Gary Woodland stepped into the U.S. Open spotlight on Friday and with an amazing array of golf shots and short-game artistry, he stayed there for 36 more intense, grit-testing holes.
Today he woke up with the title Champion of the 119th U.S. Open but it didn’t come easy. It took a Sunday afternoon back-nine fight with the most dangerous man in the majors — Brooks Koepka.
Those final, character-testing nine holes on the back side at Pebble Beach gave the golf world a two-man battle to remember.
Woodland won the championship with no less than two clutch, sensational golf shots — one showed his incredible power, the other showed his short-game finesse. The first came from the fairway at the par five 14th with the championship very much undecided. Woodland was fighting his swing but stepped up and hit a perfect drive then smashed a 263-yard three-wood that cleared the front bunker, hit on the green and settled just off the fringe in some thick grass. From there a chip to four feet gave Woodland a much-needed birdie and a two-shot lead over the charging, two-time defending champion.
“The drive on 14 was huge, it was a great shot on the second. You play to win and that birdie separated me a little (from Koepka),” Woodland said after the smoke cleared.
Pars at the 15th and 16th kept Woodland’s lead at two then then his second sensational shot came when he needed it most. Woodland’s tee shot at the difficult par three 17th was on the wrong end of the long, hour-glass shaped green. With what looked like 100 feet to the hole and the fringe and rough pinching in and preventing a putt, Woodland clipped a perfect, low, driving wedge shot that took two big bounces and then checked quickly. It stopped a foot from the hole.
“It looked for a second like it might go in,” Woodland conceded. “It came off perfectly — not one I want over.”
The easy tap-in for par left Woodland with a two-shot lead, strolling on easy street to the final hole when Koepka failed to birdie the 18th.
An iron off the tee, a second-shot layup then a stock shot from 148 yards out left Woodland about 38 feet from the cup with three putts to win.
He took just one, making the bomb for birdie to put an exclamation point on a round of 69 that went with previous efforts of 68-65-69 — four sub-70 rounds and a 13-under par 271.
Woodland won this one over the final nine holes, where most championships are decided. He made two huge par saves there on Saturday then overcame a shaky stretch that started at nine and carried through the 13th. “My swing got a little off,” Woodland admitted. “I never let myself get ahead. I just focused on the shot I had.”
All the would-be challengers fell by the wayside — Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott and Woodland’s playing partner Justin Rose. Rose hung tough until his iron play went sour and his putter turned cold. By day’s end his 74 dropped him into a tie for third behind Koepka.
Koepka applied supreme heat right out of the box with birdies on four of his first five holes. He got to 11-under quickly and let Woodland know he was the man to beat.
Koepka managed just one back-nine birdie and that wasn’t enough to overcome Woodland’s new-found short game skills.
“Gary shot a helluva round today,” Keopka said after his challenge fell just short. He was close to an historical three-peat but now has finished second in both The Masters and U.S. Open with the PGA Championship victory in the middle.
“I didn’t have a number in mind, I just wanted to shoot as low as possible. Props to Gary, I’m happy for him.”
Woodland silenced the doubters who kept pointing to his 0-for-7 effort with 54-hole leads.
He’s now one for eight but that one is a huge one, one everyone wants.
And now the label “major champion” belongs to Gary Woodland.
“Sounds really, really good,” Woodland said, breaking out a huge smile.
He looked even better with the trophy in his hands.
10 Comments
RM
That chip shot on that hourglass green under that pressure was phenomenal. Thought for sure as it took those big bounces it was headed for trouble. I loathe those shots when I happen to face one, and have a huge respect for the touch and finesse required to execute it ( a skill set I lack).
Great to see him get a major; he seems like a classy guy, and look forward to see him continuing to establish himself as one of that absolute top tier.
Tom Edrington
Gary carries himself with a lot of class — Midwest characteristic — Nice Guys do finish first!
baxter cepeda
Missed the best part of the story. Woodland and his wife sadly lost 1 of their twins. The other was premature, doing better now according to the coverage.
So to win on Father’s Day as he and his wife are now expecting a new set of twins is so, so fitting.
Brooks and the other chasers never really applied heat to Gary. Gary was the one letting everyone collapse around him, including the guys whom had been applying that strategy best in koepka.
Tom Edrington
Baxter, excuse me but you didn’t think Koepka making birdie on four of the first five holes wasn’t applying the heat? Yes, BK has a great back-story, we tried to get to the Sunday drama and not delve into the personal stuff, that’s been documented often, with Gary’s son surviving and his wife now expecting twins again.
baxter cepeda
Gary’s happy guilmore of basketball story is what’s played out. How long does it take to learn slow guys play golf ?
Tom Edrington
Exactly.
baxter cepeda
As far as the Sunday drama, some heat was applied early. But by then end it was Gary working that lead well to the finish. I guess I was kinda hoping that with the usga not murdering Pebble Beach we would get a shoot out of sorts. Instead we got rose and koepka fizzling. One awesome 3 wood from Gary which didn’t even hit the green. A cool chip on 17. And a meaningless bomb on 18. It was good. Not blow your mind great. No way.
Tom Edrington
Baxter, despite the birdie at 14, it was totally in doubt when Gary’s tee shot found the lower part of the 17th green. REALLY tough shot under the circumstances, a lot of guys I know told me there would have bet money that he’d make bogey there, it was a very high-risk shot at the moment, he blades it a tad and it’s an entirely different situation. Glad he hit a great shot, maybe the shot of the tournament but I’d say the four were the two big par saves on the back-nine on Saturday, both looked like sure bogeys and that second at 14 took a lot of testicular fortitude.
baxter cepeda
One note is that 14 and 17 greens have been softened quite a bit so they weren’t the challenge they had been; probably to speed up regular play.
Softening these greens is like changing the 10 to at riviera, you just don’t do that.
These quarks built over time, sand from bunkers creating bigger slopes, is surely part of how the great old architects planned as a way of protecting courses over time; knowing tech would eventually give players an edge.
So with Pebble as easy as ever for a major —certainly easier than Tiger 2K —I was expecting more fireworks. A little More of an Augusta like finish. But these players made it look like just another grind out US Open.
Tom Edrington
I was simply happy to see the USGA bring back the old school rough, the Masters doesn’t have any, thus the wild drivers can stay in contention…..