Warren Pineo
Warren Pineo can brag about June 15, 2007 until the end of time. On that day he beat Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open by two strokes. Okay, it was only the second round and Tiger went on to share second behind Angel Cabrera, but the fact that Pineo outscored Woods 72-74 on that Friday still resonates with him.
While the 72 was his last round at Oakmont, the Palm Desert, Calif., resident said it gave him a huge confidence boost.
“That is something I can talk about for a long time,” said Pineo. “Even though it was just one round, it showed me that I can compete with the biggest names in golf.
“The experience of being at Oakmont was unbelievable,” he continued. “It’s like you’re swarmed with history there. What amazed my entire family is how the USGA treats everyone in a first class way. The sheer magnitude of where I was didn’t lose its shine the whole time I was there.”
Like most youngsters, Pineo played various sports growing up but golf quickly took hold at age 12. “A bunch of friends that played regularly invited me to go with them and I ended up beating them all,” he laughed. “I focused on golf in my sophomore year in high school and then went to College of the Desert in California. I turned pro when I was 20 and have played all over the place ever since.”
