#Tiger #Woods Begins U.S. Open With 3 Pars as Mickelson Has 3 Bogeys

Scot Duke

11:54 AM  -  Public

Rae Ouzts originally shared this post:

Par 4, 419 yards 14th hole #philmickelson  3 wood, started right and hooking/double cross, good lie though
+Tiger Woods  perfect 3 iron stinger down the fairway
#bubbawatson  driver, good length, secondary cut of rough
#uspengolf
Tons of security with this #supertrio  

Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the tenth hole during the 112th 
U.S. Open at The Olympic Club on June 14, 2012 in San Francisco. Photographer: 
Harry How/Getty Images

Bloomberg News

Woods Begins U.S. Open With 3 Pars as Mickelson Has 3 Bogeys

By Rob Gloster and Michael Buteau on June 14, 2012

Tiger Woods opened his bid for a 15th major title with pars on his first three holes this morning at the U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson’s first tee shot went into the trees, and he started with three straight bogeys.

The third member of their all-star trio, Masters Tournament champion Bubba Watson, had bogeys on two of his first three holes on an overcast morning at San Francisco’s Olympic Club along the Pacific Ocean.

Seven players are tied for the early lead at 1 under.

Woods, who won the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago to tie Jack Nicklaus with 73 professional golf victories, is favored to end a four-year Grand Slam drought -- the longest of his career.

He began his round today, in a 53-degree chill, with a 1- foot putt for par after nearly curling a birdie attempt into the hole.

Woods can move within three of Nicklaus’s record 18 major titles this week. He is listed as a 7-1 favorite by the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino’s Super Book. Rory McIlroy, the defending U.S. Open champion, and five-time runner-up Mickelson are second at 15-1.

Woods reached 73 wins 10 years sooner than it took Nicklaus, both trailing Sam Snead’s record of 82. The feat leaves some competitors searching for ways to describe it.

“They’re just stupid numbers,” 1992 Masters Tournament winner Fred Couples said in a June 6 interview in Birmingham, Alabama. “It makes no sense.”

Major Wins

Woods has been stuck at 14 majors since he defeated Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego in 2008. Woods is skeptical that a win this week will be enough to end the comeback talk.

“Even if I do win, it will still be, ‘You’re not to 18 yet,’ or, ‘When will you get to 19?’” Woods said in a news conference two days ago. “It’s always something. I’ve dealt with that my entire career. It hasn’t changed.”

Fans getting to the tournament from east of San Francisco faced a shutdown of Bay Area Rapid Transit rail service and resulting backups on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. BART said on its website that there was no service between Oakland and San Francisco due to a fire in a housing complex near the tracks in West Oakland.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Gloster in San Francisco at rgloster@bloomberg.net; Michael Buteau in San Francisco at mbuteau@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.

4 comments

Scot Duke11:58 AM

Can you tell the idiots trying to get in the camera that we don't care about them.

Rae Ouzts11:58 AM

Terrible shot by Phil, missed the bunker to the left of the green and is in the rough

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Dorron Katzin

11:45 AM  -  Public

The (Highly Fictionalized) Zuckerberg Nuptials »

Donald Trump, Tiger Woods and Mel Gibson offer advice at the altar.

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Scot Duke

11:33 AM  -  Public

With the Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickleson paring at the US Open it is Two Lefties again a Tiger.  Who will be left standing at the end of the day?
#usopengolf   #golf   #tigerwoods   #bubbawatson   #philmickelson  

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3 comments

Ruben Alvarez11:37 AM

+2

Phil is struggling on the easier back 9 (except for 16 of course). Hopefully he can turn it around, can't win on the first day but can certainly lose it. Just realized I called the back 9 easy, easy for me to say on my couch, lol.

Scot Duke11:39 AM

+2

+Gary Evans Watching the US Open while I am working.  Tiger looks steady.  +Rae Ouzts is On Course..she will provide the Color.

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Rae Ouzts

11:29 AM  -  Public

low bullet for +Tiger Woods on 12 fairway-effortless
#bubbawatson  driver down in the right hand rough
#philmickelson  driver just off the fairway
#usopengolf  

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Rae Ouzts

11:25 AM  -  Public

+Tiger Woods  even through 3
  #philmickelson  +3 through 3 - bogey bogey bogey start
#bubbawatson   +2 through 3 (bad drive) #usopengolf  

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Rae Ouzts11:27 AM

These are NOT the most difficult holes. #philmickelson  needs to right the boat

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Rae Ouzts

11:13 AM  -  Public

+Tiger Woods fairway on 11, #bubbawatson  way left with a driver, #philmickelson right rough. Tiger is playing smart! #usopengolf  

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Rae Ouzts11:14 AM

#bubbawatson  and #philmickelson  using driver. Hole 11 does not need that kind of shot.

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Rae Ouzts

11:10 AM  -  Public

After two holes, +Tiger Woods even; #bubbawatson  +1, #philmickelson  +2
Crowds are ten deep in cool damp weather at Olympic Club. #usopengolf  

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Scot Duke

11:30 AM  -  Public (locked)

Tiger Woods is Cruising while Bubba and Phil struggle at the US Open!
#usopengolf   #golf  

+1

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Rae Ouzts

11:08 AM  -  Public

+Tiger Woods even after 2 holes; #PhilMickelson  stubs his chip after a bunker shot, not in the hole yet #usopengolf  

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+1

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Rae Ouzts

10:58 AM  -  Public

I was not awake yet, +Tiger Woods Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson started on 9, not 1. Score so far TW even, Bubba +1, Phil +1
+ESPN is cutting away for this group's every shot. Coverage at 9am
#usopengolf  

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+2

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Rae Ouzts

11:44 AM  -  Public

#supertrio  Par 3 13th hole 194 yards
+Tiger Woods 6 iron - fabulous kick out of the rough toward the pin
#philmickelson  7 iron - great shot good birdie chance
#bubbawatson  7 iron - safely on the green
maybe only 5 thousand people around this hole

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+1

Rae Ouzts11:49 AM

+Tiger Woods 20 feet for birdie, pace good, easy par - even through 5
Bubba-long birdie putt-weak effort, comes up short
Phil birdie!! back