, but Tiger bombs it down the middle of the fairway. With 217 to the hole, he chooses a 4-iron and hits a high fade to the front center of the green. His 40-foot eagle try goes past the hole, leaving him a five-footer for birdie, which he makes.

They’re tied at even par, and will now go to sudden death, starting on the 7th hole.

17th hole, Par 4, 441 yards

Rocco’s first with a nice drive just off the fairway to the right. His second shot isn’t great and he’s lucky it stays on the green after almost coming up too short. He’s below the hole, about 35 feet away. He goes a little past the hole with his birdie try, but makes a short one coming back for par.

Tiger hits a perfect fade to the right center of the fairway, just back and to the left of where Mediate’s drive landed. With 162 to the hole, Tiger takes a long time trying to figure out the wind. But he hits a nice approach to about 20 feet behind the hole. He has a left-to-right putt for birdie but plays too much break and settles for par.

It’s Rocco by one with one to play, but 18 is a definite birdie (or maybe eagle?) hole.

16th hole, Par 3, 223 yards

Both come up short and both come so close to making long putts for birdie, but it’s a par for both of them. It’s Rocco by one with two to play. Do you believe in miracles?

15th hole, Par 4, 478 yards

Shocker! Rocco's drive is excellent, right down the middle, and his approach even better, behind the hole about 20 feet away. But Tiger trumps him, hitting his second shot from a fairway bunker to within 8 feet of the cup. It's a match-play style shot, but Rocco's not intimidated and he sinks a long putt for birdie.

Tiger, unbelievably, misses his and Rocco's up by one with 3 to play.

14th hole, Par 4, 269 yards

It's all tied up. Rocco's in between clubs but goes for the green anyway. He's just short and in good shape to get up and down for birdie. His chip is perfect, and he taps in for his bird, his second in a row.

Tiger didn't go for the green yesterday, but today does, with a 3 wood. He's short too, but further right than Mediate and in the rough. He chunks his second but is below the hole, about 8 feet away, and his first putt lips out. It's a par.

Do you think Rocco can pull this off?

13th hole, Par 5, 614 yards

Rocco tees off first and almost hooks it too much but finds the left edge of the fairway. He goes for it in two and comes up just short, in the bunker in front of the green. Looks like a good lie in there, though, and it is. His blast lands six feet from the hole and he makes a knee-knocker for birdie.

Tiger’s drive doesn’t fade like he wants it to and he’s in the rough on the left side, 10 yards from the fairway. His uphill, down-wind second shot is a beauty. He’s on the back of the green and is putting for eagle. Can he do it again? Not quite, but he two-putts for birdie.

Bottom line: two very different ways to make birdie, but both do and Tiger’s still up by one.

12th hole, Par 4, 504 yards

Rocco tees off first with a high, short drive that finds the fairway. From 243 yards out he crushes a 3-wood onto the green for a legitimate birdie chance. But his first putt doesn’t find any of the hole, and Mediate’s angry with himself. He does make the come-backer for par.

Woods slices it off the tee and lands in a fairway bunker. His second shot comes out too high and ends up in the rough, about 40 yards short of the pin with an uphill lie. His pitch is a little high also and leaves him with a long putt for par. He doesn’t make it and bogeys his second hole in a row.

With Tiger faltering, can Rocco do it? He’s only one shot back, heading to the 13th tee.

11th hole, Par 3, 192 yards

Tiger’s 5-iron is a little short and plugs in a greenside bunker. With not much green to work with he can’t get it close. From 10 feet away Tiger for a change doesn’t make it and drops a shot.

Rocco hits a 4-iron to the middle of the green to give himself a birdie chance he desperately needs. But he can’t do it and two-putts for par.

It’s Tiger by two with seven holes to play.

10th hole, Par 4, 414 yards

Hear that roar? With a two-shot lead and the honor on the tee, Tiger drives it into deep rough on the right. All he can do is hack it out with his second shot. His third shot lands near the pin but spins too much, off the front of the green. But from there he putts from the fringe and saves par!

Mediate finally hits a drive like he’d done the rest of the week, a smooth draw that finds the middle of the fairway. His approach is high and comes up a bit short, but OK. From there, though, he hits a bad bump-and-run and comes up well short of the pin on what looked like an easy shot. He misses the par putt. What had looked like a birdie opportunity ends up as a bogey.

It’s Tiger by three and maybe the beginning of the end for Rocco.

9th hole, Par 5, 612 yards

Both hit good drives into the fairway, but what may be more significant is it’s Tiger’s first grimace of the day. If he took medication before the round, I wonder if it’s starting to wear off. On this hole, the longest of the three par-5s on the course, he needed to swing hard, and he apparently felt it in his knee when he did.

With 317 to the hole for Rocco, there’s no choice but to lay up, and Mediate’s isn’t a good one. He opens the face and puts it in the right-side rough. Rocco’s third shot is a beauty, right over the pin, but coming out of the rough it has no spin and he ends up well past the hole. His long putt for birdie goes a little past, and he then misses the come-backer, resulting in tough bogey.

Tiger’s drive is 30 yards closer than Rocco’s and he goes for it with a 3-wood. He hooks it left and finds a bunker, and also grimaces again on the swing. His sand shot is awful and comes up short in deep greenside rough. But he gets on with his fourth and saves par.

It’s Tiger by two at even par.

8th hole, Par 3, 171 yards

Rocco gets one back. At the last second Tiger switches from an 8-iron to a 7, and it was the wrong move. He’s way over the green and has a bad lie in a bunker. He blasts out and goes too far, landing right next to Mediate’s ball short of the green. He chips up and makes the putt for bogey.

Rocco comes up short with his tee shot. He chips close and makes the putt for par. He remains at +1, and Tiger’s back to even.

7th hole, Par 4, 461 yards

Here he comes. Tiger’s drive is perfect, dead center. He’s got that look that says there’s no way he’s losing today. He has only 145 yards to the hole and gives himself a great birdie chance, 10 feet away and below the hole. He makes it for a two-shot lead.

Rocco’s drive isn’t bad but just finds the edge of the rough on the right side. From 176 yards out he puts it in the right side of the green, but the pin is on the left. His first putt comes up short and he makes the second for par.

6th hole, Par 4, 515 yards

Tiger’s back in the lead with this first birdie of the day. He hit a perfect fade off the tee to the middle of the fairway, and from 185 yards stiffed an 8-iron to within six feet and made the putt.

Mediate hit the fairway also, but 20 yards short of Tiger’s drive. With 215 to the hole, he landed it on the green but came in hot, and it trickled off the back. He hit a bad chip too far left but got lucky and was able to get up and down for par.

Tiger has a one-shot lead.

5th hole, Par 4, 453 yards

Almost a disaster for Rocco -- his drive didn’t draw enough and he landed in a trap on the right side. (Maybe he can’t keep driving as well as he did all week.) From there he pulled it way left, and the ball took two huge bounces off the cart path and landed somewhere near the third tee. But he recovered nicely with his third shot and got on the green within 10 feet. He just missed the putt and tapped in for bogey.

Tiger bombed it down the middle, and, by the way, has not grimaced once, as he did several times Saturday and Sunday after hitting drives. His knee doesn’t appear to be giving him any problems. From 169 yards out he hit a nice fade that landed pin-high, about 25 feet from the cup. His left-to-right first putt missed and he made par.

They’re now tied at +1 for the day. Impressive recovery by Rocco.

4th hole, Par 4, 488 yards

Mediate overcooked his drive a bit and ended up in the left rough, but with a good angle toward the pin. He hit a beautiful hybrid from there, 224 yards out, and put it on the right side of the green. He two-putted from there for par.

Tiger also drove it into the rough on the left side, surprisingly a little short of Rocco’s drive. He didn’t look like he got all of it. He came short with his second shot and landed in the left rough about 20 yards in front of the green. But from there he hit a great pitch over the bunker to within two feet and made par.

Mediate still has a one-shot lead. He can keep the pressure on Tiger if he can hit a lot of fairways, which he’s done all week. Think he can keep it up?

3rd hole, Par 3, 188 yards

Whoa, a two-shot swing!

Tiger skied a 7-iron that came up short, buried in the bunker in front of the green. He did the best he could with it but was left with a 15-foot right-to-left putt for par and missed. He made the come-backer for bogey.

Rocco hit a fantastic draw that came within inches of a hole-in-one. He tapped in for birdie. Mediate now has a one-shot lead.

2nd hole, Par 4, 389 yards

They traded places on this hole. Tiger went left with his drive and landed just short of a fairway bunker. Mediate ended up in the rough on the right (unusual for him since he hits nothing but draws) but the ball was sitting up. He missed his approach shot short but then made a pretty good pitch to within four feet and made the putt for par.

Tiger also came up short with his second shot and then chunked his chip to leave himself a six-footer for par, but he made it. Tiger’s still up by one.

1st hole Par 4, 448 yards

Mediate didn’t show any nerves and smacked a good drive down the left side of the fairway. But his second shot landed in the greenside bunker on the right. He made a pretty good shot out of the bunker but couldn't get up and down and made bogey.

Tiger put his hands in the air and had a big smile on his face when he finally had a good drive on the first hole, but it was lucky -- it went right and he got a lucky bounce to end up in the fairway. Good approach left him about 20 feet from the hole, and he two-putted for par. Tiger has a one-shot lead. Is it over already?

Hard to believe Mediate decided to wear a red shirt with black pants and a black hat. Doesn't he (and everyone else who's ever watched golf) know what Tiger wears in a final round or playoff?

Hi everyone. Andy Levenberg here to update you on today's U.S. Open playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. The two big questions are will Mediate collapse like so many others have when faced with going head-to-head with Tiger, and if Woods' knee will be a problem. Mediate has the honor on the first tee.