OPINION

By Doug Ferguson

updated 9:59 p.m. ET June 5, 2008

Spectators filled all 452 yards of grass outside the ropes from the tee box to the green, in some cases standing 15 yards deep to watch Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson go toe-to-toe at Torrey Pines.

This was five years ago in the final round of the Buick Invitational.

Brad Faxon, the other member of the threesome who was known that day as “Switzerland” for his neutral role in this affair, stepped behind the fourth green and whispered to reporters, “Is it always like this when Tiger plays, or is it both of them?”

Imagine what it will be like at the U.S. Open.

Woods, Mickelson and Adam Scott — Nos. 1-2-3 in the world ranking — will be in the same group the first two rounds of the U.S. Open next week at Torrey Pines. That’s a dream group for television, and for fans in the front row and in grandstands.

But it could be a circus for the guys trying to win the second major of the year.

The only time Woods and Mickelson played together early in a major was the PGA Championship two years at Medinah. That was tradition, because the PGA always puts together the three major champions of the year. Mickelson won the Masters, Woods the British Open and they were joined by U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.

This seems more contrived.

At least everyone knows now — not like there was ever much doubt — that the USGA manipulates tee times the first two rounds.

For years, the U.S. Open was famous for grouping the best three players to have never won a major.

This time, the USGA didn’t stop with the current Big Three.

It also grouped Nos. 4-5-6 (Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Justin Rose), Nos. 7-8-9 (Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and K.J. Choi) and Nos. 10-11-12 (Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Stewart Cink).

Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of rules and competition, has been thinking about tee times since last summer. He could not recall the last time Woods and Mickelson were ever in the same group the first two days of a U.S. Open, much less on the same side of the draw.

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“They always put Tiger in the opposite wave as Phil because television wanted it that way,” Davis said. “As you know, our traditional pairing is the U.S. Open champion, British Open champion and U.S. Amateur champion. Sometimes that worked out if one of those two guys wins one. Of course, Phil has never won an Open.”

Of course.

Davis, though, decided to take it one step further, and he found approval with every step up the USGA ladder.

“This year we got to thinking, ’Isn’t it kind of crummy that we’ve never had the two guys ranked 1 and 2 in the world in the same wave?” Davis said Wednesday night from San Diego. “Weather can affect outcomes in the U.S. Open.”

Some believe Woods got the good end of the draw at Pebble Beach in 2000, although it’s hard to say luck played a role in his 15-shot victory. His bid for a calendar Grand Slam was derailed in 2002 at Muirfield when he was caught in 40 mph wind at the British Open and shot an 81, his worst score as a pro.

And remember Bethpage Black in 2002, when Garcia was stuck in the rain Friday afternoon and complained that officials would have stopped the tournament had Woods been out there?

“Why not put them in the same wave?” Davis reasoned. “The heck with what TV wants. Let’s do what we want for the championship.”

That’s a little disingenuous.

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