Well, the Tiger looked lame over the first couple of days. Still apparently in pain from a knee operation two months ago, Tiger Woods expressed a mixture of frustration and pain as he mingled modestly among the usual suspects inhabiting the mid-leader board. Starting day three one shot off the pace, to the consternation of US Open Golf betting enthusiasts, the maestro dropped two shots at the first. Another shot was lost on the fourth and, although he picked one up on the seventh, the knee seemed to be more trouble than ever and his driving was all over the place.

In fact, it was a duff drive on the 13th that heralded the onset of one of the most miraculous turnarounds a major golf tournament has seen in a long time. Barely recovering from his drive, with an approach that left him 60 feet from the pin, the Tiger then did what only the Tiger can do and sank the mammoth putt for an eagle, causing joy to spread across his face and a crescendo of worship to emanate from the crowd. More pain and a dropped shot on the fourteenth seemed only to emphasise the miracle that was occurring when, after a couple more pars, he chipped in for another eagle at the eighteenth to take the lead going into the final round.

Lee Westwood, the British hope was only one shot behind Woods overnight but unfortunately missed his putt on the 18th. Woods, meanwhile, birdied the 18th to force a play-off against fellow American Rocco Mediate. While the Tiger is still suffering, you might not want to risk betting against that level of tenacity.