posted June 22, 2009 at 18:00 EST in Golf Articles
U.S. Open Recap - Phil falls short, Duval re-born
by Charles Jay
Did Phil Mickelson blow it again?
Mickelson, who has captured two of pro golf's four majors, had the U.S. Open Championship in his sights after an eagle on the 13th hole of the final round, but then let things get away from him, as he finished tied for the runner-up spot behind surprise winner Lucas Glover.
It was the fifth time Mickelson has finished second in the U.S. Open, an event he has never won.
This disappointment was compounded by the fact that Mickelson was trying to win the Open for his wife Amy, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. He was clearly the darling of the crowd at Bethpage, as New Yorkers have always been drawn to his style and his story. That crowd was beside itself when Mickelson shot a four-iron from 220 to come within four feet of the cup. After sinking the putt, he looked very much like a man ready to take control from Glover, who had actually gone through the local and regional qualifying process to get into the tournament. There have been only six qualifiers in the last 50 years to win the Open, and the South Carolinian was trying to get there.
Mickelson bogeyed 15 and 17 after his eagle, but Glover also went out and got it by staying steady over the last few holes. The Clemson grad, who had only one previous win on the PGA Tour (the 2005 FUNAI Classic in Orlando) birdied the 16th hole and posted pars on the last two. The guy who really folded was Ricky Barnes. The former U.S. Amateur winner had set a U.S. Open record with his 36-hole score of 132, and was one stroke off the 72-hole record, but at both junctures, Glover was just a stroke behind him, which gives you an indication of what kind of golf he was playing. Glover had fallen behind by six strokes at one point in Sunday's third round (rain delays had caused the tournament to be pushed back) but some sloppy play by Barnes turned a 33 on the front nine to a round of 70, which Glover matched.
In Monday's final round Barnes made seven bogeys and shot a 76, which put him two shots back and in a tie with Mickelson, along with another familiar face on tour. David Duval came into the U.S. Open as the 882nd-ranked player in the world and had fallen off everybody's radar screen. He had to go through sectional qualifying, just like Glover, but this major was also within his grasp, as he was tied for the lead after making consecutive birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes in the final round.
At the end, there were eight players who finished within four shots of the lead. One of them was Tiger Woods, the favorite in this tournament, who was the only player in the field with three straight rounds in the 60's. Woods had a shot after birdies on 13 and 14, but then he bogeyed 15 and couldn't birdie on the final three holes. Woods had shot a 74 in the first round, which put him ten shots off the lead, and that was too much ground for him to make up.
Fred Funk, the oldest player in the field at 53, who went through qualifying to get in, was hanging in at even par after the first round, but lost nine shots to par over the next two rounds and shot an 82 to finish last among those who made the cut.
Meanwhile, don't look for Mickelson at the next major. Lefty, who has never won the British Open, has indicated that he probably won't be there this time around, preferring instead to stay behind while his wife undergoes medical treatment.
The intriguing story that we can take forward to Turnberry, has to be Duval, because he won the British back in 2001. His rating doesn't matter, because Duval, as a former champion under 60 years of age, will get an automatic invitation to the British Open (or the "Open Championship," as they say in the UK) and even though Duval did not play the last time the tourney was at Turnberry, he has to be considered a threat. He was actually a threat last year, right in the thick of things at the turn after shooting 73 and 69, but his third-round 83 took him right out of it.
Duval has also had a George Foreman-like transformation from a personal perspective. Known as someone who was rather surly and distant with fans and the press when he was at or near his peak, he is now much more open and friendly, and as is usually the custom, the New York fans embraced him for it.
Now that he has been able to put four rounds of competitive golf together in a major, Duval looks like a player reborn.
