INJURED TIGER SETS SIGHT ON RECORD

Tiger Woods is prepared to risk long-term injury in order to beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship victories.

World number one Woods picked up major title number 14 with his third US Open victory on Monday after defeating Rocco Mediate on the first sudden death hole following an 18-hole play-off at Torrey Pines in southern California.

He did it playing his first tournament since arthroscopic knee surgery on April 15, nine weeks on from finishing second at the Masters.

Woods was in obvious discomfort throughout the US Open and on Friday after a gruelling second round he appeared set to withdraw from the tournament before taking pain relief to get him through the weekend.

The 32-year-old admitted he ignored doctors' advice warning him of the risks of further injury to play at Torrey Pines and indicated he would continue to do so in his quest to surpass Nicklaus as the most successful major winner of all time.

Woods said: "It's hard to believe I've had this nice a run in my career. And hopefully it will continue. I'm going to keep practising, keep trying to grind and get better.

"As far as future ramifications, I'm not really good at listening to doctor's orders too well."

Asked if he was told he risked further injury by playing at Torrey Pines, Woods nodded his head. Asked if he could have injured his knee further, the reply was: "Maybe."

Woods will now take more time out to rest his troublesome knee, leaving his participation at next month's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in some doubt.

"To be honest with you, I really don't know," Woods said in response to a question about his chances of playing at the British major.

"I think I need to shut it down for a little bit here. It's a bit sore. I need to take a little bit of a break."

Woods insisted he had never contemplated quitting the tournament and would have had no excuses had he lost out to Mediate for the title.

"I wasn't going to bag it," he said.

"I think everyone knows me well enough that it's not in my nature, I don't know how to do that.

"It helped to have that energy from all the fans, because there were times when it stung quite a bit. I had a couple of zingers out there. But it's nice to have that energy out there, and you're trying to feed off it somehow.

"I try to do as best I could. It's been sore every day. It's been sore for a while. I just deal with it.

"All athletes deal with injuries and that's just part of playing sports. Sports isn't usually kind to the body. Weird things happen and that's just the way it is.

"But it's about dealing with it and getting it up there and giving it your best, and see what happens.

"There's never any excuses, you just go play.


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SMALL ADVANCE FOR WESTWOOD

Lee Westwood's third place finish in the US Open has moved him up only three places on the world rankings from 20th to 17th.

Sergio Garcia is back as Europe's top-ranked player at sixth, one spot ahead of Justin Rose, while Tiger Woods reached 500 weeks as number one regardless of whether he won or lost his play-off with Rocco Mediate.

Before going to Torrey Pines 45-year-old Mediate stood 158th. Matching Woods's one under par total guaranteed him a leap of more than 100 places and victory over the extra 18 holes would take him to 27th.

Even without playing last week Darren Clarke is back in the top 100 - by 0.01 points - but Colin Montgomerie stands 108th after missing the cut.

Current leading places in the world rankings:

1 Tiger Woods
2 Phil Mickelson
3 Adam Scott
4 Geoff Ogilvy
5 Ernie Els
6 Sergio Garcia
7 Justin Rose
8 Steve Stricker
9 Vijay Singh
10 Jim Furyk
11 KJ Choi
12 Stewart Cink
13 Padraig Harrington
14 Rory Sabbatini
15 Trevor Immelman
16 Henrik Stenson
17 Lee Westwood

18 Luke Donald
19 Miguel Angel Jimenez
20 Anthony Kim


WOODS AND MEDIATE FACE PLAY-OFF
The official fairplay rankings

ROSE SLIPS IN TABLE

Justin Rose's missed cut at the US Open has led to him dropping from second to fourth on the Ryder Cup table - and no longer looking a certainty for a debut in September.

Last season's Order of Merit winner has been overtaken by Robert Karlsson and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who finished fourth and sixth respectively at Torrey Pines.

If Rose drops off the top five in the world points list he will have to rely on his European Tour earnings for an automatic pick and he has fallen to sixth on that, with Mansfield's Oliver Wilson the latest to go past him.

Lee Westwood, Jimenez and Karlsson now seem near-certainties for Nick Faldo's side, but the remaining places are up for grabs in the 11 weeks which remain.

The top 10 who would earn places as things stand are Westwood, Jimenez, Karlsson, Rose, Sergio Garcia, Wilson, Henrik Stenson, Nick Dougherty, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.

As things stand, Open champion Harrington and Luke Donald would be clear favourites for Faldo's two wild cards.


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WOODS CLAIMS US OPEN GLORY

Tiger Woods, in agony and in danger it seemed of having to pull out of the US Open last Friday, completed a simply staggering victory on Monday.

On the very day he reached 500 weeks as world number one, Woods took his total of majors to 14 - just four short of Jack Nicklaus's record - after a marathon duel with fellow American Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines.

After staying alive with a 15-foot putt on Sunday Woods again birdied the last to stop 45-year-old qualifier Mediate becoming the championship's oldest winner.

They were both round in level par 71s as a result, Mediate having come from three down after 10 to lead by one on the final tee.

Woods then won his own version of the "Battle of Wounded Knee" when his opponent, ranked 158th in the world, bogeyed the first extra hole of sudden death. Their 91st of the week.

In his first event since surgery on his left knee straight after the Masters in April, Woods made it a remarkable five straight victories at the San Diego venue and took his on-course career earnings through the 100 million US dollars mark.

If not the greatest victory of all the 87 he has now had as a professional, it was certainly the most unlikely when he started with a double bogey and appeared miles short of full fitness.

His play-off record now, though, is a stunning 16-3 - and, of course, he has maintained his record of winning every single major he has led after 54 holes. All 14 of them, that is.

After Woods, battling as he had all week with the pain in his left knee, had bogeyed the 11th and 12th Mediate birdied the next three and went one ahead.

The last of those was with a 25-foot downhill putt after the 13-major winner had conjured up a magical recovery from a bunker on the wrong hole.

Woods, having missed from 12 feet there, almost made a 50-footer on the next and could not convert a 22-foot chance at the 17th.

Mediate, though, opened the door by driving into a bunker on the last. He had to lay up short of the water, whereas twice champion Woods hit a three-iron onto the green and two-putted.

Sudden death began on the seventh hole and there it ended as well when Mediate was in a bunker, missed the green and failed to get up and down.

TIGER WOODS FACTFILE

1975: Born December 30, Cypress, California, son of retired US Army lieutenant colonel Earl Woods and Thai-born wife Kultida. Named Eldrick but nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier befriended by Earl.

1976: Aged six months, watched his father hit golf balls into a net and imitated his swing.

1978: Appears on a television show putting with Bob Hope.

1979: Shoots 48 for nine holes aged three.

1991: Youngest ever winner of the US Junior championship aged 15.

1992: First player to win the US Junior championship twice. Makes US Tour debut.

1994: Youngest winner of the US Amateur championship, coming back from six holes down after 13 in the 36-hole final.

1995: Makes the cut on his Masters debut.

1996: Equals the lowest-ever total by an amateur in the Open, finishing 22nd at Lytham. Wins his third US Amateur title after being two down with three to play. Turns professional and signs a reported Ј25million five-year deal with Nike.

1997: Becomes youngest winner of the Masters with a record 18-under-par total that also saw him win by the largest-ever margin - 12 strokes.

1998: No major wins but finished in the top 20 of each.

1999: Member of the winning US Ryder Cup team at Brookline, Boston.

2000: Wins US Open at Pebble Beach with a record total in relation to par of 12 under and a record winning margin of 15 strokes. Wins the Open championship at St Andrews by eight shots, finishing 19 under par. Wins the US PGA championship.

2001: Wins his second Masters title to become the first player ever to hold all four professional Majors at the same time, dubbed the 'Tiger Slam'.

2002: Wins back-to-back Masters titles to match the achievement of Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo. Claims his second US Open title at Bethpage, becoming the first player ever to lead the tournament twice from start to finish.

2003: Breaks Byron Nelson's record for consecutive cuts made with his 114th straight at the Tour Championship.

2004: Surpasses the 40million US dollar mark for career earnings at the year's opening event, the Mercedes Championship, and makes it 40 US Tour wins when beating Davis Love in the final.

2005: Wins fourth Masters title in a play-off with Chris DiMarco and is second to New Zealand's Michael Campbell in the US Open. Cruises to victory in the Open championship at St Andrews, leaving Colin Montgomerie five shots behind in second.

2006: April - Third in the US Masters behind Phil Mickelson.

June - Misses his first cut in 38 majors as a professional at the US Open following nine-week lay-off after the death of his father, Earl.

July 23 - Wins third Open title at Hoylake by two shots from DiMarco with 18-under-par total of 270.

August 6 - Wins Buick Open, his 50th PGA Tour victory.

August 20 - Wins 12th major title, the US PGA at Medinah, continuing his record of never having lost a major when leading heading into the final round.

2007: June : Becomes a father for the first time after wife Elin gives birth to a daughter, Sam Alexis, less than 24 hours after finishing second at the US Open.

August 12 - Claims 13th major by successfully defending his US PGA title, extending his record of never having lost a major when leading heading into the final round.

2008: April 15 - Undergoes third left knee arthroscopic operation, missing two months of the season.

June 16 - Returns to action by winning third US Open title at Torrey Pines after an 18-hole play-off against Rocco Mediate. The result elevates him to outright third place ahead of Ben Hogan in the all-time list of PGA Tour title wins.


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WOODS AND MEDIATE FACE PLAY-OFF

Tiger Woods forced an 18-hole play-off with fellow American Rocco Mediate for the US Open title on the final hole of the fourth round at Torrey Pines.

High drama on the 18th saw both Woods and England's Lee Westwood with tricky putts to join Mediate on one under but after Westwood missed the first, the world number one sunk his with his customary coolness.

Both men will return on Monday (1730 BST) to battle it out over a full round, though Woods will go into the day's play as heavy favourite.

With Mediate holding a one-stroke lead and watching from a scoring booth, Woods holed a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 to take the championship into an extra day.

"Unbelievable, I knew he would make it," Mediate said after Woods' putt wrapped around the cup before dropping.

Mediate shot an even-par 71 to finish at a one-under-par 283, while Woods, a little off colour for much of the fourth round as he clearly struggled with an injury, played his first two holes in three over and signed for a 73.

Woods entered Sunday at three under and with a one-stroke lead over Westwood.

But he never got in a consistent rhythm, carding his worst round of the week.

Westwood had a chance for a birdie on 18 as well, but missed from 25 feet and finished a stroke out of the play-off alone in third on an even-par 284.

On his thrilling last-hole putt, Woods said: "That's actually one of the worst parts of the green, it's so bumpy down there. "I told myself it was two-and-a-half balls outside to the right, but make sure you stay committed to it.

"And I did. I hit it good. It took forever to break, but it finally snuck in there at the end."

Woods moved into contention with a 68 on Friday shooting a back nine 30 that included five birdies. He also shot a 70 on Saturday that featured an improbable chip in for birdie from the rough on 17 and a closing eagle at 18.

His dramatic finish on in the fourth round puts Woods in a play-off at a major for the third time.

He beat Bob May at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2000 and Chris DiMarco at The Masters in 2005.

Mediate had a putting chance for a two-stroke lead but missed a birdie at the 17th from about 10 feet.

He had another chance at the last from 35 feet, but had to settle for par and wait for the final group to finish.

"I was trying to beat him on my putt, my 35-footer," Mediate said. "I just didn't quite get it out there. But anyway, I made good putts on 16 and 17 just to be here. What can you do?"

Not much more than he did on Sunday.

Mediate was two strokes better than Woods for the day and has only one over par round this week, a 72 on Saturday.

He mentioned on Saturday his desire to get a chance to play with Woods in the final group and ultimately got his wish.

"Sometimes you got to be careful what you wish for," Mediate said. "I knew he would make that putt, that's what he does. I can't believe I'm even in this situation at all. It's great."

But looking back, it is the world number one who is lucky to be still playing.

He started with a double bogey - again -

and played his first two holes in three over as he battled with both his swing and his dodgy left knee for the rest of the day.

He got back to one under with a birdie at the ninth and had the lead after a birdie at the par-three 11th.

But he made a mess of the par-five 13th, recording a bogey there and dropped another shot at 15 to fall to even-par.

"I don't know what it is, but even though I got off to three over through two, I was telling myself that if I got back to even-par for the day, that should win the championship," Woods said. "There were plenty of holes to play, I've done it before, there's no reason I can't do it today. That would have been the winning number. But, I'm also very fortunate to get in a play-off as well."

Like Woods, Westwood also found a bunker - on the opposite side of the fairway - with his drive on the 18th and had to lay up.

He left himself a chance from 20 feet but may have really missed out with a stretch of loose golf earlier on the back nine.

Westwood was two under and in the lead after a birdie at the ninth but he gave a shot right back at the next hole.

He then had consecutive bogeys at numbers 12 and 13 to drop to 1-over but battled back by birdying the 14th, before falling a few feet short when a place in today's play-off was in his grasp.

"It's sickening not to be in the play-off tomorrow," Westwood said.

"While I'm disappointed, I'm pleased with myself and I think that I've proved to myself and a few others that I think there is a major championship in me."


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KENNEGARD'S GOT SOLE

Jesper Kennegard showed the Amateur championship field a clean pair of heels at Turnberry despite playing the closing six holes of his first qualifying round over the Kintyre course with no shoes on.

The 19-year-old from Stockholm played through the agony of severe blisters on his feet and posted a battling six-under 66 as he limped to the head of the standings.

Kennegard was three-under for the day through 12 holes when the pain became too excruciating. The Swedish cap removed his shoes for the remainder of the round but still managed to carve out another birdie and an eagle-three at the 17th to boost his total.

"I've never been in so much pain on a golf course," winced Kennegard.

"My shoes had given me blisters on my heels. I could hardly walk and I felt like crawling in. By the time I got to the 12th my feet were that sore that I had no option but to take my shoes off and play the rest of my round in my socks."

Scottish number one Callum Macaulay, a beaten semi-finalist in last year's championship at Royal Lytham, highlighted his four-under 68 by holing his second shot from 60 yards with a lob wedge for an eagle-two.

He was joined on the four-under mark by English youngster Sam Hutsby, runner-up in the Welsh Open Strokeplay championship last month. Australian Tim Stewart, last season's runner-up, posted a 73 while defending champion Drew Weaver of the US had to settle for a 75.

On the neighbouring Ailsa course, the host venue to next year's Open championship, Essex teenager Dale Whitnell, the winner of the Lagonda Trophy a fortnight ago, emerged with a neatly-crafted three-under 67 which was illuminated by a 30-foot putt for a birdie three at the ninth. English veteran Gary Wolstenholme, the two-times Amateur champion who has just returned from San Diego where he was competing in the US Open, struggled to a 77.


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GARCIA WORKS HARD

Sergio Garcia carded his second consecutive round of 70 on day three of the US Open at Torrey Pines, to stay just in contention for the title.

After an opening 76 on Thursday, Garcia's chances appeared to be slim, but he fought back with a 70 on Friday and had three birdies and a bogey for another round of one under.

Garcia carded two of his three birdies on the back nine, including one at the 18th that gave him hope of making a charge in the final round.

"I felt like I played solidly, not great, nothing as good as yesterday," Garcia said.

"And unfortunately I didn't make a whole lot of birdie putts, but overall it was a decent round. I would love to have been probably two better, get it close to even par or around even par to have a little bit of a better chance."

Despite his disappointment at not going lower, Garcia believes he could still be in the thick of the closing-day drama.

"I guess it depends on what they (the leaders) do, hopefully somebody doesn't run away with it, but I think we'll finish somewhere around two under or so," he said.

"I think I can still manage to do something."

"Every time you shoot under par here you shouldn't be too greedy, I guess. Unfortunately I just had a bad start on Thursday. But I'm slowly coming back."

Garcia started his round Saturday with five pars before giving back a shot at the sixth. He collected another birdie at the seventh, his first of the day, before bogeying the next to make the turn at one over.

He did not drop a shot on the back nine and birdied 13 and 18 to climb a little further up the leaderboard.

"There's some good birdie chances if you drive the ball well," he added. There's good opportunities, but we'll see.

"When you're comfortable with your game, when you have confidence in your game you know you can come back," Garcia said.

"Obviously my putts are better, even though I didn't make a lot of putts, I definitely didn't miss a lot of the short ones you can miss in these conditions, and that's nice.

And I've just got to hopefully keep playing well tomorrow, roll some good putts in and see what happens.

"It's a US Open, it's not easy. That's why it's a Major, but I'm pretty happy and looking forward to hopefully having a good finish."


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