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OAKMONT, Pa. -- Jack Nicklaus figures at least one of his major championship records is safe.
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Tiger Woods left Oakmont having squandered another chance to win a major while playing in the last group, unable to make but one birdie in the final round of the U.S. Open despite having a short iron for his approach to the green on a half-dozen occasions.
The next opportunity -- maybe -- will be at Carnoustie for the British Open, where he is the two-time defending champion. And if he does show up, it will be his first major as a father. His wife is due sometime between now and then.
Nicklaus had his first child when he was an amateur, so he won all 18 majors with children.
"I think that (record) is probably in pretty good shape," Nicklaus said earlier this year.
The magic number has always been 18 for Woods, who effectively launched his assault on the Nicklaus benchmark when he won four straight majors ending with the 2001 Masters, giving him six at age 25, and he hasn't hit too many dry spells since then.
This is not one of them.
Sunday at Oakmont was his fourth straight major in the final group, an incredible statistic that gets forgotten because the U.S. Open was his second straight major as a runner-up.
Almost as impressive as the 18 majors for Nicklaus are the 19 times he finished second.
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| Tiger Woods is still way behind Jack Nicklaus' 19 runner-up finishes. (Getty Images) |
It seems preposterous now, because Woods has 12 trophies and only four consolation prizes. What the last year has shown, however, is that winning starts with putting yourself in position, and no one has done that better, not even close.
"My last four majors," Woods said, ticking off his record, "1, 1, 2, 2. Not terrible, but it could have been a little better."
In an age of instant gratification, it can be difficult to see the big picture.
