plenty of danger lurking and Rory
McIlroy, whose challenge for a fifth
major title faded with two double-
bogeys on Sunday, had a succinct
answer for anyone who thought
Pebble Beach was playing too
easy for a US Open. "Come play it
yourself," snorted McIlroy.
With the first three majors of
2019 in the books thanks to the
new front-loaded golf calendar,
three different champions have
emerged heading into the Open
Championship at Royal Portrush.
Tiger Woods, who electrifiedKoepka threatening to birdie or
even eagle the last, found the
wrong spot of the green with his
tee shot at 17, landing 30 feet from
the pin and on the wrong side of
a ridge. Knowing he couldn't get a
putt close, Woodland pulled out a
wedge and hit a perfect pitch that
left him a tap-in for par. He didn't
even need the 30-footer for birdie
at 18, although his 69 did make
him just the fifth golfer to shoot
four rounds in the 60s in a US
Open. Koepka was the fourth, but
the first to do so and not win.
After the criticism and carping
over conditions at wind-whipped
Shinnecock Hills last year, players
were gushing in their praise of
Pebble Beach, and of the US Golf
Association for letting the jewel of a
course shine.
"It's perfect," said Phil Mickelson,
who was only sorry he didn't play
well enough to challenge in one
of his last remaining chances to
complete a career Grand Slam with
a US Open crown. "It's identifying
the best players. It's making the
players the story."
Pebble Beach remained
receptive in cool, cloudy
conditions, and only a gentle sea
breeze stirred on Sunday. It was a
far cry from the fierce winds that
Tom Kite battled on the way to his
US Open triumph in 1992.
But with the rough up, there was
the golf world with his Masters
victory in April, his 15th major title
coming 11 years and multiple back
surgeries after his 2008 US Open
victory at Torrey Pines, missed the
cut at the PGA Championship and
didn't find a spark at Pebble until
he birdied six of his last 12 holes
on Sunday.
The 43-year-old will take a few
weeks off before he heads to
Northern Ireland to tackle a course
he's never played before. "I'll
definitely have to do my homework
once I get there," Woods said.IMAGE © GETTY IMAGES