'I Heard the Crack in His Knee': Steve Williams’ Tiger Woods Story Still Sounds Insane

Woods entered the tournament dealing with injuries, having had his third knee surgery a couple of days after his 2008 Masters victory. He came into the U.S. Open with his tibia strained by two stress fractures and a left knee plagued by a torn ACL.

His longtime caddie, Williams, elaborated on the events leading up to the knee injury, which later had to be reconstucted. 

“[He] gets his tee shot on to the cart path, and he’s got cleats on, spikes.”

Woods’ shot was one he took off the cart path, with his ball in the earthy round. The force of his swing, combined with the weakness in his foot, caused him to slip forward, twisting his knee. 

“I just saw the look in his eyes, it was like he’d just been shot.” 

Woods did not stop, though. He went on to complete the full 18, finishing on even par. He eventually defeated Mediate in a sudden-death hole after the regulation 18. His story before the tournament is a testament to his willpower. 

What Happened to Tiger Woods Before the 2008 U.S. Open?

Woods was supposed to rest his knee after the legendary 2008 win at Augusta, but the champion was too hungry for the greens. While he did not tell anyone about how badly his knee was injured, he skipped playing any tournaments between his Masters performance and the U.S. Open. 

Post the Masters, Woods endured arthroscopic knee surgery aimed to clear cartilage, which meant his rest period should have been longer than the two months he took. He went on to speak about this with ESPN’s Bob Harig later.

“I thought that maybe I could play the U.S. Open and then rest it and then play the British and then play the PGA and just skip all the other tournaments in between and just play the major championships.” 

Woods spent the Sunday before the U.S. Open practicing his game in California at the Big Canyon Country Club. This mighty effort saw him wearing a knee brace throughout. The 82-time PGA Tour winner came away with a score of 53, while losing 8 balls to the course. 

But the tournament saw the old Woods once again. He even told his caddie that he would win the tournament regardless of the incredible pain he was in. 

Pushing through on pure willpower, Woods went on to win the 2008 U.S. Open, marking his third and last win at the tournament.