Tiger Woods has won the US Open three times in his career, with his last win coming in 2008. However, not many know that his caddie, Steve Williams, had asked the golfer to quit ahead of the final round.
Williams caddied for Tiger Woods for a significant part of his career, during which Woods won 13 major championships. One such win was the US Open in 2008, which took place at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Woods entered the tournament with a lack of match practice and an injured left knee. He started with a 1-over 71 in the first round. Although things looked good from the outside, he was in severe pain. According to Williams, he had never seen Woods in so much pain.
A few years ago, Williams revealed that he asked Tiger to withdraw during the second round of the US Open.
“I said to him, hey Tiger, you might be jeopardizing your career here,” Williams said. “Maybe this is a time to quit. And I’ll never forget…. He looks at me and he says, Stevie, f—k you, I’m winning this tournament.”
He made his way up as he played impressively throughout the week. He entered the Sunday round at 3-under after firing rounds of 72, 68, and 70 and held a one-stroke lead after 54 holes.
In the final round, Woods carded a 73 and tied at 1-under with Rocco Mediate after regulation holes. He made a par on the playoff hole, while Mediate missed the par putt, resulting in Woods’ 14th major championship win.
How has Tiger Woods performed at the US Open in the past?
Tiger Woods is set to compete in the 124th US Open next week, which commences on Thursday, June 13. This will be his 23rd appearance at the event.
In his past 22 appearances, the 48-year-old golfer has made 17 cuts and registered 15 top-25 finishes. He has finished in the top five seven times, including three wins, two runner-ups, and one third-place finish. He hasn’t played in the season’s third major since missing the cut in 2020.
Here’s a look at Tiger Woods’ past results at the US Open:
1995: W/D
1996: T82
1997: T19
1998: T18
1999: T3
2000: 1
2001: T12
2002: 1
2003: T20
2004: T17
2005: 2
2006: CUT
2007: T2
2008: P1
2009: T6
2010: T4
2012: T21
2013: T32
2015: CUT
2018: CUT
2019: T21
2020: CUT
