Campbell holds off Tiger to win U.S. Open
Woods makes charge, but Kiwi captures first major by 2 strokes
 John Sommers / Reuters Michael Campbell, who finished the 105th U.S. Open at even-par 280, became the first Kiwi to win a major championship since Bob Charles in the 1963 British Open. |
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PINEHURST, N.C. - Michael Campbell heard a roar that shook the sun-baked ground at Pinehurst No. 2, the unmistakable sound of Tiger Woods making another birdie to cut into his lead Sunday at the U.S. Open.
Campbell backed off his shot in the adjacent 14th fairway, then hit a laser that never left the flag.
Moments later, another cheer rang out, louder still, from the 18th green as Woods finished with a birdie. Campbell had more work to do to earn his first major championship. This time, he fired an 8-iron into 20 feet on the par-3 17th, and the birdie putt dropped in the center of the cup.
“I heard the roars going up,” Campbell said. “And I knew what was going on.”
Campbell answered every challenge Woods threw at him until a U.S. Open full of surprises — from Jason Gore’s memorable run to Retief Goosen’s unforgettable collapse — got the biggest one of all.
Woods was the one who buckled.
Once touted as a rising star, Campbell finally delivered a major championship no one saw coming with a collection of steely par saves and a knockout punch on the 17th to capture the U.S. Open, joining 1963 British Open champion Bob Charles as the only players from New Zealand to win a major.
“I worked hard for it. I deserve it. And I have it,” Campbell said. “It’s all mine.”
The last 10 years were a collection of unlimited potential and shattered confidence.
The last 10 holes were packed with pressure during an intense duel with the world’s No. 1 player.
“I stayed patient for 10 years, and I went through some ups and downs, some injuries, missing cuts, missing tournaments,” Campbell said. “But deep down inside, I knew that I had something in me to do something special.”
Woods must have felt like he went back in time to the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, when his rally was snuffed out by a bogey on the 17th hole. He made two of them this time, missing an 8-foot par putt on the 16th hole, then ramming his 25-foot birdie putt 6 feet by and missing that one to the right.
A birdie on the last hole gave him a 1-under 69, his second runner-up finish in a major and little consolation.
“I figured if I could just get to even par ... if I was lucky, I might be able to get into a playoff,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I made those two bogeys on 16 and 17 and (they) kind of put me out of that equation.”
Campbell had a three-shot lead at No. 18 and finished with a bogey he could afford. The only thing he couldn’t beat was Pinehurst, finishing at even-par 280, the first time a U.S. Open champion failed to break par since Lee Janzen at Olympic Club in 1998.
Campbell raised his arms when the final putt fell and looked to the sky, stunned by a crowning moment in a career that looked so promising in the British Open at St. Andrews a decade ago.
The 36-year-old tugged his cap down over his face and then dabbed at his eyes. After hugs with his caddie and playing partner Olin Browne, Campbell thrust his fist in the air and threw his ball into the crowd.
“It’s just amazing,” he said.
The last hug was for Woods’ caddie, Steve Williams, a fellow New Zealander.
“I think that was the single greatest sports moment in New Zealand history,” Williams said.
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