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Warrior Woods wins marathon playoff to clinch 14th Major

17/06/2008

Tiger Woods has won the US Open after beating Rocco Mediate in a pulsating sudden-death playoff at Torrey Pines.

The American, who today reached 500 weeks as the world number one, wins his 14th Major after a gladiator battle with Mediate.

Mediate, 45, bogeyed the first hole and was three behind Woods at three over par after ten holes.

Woods showed his class with a drive and a nine-iron to four feet at the par-four sixth, followed by a 12-foot putt to birdie the next hole.

But Woods, who was troubled by a knee injury throughout the tournament, then bogeyed two holes in succession to give Mediate a glimmer of hope.

And the veteran took his chance by sinking three successive birdies to take the lead by one stroke after 15.

This was because Woods' wayward drive on the 15th ended up in a bunker on another hole. The 32-year-old recovered with a sensational shot from the sand with the ball ending up six feet from the hole, but missed his next shot to trail.

Woods then repeated his match-saving birdie yesterday on the 18th to force an extra hole.

The first extra hole was the seventh with Woods firing his drive down the fairway while Mediate found the sand, and then had to drop out from the stands next to the green.

With Woods making a par four, Mediate could only bogey after missing a 20-foot putt to hand the world number one his third US Open triumph.