U.S. Open pairings put Woods with Cabrera

FARMINGDALE, N.Y., June 11 (UPI) -- Defending champion Tiger Woods will be paired with Padraig Harrington and Angel Cabrera next week for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open.

Woods will be trying to become only the third player in the last 58 years to capture back-to-back U.S. Open titles. He won last year's tournament in a playoff with Rocco Mediate, and then underwent reconstructive knee surgery.

Harrington won major titles last year at the British Open and PGA Championship, but his best finish on the PGA Tour this year has been a tie for 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Cabrera won his second major crown at the Masters in April, surviving in a playoff against Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.

For the second time, the U.S. Open will be contested on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, N.Y. Woods won when the tournament was played there in 2002.

The pairings released Thursday showed that Woods, Harrington and Cabrera will begin their opening round next Thursday at 8:06 a.m. EDT.

Playing immediately in front of Woods will be the threesome of K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh and Jeev Milkha Singh, who are not related.

Phil Mickelson, ranked second in the world behind Woods, will be paired with former U.S. Open champions Retief Goosen and Ernie Els. Mickelson has finished second in the Open four times and three of those tournaments were played in New York.

Curtis Strange was the last player to win two straight U.S. Opens, doing so in 1988-1989. He never won another PGA Tour event. Prior to Strange's back-to-back titles, Ben Hogan had been the last to do so in 1950-1951.