Tiger blitzes back into contention at U.S.
Open
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Sports Writer
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - Tiger Woods stumbled on the back nine
of Congressional Country Club again, but not before accurate tee
shots and a slew of short birdies got him back in the hunt at
the U.S. Open today.
Woods, disgusted with a 4-over-par 74 on Thursday that left
him nine strokes behind first-round leader Colin Montgomerie,
took a rain-softened course by storm this morning.
He birdied four of the first seven holes - all from inside
5 feet - and was even par for the tournament through No. 16 when
play was suspended for 2 hours, 18 minutes because of lightning
and rain.
When play resumed, Woods three-putted for bogey at the 17th
and then narrowly avoided disaster at the par-3 18th when his
tee shot hung on the edge of a bank sloping toward the water.
Woods got up and down for par and a 67, putting him at 1-over
141.
That still left him six shots back of Montgomerie, who headed
for the tee box as Woods was finishing. And he's four strokes
back of Tom Lehman, who put together a nervy 70 and was the leader
in the clubhouse at 3-under 137.
"I learned I need to drive the ball a little better, keep
my cool a little better and maintain my patience - all day,"
Woods said. "I had the same game plan. I hit the same clubs."
Lehman, who had four birdies and four bogeys, looked poised
to get to 5 under when play was suspended. But he put his drive
on No. 17 in the rough, hacked out and then made a tremendous
par by sticking his approach close.
He lost ground on No. 18 when his tee shot landed in the right
rough, an almost impossible place from which to make par because
of the front right pin placement.
"I got off to a very slow start, which was kind of unfortunate,"
Lehman said. "After that, I played well. It's difficult to
have to wait two hours and then hit the tee shot at the 17th."
Ernie Els, the 1994 U.S. Open champion, shot a 67 and was at
2-under 138.
Els shot a 4-under 31 on the front, as did Scott Dunlap, who
ranks 124th on the PGA Tour money list but shot a 66 to finish
at 1-over 141.
The low scoring in the morning was typical on a soft and still
Congressional course, especially with a 20-minute downpour.
The storm delay kept the course from drying out, but conditions
figured to be steamy throughout the rest of the second round.
Hal Sutton, who shot a 4-under 66 in the first round, didn't
tee off until late afternoon. Steve Stricker, also one stroke
back to start the day, three-putted from 10 feet for double bogey
at No. 4 and had another at No. 10. He was even for the tournament
through 10 holes.
Former PGA and British Open champion John Daly, playing in
his third tournament since alcohol rehabilitation, was 3 over
on the front nine and 10 over for the tournament when he withdrew.
Daly's group was headed toward the 10th tee when Daly veered
left through the pro shop and into a back entrance toward the
locker room. He gathered his belongings and left in a car, leaving
Ernie Els and Payne Stewart at the 10th tee box wondering where
he had gone.
Daly later said in a statement he was physically exhausted
and tried to return to competitive golf too early.
While Daly made the cut in both tournaments since his return,
he shot an 80 in the last round of the Memorial and 77-80 on the
weekend at last week's Kemper Open.
Montgomerie, who shot a 65 on the strength of supreme accuracy,
could find the same favorable conditions enjoyed by the early
starters - still, heavy air and soft greens.
"Any moisture will make it even more playable," Dunlap
said. "The greens are in such perfect condition."
Woods started off strong and never let up, despite a strong
rain that lasted from the time he lined up a 3-foot par putt on
No. 2 until he gently pumped his fist after his birdie putt fell
at No. 3.
His four birdie putts totaled 15 feet on the front nine - 4
feet on No. 1, 5 feet on No. 3, 3 feet on No. 5 and another 3-footer
on the par-3 seventh hole, set up by a 7-iron that bounced off
the collar of the green onto the slope and toward the hole.
But Woods got a perfect time to start making up ground - the
stillness of morning and the still-smooth greens made for low
scoring if the drives stayed in the fairway.
Woods hit every fairway and missed only one green, his wedge
spinning back off the green at No. 9. He pitched up to 6 inches
for the par.
He saved par on No. 10 by putting with a 3-wood up a slope
from behind the green and didn't miss his first fairway until
No. 13 - which also was his first bogey.
Woods got it back with two birdies, starting with a 9-footer
on No. 14. He tried to reach the 583-yard 15th in two, but pulled
his approach into the rough left of the green.
After moving television cables, Woods flopped out of the rough
and across the green to 3 feet for another birdie. He then bogeyed
the 16th after missing the green long.
Woods, trying to become the first player in 25 years to win
the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year, trailed Montgomerie
by nine strokes to start the day.
In 96 previous U.S. Opens, only Jack Fleck in 1955 trailed
by that much after the first round and still managed to win.
The way Lehman is playing, he figures to be a major factor
on the weekend.
Lehman showed the resilience and patience that the U.S. Open
requires. He bogeyed No. 2, the 235-yard par 3, with a three-putt
from 16 feet above the hole and dropped another stroke with a
hooked drive into the rough on No. 3.
But Lehman is always up to any challenge, and watching Woods'
relentless attack on Congressional may have been enough to get
him going.
He hit his approach on No. 5 to within a foot for a birdie,
rolled in a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 8 and then got to 4 under
for the tournament with a 2-foot birdie at the ninth.
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