Woods leaves Bethpage befuddled over putter that betrayed him

Tiger Woods was sensational off the tee at Bethpage, hitting two-thirds of the tight fairways. But his 30-putt effort in the final round typified his struggles on the greens throughout the U.S. Open.

By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- When Tiger Woods left Bethpage Black in 2002, it was with the silver U.S. Open trophy, his sixth major championship win overall.

When the world’s No. 1 player left Bethpage Black and the 109th U.S. Open on Monday, having played marathon golf over five days, not only was he trophy-less but completely befuddled and disgusted by a putter that betrayed him.

“Overall, I gave myself so many chances and made nothing,” he said.

Woods needed 30 putts in his final round of 1-under 69, which was good for an even-par 280 total and a tie for sixth with Soren Hansen, four shots behind champion Lucas Glover.

In the first round, Woods had 31 putts for a 4-over 74; 30 putts in the second round for a 2-under 68; and 29 putts in the third round for a 1-under 69. And that’s what was holding him back.

Much like two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament, Woods was sensational off the tee, hitting two-thirds of the ultra-tight fairways at Bethpage Black.

“I striped it this week,” Woods said, following his sixth career U.S. Open top 10. “I hit it just like I did at Memorial, and unfortunately I didn't make anything. I hit so many putts that    my good ones weren’t going in, and then my bad ones weren’t even close.

“It was a little bit slow and bumpy but you have to be committed to hitting it that hard, and I left a lot of putts short,” he added. “And then when I tried to hit it harder, I gunned it past the hole. But I didn't make the adjustment the right way.”

Compounding the frustration for Woods was what happened after striking what he called the best shot he hit all week on the par-4 15th hole.

At the time, he was gaining momentum coming off birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 1 under for the tournament -- the first time he was under par all week long. After another solid drive, Woods had just over 200 yards left to the hole. He unleashed a 5-iron that flew the green. Failing to get up and down for the par, Woods settled for bogey -- putting him at 4 over for the week on No. 15 -- to drop back to even par.

“I made my best swing I made all week on 15 today,” he said. “It was just a little 5-iron, I had to flight it just a touch, and I held it, and it was just about a foot left of the flag. I couldn't believe I hit it that far, and then when I got back over there, it was kind of a natural lie; it was into the green a little bit.

“I think I played it probably a little too conservative, because if I hit it too hard, it's gone, especially into the green,” he added. “You can catch one that comes out quick.  I just didn't go with it. So it's all right if it ends up just off the green, or if it rolls out, it would be great, but then I hit just a poor putt.”

Because of all the weather that pounded Bethpage Black, officials were forced to map out a course that played much shorter than planned. That caught Woods off guard.

“I'm actually surprised it was this easy,” he said. “But then again, they had to make it this easy. You know, with the golf course playing as long as it is, a lot of guys were hitting long irons and hybrids and utilities and a whole bunch of different things into the greens.

“All in all, with it being that soft on the fairways, it was that soft into the greens, as well,” Woods added. “For me, I was hitting a lot of 3-irons this week into the green and they were holding within 10 feet. Usually in some Opens, sand wedges are not holding. So it was a different week. You just had to make the adjustments.”

Woods will get his next shot at major No. 15 in just a few weeks in the British Open at Turnberry.