Dan O'Neill

PINEHURST, N.C. - There were people who did not believe Tiger Woods could win at Pinehurst this week. There were people who thought there was a fundamental flaw in his game that might poison his pursuit of a third U.S. Open title.

They were right, for all the wrong reasons.

Woods came into the week ranked No. 1 in the world, but No. 159 on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. The theory put forth was he might suffer the Stray Cat Blues at Pinehurst, spray his ball around No. 2 like it was attached to Silly String, have hell to pay in the gnarly Bermuda rough.

Not really. In truth, missing the fairway was not the worst thing you could do at Pinehurst, if you missed them long enough. The Masters champ and single-season Slam-chasing Woods was able to bomb the ball close enough to the dance floors that he could two-step through the rough with a wedge in his hand. He led the tournament in driving distance, averaging 325.9 yards a crack.

He also led the tournament in hitting greens. He landed on the greens in regulation 75 percent of the time, a stat that would normally put one in good stead where a U.S. Open is concerned. But there was a defect in his game, an abscess he could not remove. His putter was his Pinehurst poison.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me,” Woods said. “I didn’t feel comfortable with my putter all week. It was frustrating because I could never get the speed right. If you can’t get the speed right, you can’t get the line right. I struggled with it all week.”

Woods needed 34 putts to get through a 71 on Friday, 36 more to get home in 72 on Saturday. He ranked 80^th overall in putting for the tournament. A sack of Martha White’s all-purpose flour makes fewer rolls.

To be fair, the stat is a bit distorted, because Woods was on so many greens in regulation. He had the opportunity to putt more often than most, but the stat, which included four three-putts, was telling nonetheless.

“I’m pleased with the way I played, not pleased with the way I putted,” Woods added. “There’s a difference.”

It would be blatant Tiger-bashing to hold Sir Eldrick accountable for finishing second at a U.S. Open. He already has won one major this year, not a bad season’s work by most standards, and now he has a second. He beat 81 of the 82 players he had to beat over the weekend. But there are some qualifiers that bare examination.

Woods was in this tournament, despite his putting woes, with a chance to steal it. After a bogey at No. 9 dropped his score to 36 for the front, Woods birdied Nos. 10 and 11 to put major championship-less Michael Campbell directly in his sights. With seven holes to play, and two shots to make up, Woods was in position to apply the pressure, as only the presence of the Woods can.

“I had a chance when it looked like I probably shouldn’t have had a chance,” Woods said. “I put it together a little bit, and all of a sudden I was at even par (for the round). Then I got to under par for the day, and I thought if I could somehow post even par (for the tournament), that I might be able to sneak my way into a playoff.”

But as the horse race entered the stretch, as the concept of winning a U.S. Open should have been building a nest in Campbell’s stomach, Woods stood down. The nine-time major champion bogeyed No. 16, bogeyed No. 17, effectively removing the weight from Campbell’s shoulders. The spirit of Rich Beem hovered overhead.