FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Tiger Woods battled a number of obstacles yesterday on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in the final round of the 102nd U.S. Open. A shaky start in which Woods bogeyed the first two holes. A charge by Phil Mickelson that shaved two shots off Woods' four-stroke lead coming into the day.

The most formidable roadblock that remained between Woods and his second straight major championship this year turned out to be something even bigger than the world's best player himself. In the end, the only question that remained was whether Woods would run out of daylight.

In the end, Mother Nature couldn't stop Woods from finishing what had seemed inevitable since the opening round.

After a late-afternoon thunderstorm soaked the course and stopped play for 49 minutes, Woods answered the last of Mickelson's birdies with one of his own. It gave Woods a three-stroke cushion with five holes to play, and Woods eventually won by that margin with a score of 3-under-par 277.

It gave Woods, who grew up playing on public courses in Southern California, a victory at what had been called "The People's Open" because this was the first Open played on a truly public facility. It was the eighth major championship for Woods - he has won seven of the past 11 major tournaments - and 32nd title overall since joining the PGA Tour in 1996.

Woods, 26, also became the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year.

Having previously become the first player to win golf's four Grand Slam events in succession over two different years - he won the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000 and the Masters in 2001, Woods will try to accomplish that feat in the same year by also winning next month's British Open and the PGA Championship in August.

"To win the first two [majors] is awfully hard," said Woods, who was the only player to break par over 72 holes. "I won the last three before, and that wasn't easy. To win the first two is very special. It's even more special to do it at a public course, in front of these fans, with what they've been through in New York the past year."

Playing before a raucous New York crowd of around 42,000 that split its loyalties among Woods, Mickelson and Sergio Garcia of Spain, Woods was caught off-guard by the speed of the greens. Uncharacteristically, he three-putted the first two holes and missed short putts to bogey each.

But an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-4 seventh hole seemed to settle Woods, who hardly wavered despite seeing some of his lead slip away. After Mickelson made birdies on the par-4 11th and the par-5 13th to cut his deficit to two, Woods quickly answered by narrowly missing a 20-foot eagle putt a few minutes later on 13 before tapping in for a birdie.

If there was any chance left for Mickelson to make a late charge, it ended when he made bogeys on two of his last three holes. Mickelson finished second in a major championship for the third time to go along with a bunch of other top-five finishes, including a pair of thirds at the Masters.

Asked if there was any consolation in losing to Woods, Mickelson said, "It doesn't matter who it is. It still is one spot ahead of me. He's a wonderful player. I know I have a lot of work to do to break through and win when he's in the field."

It spoiled what could have been a memorable Father's Day for Mickelson, the father of two young girls who was serenaded by the fans behind the first tee hours earlier with a chorus of "Happy Birthday." Mickelson turned 32 yesterday, and the opportunity to win the first major of his star-crossed career had again slipped away.

For Garcia, the 22-year-old Spaniard who had come into the round as Woods' closest pursuer, it was another example of not being quite ready to handle the pressure. After his performance at last year's Open, when he shot 77, Garcia shot a 4-over 74 while playing with Woods to finish fourth.

"I never had the privilege of seeing Jack Nicklaus play," Garcia said. "But I'll tell you one thing, I don't think he could get much better than this. [Woods] is able to do whatever it takes."

Those who came to watch Woods in his pursuit of history - he is now only 10 major championships behind what once seemed to be Nicklaus' unbreakable record - were not disappointed. Though Woods does not engage the gallery like Arnold Palmer once did, they stand in awe of the way he has similarly transformed golf.

"To me, it's exciting to watch anyone dominate a sport, just like the Yankees did," said Bruce Epstein, a branch manager for the Ford Motor Credit Company. "It's fun to watch somebody at the top and who is so far above the competition that nobody is going to beat them."

WOODS HALFWAY TO GRAND SLAM

1

The Masters

April 11-14

CHAMPION

2

U.S. Open

June 13-16

CHAMPION

3

British Open

July 18-21

4

PGA

August 15-18