FARMINGDALE, N.Y., June 16 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods took another giant step deeper into the book of golfing lore Sunday by fighting off the best charge Phil Mickelson could offer and capturing his second United States Open championship in three years.
Mickelson made more birdies than anyone else in the tournament, played the final 31 holes in 5-under par and climbed within two shots of the lead with five holes remaining to give himself at least a fighting chance to outduel the best golfer in the world.
Woods, however, hit two magnificent shots at the par-5 13th following a 50-minute weather delay, two-putted for birdie and coasted over the closing holes as Mickelson finally faltered.
Woods bogeyed two of the last three holes himself, but still beat the No. 2 ranked player in the world by three strokes in the first U.S. Open ever played on the Bethpage State Park Black course.
Of the last 11 major championships played, Woods has won seven. His eight major titles overall leaves him one shy of reaching the halfway point in his quest to get to the record held by Jack Nicklaus. And, even though Woods had already done just about everything there is to do in the sport, he managed to add an achievement Sunday.
For the first time, Woods has won both the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, something that had been done only by Craig Wood in 1941, Ben Hogan in 1951 and 1953, Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Jack Nicklaus in 1972.
That means Woods is in position to win golf's professional Grand Slam.
Woods' milestone achievement of winning the four majors in succession, which he did by claimnig the 2000 U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship and the 2001 Masters, touched off a debate as to whether that should be considered a Grand Slam. Wins next month in the British Open at Muirfield and the month after that in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine would forever end that debate.
"This course was playing very difficult today," Woods said. "I knew it was going to be a long, tough day and I just had to hang in there.
"I am going to celebrate this one. But I would like to win the slam again. I've done it before. Hopefully I can do it again."
Whatever he does, Woods went out of his way after his victory Sunday to emphasize that his winning is not automatic.
"I don't think people understand how difficult it is to win a major championship," he said. "If you play golf, you have to understand. You can play well and you can still lose. It is the nature of the sport.
"I've played well and not won. Just because I am playing well doesn't guarantee I will win a tournament. It's not like I'm winning every time. I've lost. People might say it is easy. It is not."
Woods equaled the number of major championships won by Tom Watson and is now one behind Ben Hogan and Gary Player.
"You dream of winning one," Woods said. "It is hard to describe about how great it is to win major championship. It takes so much out of you and you have to be at the top of your game. You can't go out and slop it around.
"It is neat to look at the list with those great names and know that I am part of it."
Woods bogeyed the opening two holes Sunday, three-putting both, to give his challengers some hope. He missed only one fairway all day, however, and shot a closing-round 72 a four-day total of 3-under 277.
By the time the final groups made the turn, Mickelson was the only player with a chance to catch Woods, but he bogeyed both the 16th and 17th holes to remove all doubt. His even-par 70 left him at 280. It was one of just four rounds of par or better shot Sunday, which happened to be Mickelson's 32nd birthday.
Jeff Maggert matched Woods' 72 Sunday and finished alone in third at 2-over 282 while Sergio Garcia, who played in the final group with Woods, was never a factor and finished fourth at 283 following a 74. Garcia was a shot out of the lead going into the final round of last year's U.S. Open, but shot a 77 at Southern Hills.
Tied for fifth at 285 were Billy Mayfair and two of golf's most tested veterans -- Scott Hoch and Nick Faldo.
Faldo received a special invitation to play in this year's event, making it the 60th consecutive major in which he has competed. He will not have to rely on an invitation next year. The top 15 finishers receive an exemption from qualifying for the 2003 U.S. Open. Faldo finished in the top 10 of a major for the 24th time.
With Garcia never making a challenge, it was left to Mickelson to provide the only real competition Woods faced all day.
Mickelson, playing a group in front of Woods, started the day five shots back and almost instantly climbed to within two when he birdied the first hole from five feet and Woods bogeyed the first two.
Mickelson dropped back with bogeys at both the fifth and sixth holes -- putting his second shot over the green at the fifth and hitting a wild second to the left of the green at the sixth, from where he had to scramble just to make bogey.
And when Woods birdied the seventh with an 18-footer, his lead had grown back to five. Up ahead, Mickelson followed Woods' birdie at the seventh with a 30-foot bomb for birdie at the par-3 eighth to climb within four.
With the wind freshening and the clouds moving in, Mickelson birdied the 11th from six feet and got his birdie at the 13th to close within two once more -- creating the possibility that a truly dramatic finish might be in the offing.
Instead, the rains moved in and the players scrambled off the course. And when the rains moved on, the finish to the tournament was an anticlimax.
Mickelson finished in the top three of a major championship for the seventh time -- more than anyone who has never won one.
The cheers he received time and again by the huge New York crowds, however, left Mickelson with a smile on his face when the day was over.
"I had an unbelievable day today," he said. "It was very similar to the 1999 Ryder Cup (played in front of a very vocal crowd in Brookline, Mass.).
"I'm sorry to come up a little short, but it was a thrill to compete in this wonderful championship.
"I thought when I birdied the 13th that I might have an opportunity. Most of all, I cannot believe the reception of the people here. The game of golf has certainly benefited by having this tournament played at such a wonderful venue.
"I do feel that I will eventually break through. I have played so consistently well in the majors that I feel it will happen. Certainly, it is hard when you have a player of the caliber of Tiger Woods there. But I had a chance today."
