"I think it's great that Ernie and I didn't let him just coast in," Austin said.
Despite missing birdie putts inside 8 feet on the ninth and 11th hole, Els was one shot off the lead until pulling his tee shot into the trees on the 16th and taking bogey. He wound up alone in third.
"To come back from six back against the world's No. 1 was always going to be tough," Els said. "But I gave it a shot."
For the second time in his career, Woods has gone three straight years winning a major, and it was the fourth time he has hoisted the heavy Wanamaker Trophy, one short of the record held by Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
The only thing different about this title was how it ended.
Woods became the first major champion in seven tries to make a par on the 72nd hole at Southern Hills. And it was his first major as a father; Sam Alexis was born the Monday after the U.S. Open.
Elin and Sam arrived in the middle of the week, their first trip to a tournament. Woods did not know they were coming to the course.
"I wasn't really paying attention when I saw them," he said. "I was so excited and just wanted to give Elin and Sam a kiss and get back to signing my scorecard."
Woods is now 13-0 when he has at least a share of the lead going into the final round. The margin was three shots this time, and he stretched it to five with consecutive birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 that seemed to siphon all the drama out of Southern Hills. Austin made a surprising charge, however, and Woods three-putted for bogey on the 14th that dropped his lead to one.
That was as close as it got.
Austin, playing in only his 15th major, made three straight birdies starting at the par-3 11th, none bigger than a 60-footer he chipped in from the front of the 12th green, tugging his ear to get the crowd jacked up.
"I was trying to get them to go crazy for someone else, so he'd know there's someone else out here," Austin said. "There's no roar like his. It was nice to hear the loudest one I've ever heard for me."
But it wasn't enough.
After his three-putt bogey on the 14th, Woods hit every fairway and every green the rest of the way. Woods' final stroke was a 3-foot par on the 18th hole, and he took his time. In the last major at Southern Hills, Retief Goosen three-putted from 12 feet and had to win the U.S. Open the following day in a playoff.
- Text Size:
- Small Text
- Medium Text
- Large Text
