Today will not be the first time they have tussled.

Mediate played with a 23-year-old Woods in the final round of the Phoenix Open in 1999, where he led by six shots and held on to win by three. It was one of his five US PGA Tour victories.

"Battle royale," Mediate said of what awaits. "The thing that is most amazing is the man I'm going to play tomorrow has won 13 of these. It's amazing how much it takes. I gave all I had today and I can't complain."

Woods has never lost a major when he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and he came close to throwing this one away on a series of questionable decisions and poor shots.

In the final group for the sixth time in the last eight majors, this one was packed with curiosity over the state of his knee, and it showed. Fans stood 25 rows deep behind the tee, and those in the top row of the bleachers on the 18th hole turned to watch. Among those in the crowd was his swing coach, Hank Haney, who pleaded as Woods settled over the tee shot, "C'mon, buddy."

Woods double-bogeyed No. 1 for the third time in four rounds and after a three-putt bogey, his fourth of the week, on No. 2, he didn't make another mistake until the 13th.

He tried to reach the 13th green in two from 291 yards when a birdie was not necessary, then pulled it into a hazard and walked off with bogey to slip one shot behind Mediate, who had birdied the 14th ahead of him.

Woods then laid up with an iron on the 14th, where the tees were moved up to make it play only 267 yards, hit a sand wedge 20 feet beyond the hole and made par. And two shots into the right rough on the 15th led to a bogey that put him one shot behind.

Standing over an all-or-nothing putt on the last hole, Woods again delivered.

It was reminiscent of the 2000 US PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he made a six-foot birdie putt that broke both ways to get into a playoff against Bob May, the critical piece on his way to four straight majors.

"It feels very similar to what Valhalla felt like," Woods said. "If I didn't make that putt, I don't get to continue to keep playing. At best, I gave myself a chance to win the tournament tomorrow. And that's all I can ask for."

Westwood, trying to become the first European in 38 years to win the US Open, fell one stroke short. He had a one-shot lead at the turn and fought to stay in the game after consecutive bogeys early on the back nine.

"It's sickening not to be in the playoff tomorrow," he said. "But all in all, I played pretty good all week. And if somebody said, 'You're going to have a chance for a playoff on Monday,' then I would have probably taken that at the start of the week. I think I've proved to myself and a few others that I think there is a major championship in me."

Woods won that three-hole playoff at Valhalla by one shot, and he won the 2005 Masters in a sudden-death playoff with an 8-iron into 15 feet on the first extra hole to beat Chris DiMarco.

This one is a full round on a wounded knee against a 45-year-old with a back so creaky he once contemplated retirement. Now, Mediate feels as though he has nothing to lose.

"I don't know how you make odds on that," Mediate said. "Who knew I would be here playing against him tomorrow?"

Then he noticed Woods standing at the door of the interview room.

"And you better watch yourself tomorrow, pal," Mediate said playfully. "See, he's a little nervous right now."

Woods joined the laughter. Nervous? Probably not. But definitely thrilled to still be playing.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily June 16, 2008)