U.S. Open playoff: Tiger Woods’ lead over Rocco Mediate cut to one shot

No. 8, Par 3, 171 yards. Woods even par, Mediate one over

Woods, hitting an eight-iron, finds the bunker off the tee, giving Mediate an opportunity he needs. He doesn’t take advantage, leaving his tee shot eight yards short of the green. But Woods then hits long from the bunker almost to the point where Mediate’s ball is. Both players chip about three feet beyond the hole and make the puts, Woods for bogey and Mediate for par.

Factoid: Woods is trying to win his 14th major tournament; Mediate has three top 10s in majors. He was fourth in the 2004 Open, tied for sixth in the 2005 Open and was sixth in the 2002 PGA.

No. 7, Par 4, 461 yards. Woods one under par, Mediate one over.

Woods splits the fairway with his drive; Mediate’s ball edges into the right rough but is sitting up. Mediate hits his second shot pin high, about 25 feet to the right. Woods, from 145 yards, is swinging well without any apparent discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee and knocks his eight-iron to about 12 feet. Mediate leaves his birdie effort four inches short, then Woods drills in his straight birdie putt to suddenly take a two-stroke lead.

Factoid: Sunday’s overnight rating on NBC was an 8.5, up 21.4% from last year.

No. 6, Par 4, 515 yards. Woods even par, Mediate one over.

Both players hit the fairway on this long par four, Woods about 25 yards farther. Neither player birdied this hole during the first four rounds. Mediate runs his second shot to the back right fringe, about 75 feet from the pin, which is front left. Woods then hits an eight-iron to about five feet. Mediate’s chip breaks about 15 feet from left to right to leaves him with a six-foot par putt. Woods curls in his birdie putt and Mediate saves par.

Factoid: Eddie Merrins, the “Little Pro” and professional emeritus at Bel-Air Country Clulb, is working with Mediate this week.

No. 5, Par 4, 453 yards. Woods one over, Mediate one over.

Woods takes the advantage. After Mediate pushes his drive into the the right fairway bunker, Woods splits the fairway. Woods then puts his second shot 25 feet to the left of the pin. Mediate blasts from the bunker and pulls his shot way left. It takes two huge hops off the cart path and leaves him with a tricky pitch to the green from the matted straw. He hits an exceptional shot to about 10 feet but narrowly misses the par putt. Woods makes his par to square the match.

Factoid: Mediate finished 600th out of 5,619 entrants in the World Series of Poker in 2005.

No. 4, Par 4, 488 yards. Mediate even par, Woods one over.

Mediate drives into the left rough, and Woods follows him. Woods hits first and pulls his second shot in to the left rough 40 yards short of the pin. Mediate finds the putting surface about 35 feet under the pin. Woods pitches to about a foot for a virtually automatic par. Mediate’s birdie effort slides past on the left, but he rams in the three-footer for par.

Factoid: This is the first Open playoff since 2001, when Retief Goosen defeated Mark Brooks at Southern Hills in Tulsa. Of course, that playoff was created when Goosen missed a two-foot putt on the 18th hole. This one was forced when Woods made a clutch 12-footer for a birdie on 18.

No. 3, Par 3, 188 yards. Mediate even par, Woods one over.

Playing from the back tee on the signature hole at Torrey Pines, with the ocean glistening in the background, Mediate almost becomes a part of history. After Woods plugs his tee shot into the front bunker, Mediate nearly aces the hole, rolling the ball over the right lip to about a foot from the pin for a tap-in birdie. Woods is plugged deep in the fluffy sand but manages to get his second shot to about 12 feet. Woods runs his par putt past the hole to the right, makes his bogey putt, then Mediate taps in for birdie to take the lead.

Factoid: Mediate’s last win came in the 2002 Greater Greensboro Classic. Woods has won 31 PGA Tour events since 2002.

No. 2, Par 4, 389 yards. Woods even; Mediate one over.

Woods drives into the left rough, Mediate into the right rough. Woods hits first with a short iron, but misses the green short to the right. Mediate, with an opportunity to get a shot back, then also misses to the right on the short par four.

Mediate, from a sidehill lie, chips to about four feet; Woods leaves his eight feet short and makes the par putt. Mediate makes his four-footer also for par.

Factoid: Woods is 10-1 in playoffs in his career; Mediate is 2-0.

No. 1. Par 4, 448 yards. Woods goes one up.

Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods appeared at Torrey Pines today in identical outfits for their U.S. Open playoff: black vests and slacks, and red shirts. Woods removed his vest on the driving range so they could tell each other apart.

Mediate teed off first under a brilliant sunny sky and smacked his drive down the left side of the fairway. Woods, who had double-bogeyed this hole every time he began a round on it during the tournament, drove down the right side of the fairway and, smiling, raised his arms in triumph.

Mediate hit first and caught the left, front bunker. Woods hit the green to set up a birdie putt of 25 feet.

Mediate, who had played the hole in even par during the tournament, ran his sand shot about six feet past the hole. After Woods missed his birdie effort, Mediate ran his six-footer to the left of the hole and bogeyed. Woods made his two-footer for par to take a one stroke lead.