Virginia Golfer May / Jun 2018 | Page 18

Tiger Woods ’ last major championship came in dramatic fashion in an 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U . S .
Open at Torrey Pines .

Ten years ago , Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate to win the U . S . Open Championship at Torrey Pines in California . This is noteworthy for two reasons . For one , it was Woods ’ last major championship . Secondly , it will go down in history as the last U . S . Open decided by an 18-hole playoff . Starting this year , all U . S . Open championships will be decided by a twohole aggregate playoff . Should competitors still be tied after that , the playoff will continue with sudden-death holes until a champion emerges .

The USGA ’ s main reasoning behind the move was to ensure if at all possible that the championship is decided within the Sunday broadcast window . The USGA has used a three-hole format in the U . S . Women ’ s Open and U . S . Senior Open in recent years .
“ Two holes will allow a player to recover from any single mistake , and at the same time , provide a memorable , and perhaps dramatic , experience for all involved ,” USGA CEO / executive director Mike Davis said .
Here ’ s a closer look at the four U . S . Open championships , which will run from May 31-July 15 .
Fun facts : Only two players finished under par in 2004 at Shinnecock , champion Retief Goosen ( -4 ) and runner-up Phil Mickelson ( -2 ). No one finished under par in 1995 at Shinnecock , when Corey Pavin won with an even-par score . … The winning score at Shinnecock in 1986 was Raymond Floyd ’ s 1-under finish . Virginia ties : For the second straight year , the USGA conducted a U . S . Open local qualifier at VSGA member Farmington Country Club . … Virginia Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is a two-time U . S . Open champion . Another Virginia Golf Hall of Famer , Lanny Wadkins , was a runner-up in 1986 . Next year : The Open heads west to Pebble Beach Golf Links in California from June 13-16 .
118TH U . S . OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
JUNE 14-17 SHINNECOCK HILLS Southampton , N . Y . Defending Champion Brooks Koepka Storylines : Ten years ago , Tiger Woods won his last major in what proved to be the final 18-hole U . S . Open playoff , topping
Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines . After some promising results early this season , Tigermania is back in full swing . He finished tied for 32nd at the Masters . In his only previous U . S . Open appearance at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 , he shot 10 over and tied for 17th . … Will the defending champ play ? Koepka missed the Masters with a partially torn tendon in his wrist . As of mid-April , his only 2018 appearance was in the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii .
73RD U . S . WOMEN ’ S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
MAY 31-JUNE 3 SHOAL CREEK Shoal Creek , Ala . Defending champion Sung Hyun Park Storylines : Looking for a back-to-back champion here ? Think again . Karrie Webb
SCOTT CLARKE / ESPN IMAGES
16 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2018 vsga . org