US Open 2008 Day 3 Observations

The thirteenth was one of my least favorite holes at Torrey Pines, but it provided the most excitement in the third round. There was Tiger’s amazing eagle, followed by Rocco Mediate’s second shot mistake into the facing left bunker, and his subsequent bogey. That was a three shot swing on one hole, within minutes of each other.

That’s where the tournament turned.

While no one was watching, Lee Westwood very quietly put together a solid tournament. Johnny Miller said early on that he’s the guy Tiger has to watch out for.

Was the course playing more difficult today, or were nerves affecting everyone?

I loved watching the round in prime time.

Tiger’s knee completely gave out on fifteen. As he swung through, it gave way and he fell to his hands. He then limped pretty severely off the tee box, using his driver as a cane. I wonder if he didn’t come back too soon.

Els began with a bogey and finished at +3. Too bad. I was hoping to see him in contention on the final day.

Angel Jiminez is an odd looking character.

Rocco’s double bogey on 15 put me in mind of his 2006 Masters when a ten on the par 3 12th took him out of the lead.

Tiger’s chip in on 17 was amazing. The guy never seems to run out of luck. What are the odds that the ball would run straight up the flagpole and then straight back down again?

Tiger missed a lot of fairways today. At one point, he had missed five straight. The big questions is going to be: Will his knee let him win. It’s pretty clear that it’s affecting him.