Glover Wins U.S. Open

Lucas Glover rallied with a birdie on No. 16 Monday to win the U.S. Open, withstanding late charges by Phil Mickelson and David Duval. Mickelson saw his chances disappear after he missed two short putts (where have we seen that before?) on the back nine. Duval, who was once the number one player in the world and is now ranked No. 882, lipped out a short par putt on the par three 17th hole.

Here are a few observations about the championship:

The USGA created a wave a criticism when it bungled questions about giving rain checks to fans who had tickets for the Thursday round, most of which was washed out. While their explanation was sound for a no rain check policy, they waited too long to explain it and then had to go into scramble mode to let fans know they could use those tickets for Monday.

The USGA made a mistake by starting the fourth round Sunday evening. The leaders only played one hole. Why not end the day for everyone and come back first thing in the morning for a full 18 holes? They certainly started early enough that they still could have had an 18-hole playoff and finish by dark if necessary.

Tiger Woods will be kicking himself over his play at Bethpage. Coming off a sterling performance at The Memorial, Woods never was able to drive the ball consistently and he didn’t make enough crucial putts.

Mickelson, who now has five second place finishes in the U.S. Open, played some heroic golf, especially with the weight of his wife Amy’s upcoming treatment for breast cancer on his mind. But as I’ve been saying for years, he misses more critical putts in the 4-foot to 8-foot range than any other great player.

One reason I love the U.S. Open is that you can always count on some obscure players showing up on the leader board. This year it was Ricky Barnes (done in by a final round 76) and Ross Fisher.

Hitting range balls while wondering whatever happened to David Gossett.