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OAKMONT, Pennsylvania: Argentina’s Angel Cabrera
became the first South American to capture the US Open golf
championship on Sunday, edging superstar Tiger Woods and former
champ Jim Furyk by one stroke.
Cabrera carded a one-under-par 69
on the imposing Oakmont Country Club Course for a five-over-par
total of 285.
He joined Roberto di Vicenzo,
winner of the 1967 British Open at Hoylake, as the only Argentinians
to win one of golf’s four major titles.
Furyk posted an even-par 70,
while Woods, failing to display the clinical precision that saw him
march up the leaderboard on Saturday, settled for a two-over 72 to
join Furyk on 286.
Sweden’s Niclas Fasth (70) was
fourth on 287.
“Angel played a beautiful round
of golf,” Woods said. “He put pressure on Jim and I, and we just
could not get it done.”
The 37-year-old Cabrera had
claimed a three-shot lead with a birdie at 15, where he almost holed
his second shot.
But back-to-back bogeys at 16 and
17 opened the door for Furyk and Woods.
After bogeys at 11 and 12, Furyk
had worked his way up the leaderboard with three birdies in a row
from the 13th.
That run saw Furyk leapfrog past
world No.1 Woods.
But Furyk bogeyed 17 to fall out
of a tie for the lead, and a poor approach ended any chance to force
a playoff.
Woods, meanwhile, was battling
for his life as Cabrera watched on television.
“I was just hoping they would
not make any birdies,” said Cabrera, the world No.41 who improved
on his previous best finish in a major—a tie for fourth at the
1999 British Open. “Tiger can birdie any hole.”
From a bogey at 11, Woods posted
seven straight pars, but he just couldn’t get the birdie he
needed.
An attempt to drive the green of
the 306-yard 17th saw him find a bunker, from which he settled for
par.
At 18, his tee shot was nestled
in short rough to the right and his second shot left him more than
20 feet from the hole.
Cabrera became the second
unexpected major champion this year, following Zach Johnson’s
surprise win at the Masters.
He also insured that a rare blot
on Woods’ resume remained intact—despite 12 major triumphs Woods
has never won one of golf’s grand slam tournaments in which he
trailed heading into the final round.
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