Sunday At The US Open Should Be Fun After All

I was not in good spirits Friday night when the chicken entrails suggested that the weekend would be a long coronation for Tiger Woods’ Fifteenth Major.

Saturday proved the auguries wrong. Tiger shot +5 and now is in a tie for 14th. Meanwhile, as Jim Furyk ground his way to -1 for the tournament, Graeme McDowell shot -2 to go into a first place tie.

Now let me be clear before I get angry emails accusing me of being a Tiger hater: I was at no time rooting AGAINST Tiger. I was, however, rooting FOR competition. I watch golf (and indeed all sports) for the competition. The more uncertain the outcome, the more interest I have. If Tiger is in the lead after 54 holes, odds are that he will finish 72 in the lead—YE Yang not withstanding.

(I was, however, rooting against much of the media. Without Tiger in the lead, what will they talk about? After the hours long discussion about why Tiger isn’t in the lead, they may actually have to get to work and come up with some clever things to say about whomever is in the lead).

Sunday should be quite exciting. Behind McDowell and Furyk, Frederik Jacobson is at +1, with Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Blake Adams and Nick Colsaerts all at +2. The Crowd at +3 includes Webb Simpson, Kevin Chappell, John Senden, Jason Dufner, John Peterson—and amazingly, 17-year-old amateur Beau Hossler.

That’s right. A high school junior is somehow within striking distance of a US Open win.

And Tiger still has a chance to turn it up and get a come-from-behind victory. This is after all the US Open.

He won’t win, but what a story it is already.