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2008 U.S. Open
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 Golfers with Southern California ties have won seven of the past 48 U.S. Open titles. With the country's national championship returning to the Southland for the first time in 60 years, we took a stroll down memory lane to pick 10 memorable performances by regional players. 1959 Billy Casper Through the first 13 holes of the final round at Winged Foot, San Diego's Casper had one birdie and four bogeys. However, a 12-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole settled him down, and he won by a stroke over Bob Rosburg, whose final-round 71 was three strokes better than Casper's 74. 1961 Gene Littler After falling behind by four strokes through the second hole at Oakland Hills, it didn't look promising for Littler, a native San Diegan. But he followed with three birdies and 13 pars to take a one-stroke lead heading into the 18th hole, which he bogeyed. Playing behind Littler, Doug Sanders needed a birdie over the final two holes to force a tie or two birdies to win. He had to settle for two pars, however, finishing in a tie at 282 with Bob Goalsby, a stroke behind Littler. 1964 Ken Venturi After years of decline, the Northern California-raised Venturi, who now lives in La Quinta, scored one of the U.S. Open's most dramatic victories. Battling heat exhaustion at Congressional during the final round, a visibly staggering Venturi, who was accompanied by a doctor administering salt tablets and ice packs, mustered enough energy to win the title by four strokes. 1966 Billy Casper Though remembered more as the U.S. Open that Arnold Palmer lost, he wouldn't have done so had Casper not seized the opportunity Palmer presented on the back nine at the Olympic Club. After the ninth hole, Casper trailed by seven strokes, but Palmer bogeyed five of the last nine holes. Casper, meanwhile, made birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes before both players made pars on No. 18 to force a playoff. After trailing Palmer by two strokes after the 10th hole the next day, Casper again rallied to win the tournament by four strokes. 1987 Scott Simpson The San Diego native and two-time NCAA medalist at USC had won three times on the PGA Tour before the 1987 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. But his performance on the final day earned him a slice of golf immortality. After entering the day trailing Tom Watson by a stroke, Simpson birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to take the lead. After Watson missed a 45-footer by the length of his putter blade on the final hole, Simpson was a one-stroke victor. His score of 68 was one of only six sub-par rounds that day. 1995 Corey Pavin The Oxnard native and former UCLA Bruin trailed by five strokes after the fifth hole during the final round at Shinnecock Hills, but he took the lead on the 15th hole with a birdie. He needed the shot of his career on the 18th hole, however, to secure the victory. Leading Greg Norman by a stroke, Pavin, playing two groups ahead, hit a 4-wood about 200 yards that landed in the shadow of the flagstick. He two-putted for par, and his final-round 68 gave him a 280 and a two-shot victory over Norman. 1999 Phil Mickelson Though the San Diego native didn't win the event, it elevated him in the eyes of the golfing public. While waiting for a call from his wife, Amy, who was due to go into labor with their first child at any minute, he battled Payne Stewart down the stretch at Pinehurst No. 2. Mickelson led by a stroke twice over the last nine holes, but a bogey on No. 16 allowed Stewart to even the score. A birdie on the 17th hole put Stewart ahead, and his dramatic 15-foot par putt on No. 18 gave one of golf's most colorful personalities his second U.S. Open title. 2000 Tiger Woods There has arguably been no major performance more dominant than what Woods accomplished at that year's Open. The Cypress native lapped the star-studded field at Pebble Beach to win the tournament by 15 strokes. Woods tied or set nine records in the process, including the lowest score related to par, at 12 under. This win initiated one of the most amazing stretches ever in tournament golf: He went on to win each of the next three major titles, too. 2002 Tiger Woods The buzz was already loud for this year's U.S. Open because it was being held at at non-resort public course - Bethpage State Park's Black Course in New York. It only got louder as the final round progressed, as Woods, who led wire to wire, fended off a late challenge from Phil Mickelson. Woods belted a drive on the par-5 13th and narrowly missed making an eagle. He finished three strokes ahead of Mickelson for his eighth major title. 2006 Phil Mickelson The San Diego native again is a big storyline in a tournament he didn't win. Mickelson finished second to Geoff Ogilvy at Winged Foot after self-destructing on the final hole. Leading by a stroke with one hole to play, Mickelson hit a driver well off the 18th fairway. After his second shot hit a tree and his third plugged into a greenside bunker, he was unable to get up and down, resulting in a double bogey that cost him a shot at a playoff and his first major title. What can you say? "I just can't believe I did that," Mickelson said. "I'm such an idiot." |
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