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A Pairing of Aces
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Because it's a major championship, the pairing will stimulate their competitive juices, but they also will be inspired by a familiar venue where each has a memorable history.
Woods, whose last Open victory came in 2002, grew up about two hours north of San Diego. He won the world junior title here as a teenager and played the course a number of times during his junior and amateur days. Five of his six PGA Tour victories at Torrey Pines South also came after the course was toughened in 2001 to attract the Open back to Southern California for the first time since Ben Hogan won at Riviera in Los Angeles in 1948.
Mickelson lives in nearby Rancho Santa Fe and grew up not far from Torrey Pines, where he played many of his high school golf matches. He's won the Buick Invitational three times, although those victories came before the Rees Jones makeover. He has not had much success in the event since, including a missed cut the first time the refurbished venue was used for the tournament. His best score on the South course since the makeover was a 69, and his scoring average has been 71.6.
"I don't feel any added pressure" playing in his home town, Mickelson said recently. "But I certainly feel an added desire because I think about how cool it would be to win a U.S. Open on a course I grew up playing."
Mickelson is 0 for 17 in the U.S. Open, including four second-place finishes. The one that may still haunt him came in 2006 at Winged Foot in the New York suburbs, when a double bogey on the 72nd hole cost him a fourth major title. In his eight majors since, Mickelson has missed two cuts and had only one top 10 finish, tying for fifth at the Masters in April.
Still, the prospect of having the Open contested on his home course has been on Mickelson's mind for years, and he has been preparing diligently in recent months. He has played at least a half dozen practice rounds before this week, often showing up in shorts, pulling his clubs out of the car trunk and carrying his bag, just like most of the regulars. He also takes notes, particularly on the course's treacherous multi-tiered greens.
"For me personally, this tournament means a lot to me growing up here," he said. "It's something we've dreamed about."
Mickelson and Woods said they had no problem with the USGA pairing them in the same group along with Scott, almost an afterthought who will be playing despite a broken right pinky he slammed in a car door three weeks ago.
"I like it," Woods said. "I think it's exciting for the fans, exciting for the players. We're all looking forward to it. I haven't heard one negative thing about it. Once you tee off, you're in your own little world. You don't care about what anyone else is doing. You have enough issues going on out there trying to play a major championship venue."
Said Mickelson: "I think it's awesome. I wish we had it more. I haven't in the past liked the way the PGA Tour puts us on opposite ends of the draw every week. It's great that a major championship pairs us together because usually one end of the tee times has an advantage over the other. For us to be on the same end makes it a fair championship. I think we enjoy playing with each other."
