Tulsa Bake-Off

By CHRIS DUFRESNE

June 14, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

TULSA, Okla. —

The 101st U.S Open, Tiger Woods versus all comers, tees off this morning at Southern Hills with a fairly simple story line.

It is Tiger chasing history and 155 guys chasing Tiger.

Woods is favored to win his fifth straight major championship, while the best of the rest attempt to make moral-victory statements such as the kind the plucky Philadelphia 76ers are making.

With any other golfer except Woods, the odds would overwhelmingly favor the field against the defending U.S. Open champion.

Since 1950, only Ben Hogan and Curtis Strange have successfully defended their titles.

Yet, these are not ordinary times.

Granted, anything can happen in golf.

Woods could sprain an ankle, wrench his wrist, become dehydrated or distracted.

Hard as it is to believe, other players have won major titles since Woods turned professional: Ernie Els, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Mark O’Meara, Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Payne Stewart and Paul Lawrie.

But that was then.

Since, Woods’ run of four straight majors has engulfed golf.

“I definitely can’t help that the guy is that good,” Els said of Woods. “That’s just a fact of the matter.”

As a public service, we acknowledge others are competing at Southern Hills for our national championship.

As for which players might unseat Woods, we have rounded up the usual suspects:

* Sergio Garcia: One of the hottest players in the field, with three top-10 finishes in his last three tournaments, including a victory in the Mastercard Colonial and second-place finish at the Memorial.

He gave Woods a memorable run at the 1999 PGA Championship, his gallop down the 16th fairway forever etching a memory.

Many thought Garcia, 19 then, would emerge as a perennial foil to Woods.

Garcia thought so too.

“I did, yeah,” Garcia said. “I was able to do it that time and I knew that I was going to get better. So I was expecting it, but there’s still a long way to go.’

Garcia’s strategy: “The way to overcome Tiger is to be perfect, and if not, congratulate him.”

* David Duval: He’s the only player to have finished in the top 10 in each of the last three U.S. Opens, but has not been the challenger to Woods many expected him to be.

Duval wilted at the Masters, finishing second, missing a chance to haul down Woods on the back nine on Sunday.

Duval made bogey on No. 16 and then missed birdie putts on 17 and 18.

“I’ve had some chances, and obviously you want those,” Duval said of his major misses. “Certainly I want to win several, but I think I just keep preparing like I have been.”

* Phil Mickelson: A highly proficient player who has eight top-eight finishes this year but only one victory--the Buick Invitational.

Paired with Woods on Sunday at the Masters, Mickelson was within a shot of the lead with three holes left before a bogey on No. 16 finished him.

What did Mickelson learn by playing with Woods?

“I don’t watch him swing and hit it and watch his ball flight,” Mickelson said. “He swings at it very hard and the ball jumps off his [club] face. I find that I’m able to stay in my game much more effectively when I don’t watch him play.”

Mickelson has the game to win. He finished second in the 1999 U.S. Open.

* Ernie Els: Admittedly, the two-time Open winner is struggling with his stroke. He missed the cut at the Byron Nelson Classic and finished tied for 63rd at the Memorial.

Els tied for second at last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, a whopping 15 strokes behind Woods.

Els is swinging the club better of late and has not prepared a concession speech.

“He’s going to make mistakes too,” Els said of Woods. “Especially this week.”

* Justin Leonard: He’s a scrapper who, as a Texan, knows a little about playing in the noonday sun. Leonard seems to have found his game after missing five PGA Tour cuts early in the year. He finished 27th at the Masters, missed the cut at the WorldCom Classic, and then finished fourth, sixth and fifth in his next three tournaments.

He won the 1997 British Open.

* Nick Price: Even at 44, he’s more than a sentimental favorite. He is the only player in the field to have won a major title at Southern Hills--the 1994 PGA Championship.

Too old? Hale Irwin was 45 when he won the Open. Payne Stewart was 42.

Price is hot. He finished third at the Byron Nelson and eighth at the St. Jude Classic.

“My game is not far from where it was,” he said, “but there’s something missing somewhere.”

* Vijay Singh: The last player not named Tiger Woods to win a major championship. Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, has finished 10th or better in four of his seven U.S. Opens. Singh has been consistent, if not spectacular, this year. In his last 10 tournaments, his worst finish was 18th at the Masters.

* Jim Furyk: Finished 60th last year at Pebble Beach, but that was an aberration. In the four Opens prior, he finished fifth twice, 14th and 17th. He’s a great putter.

* Bernhard Langer: Has missed the last three U.S. Open cuts, but the two-time Masters winner has finished third, sixth, third and second in his last five PGA Tour events.

* Davis Love III: Playing for the first time in two months because of a neck injury, Love says the time off may have done some good.

“I’m really fresh,” Love said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could come and plan and win.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE FACTS

When

* Today-Sunday.

The Course

* Built during the Depression, Southern Hills was designed by Perry Maxwell and opened in 1936.

Length

* 6,973 yards.

Par

* 35-35--70.