Goodfellas
06-22-2009, 03:30 PM
By Cameron Morfit (http://search.golf.com/golf-writers/Cameron-Morfit.html)
Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — When Lucas Glover won his first Tour event at Disney in 2005 he was the game's hot new thing.
He looked likely to make the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. He was a star. Everybody loved him. And then they didn't.
No more victories followed, and Glover, at 29, found himself written off. He never lost faith, though, and won the 109th U.S. Open with a 3-over-par 73 Monday, finishing 4-under overall.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," Glover said after making a five-foot birdie putt at 16 and coaxing in pars on 17 and 18. "I had the knees knocking pretty good on 16, 17 and 18."
He won by two over a chase pack that included a resurgent David Duval (71), sentimental favorite Phil Mickelson (70) and suddenly wild 54-hole leader Ricky Barnes (76). "I put myself in a great position to close it out," Mickelson said, but as with so many other U.S. Opens, he couldn't get it done.
After making a rousing eagle on the par-5 13th hole he was at 4-under for the tournament, headed for an emotional triumph. Wife Amy is about to begin treatment for breast cancer, and Phil has made no secret about his desire for a U.S. Open trophy.
But a victory in the year's second major will have to wait at least another year after he three-putted from the back fringe on the 15th hole, and failed to get up-and-down and bogeyed 17, as well.
Monday marked his fifth runner-up finish in the U.S. Open against no wins.
Duval, too, looked like he was on course to win, making a thrilling run of three straight back-nine birdies to bounce back from a front-nine triple-bogey and get to 3-under overall. He, too, bogeyed 17, from almost the exact same spot as Mickelson.
"I'm happy with how I played, but extremely disappointed," said Duval, whose runner-up finish was his first top-10 anywhere since 2002. "I came here with no doubt in my mind I would win."
Glover overcame his doubts in part by going to a new putter last fall, addressing the weakest part of his game. He preached the value of patience this week, and practiced it when all looked lost during shaky front nines in both the third and fourth rounds.
He shot even par on the back nine Monday, one day after he'd bounced back with a 3-under 32 on the back.
"I held it together," he said. "That patience thing I've been preaching all week paid off again."
Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 69 and finished T6 with Hunter Mahan (72) and Soren Hansen (69), four shots back
Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — When Lucas Glover won his first Tour event at Disney in 2005 he was the game's hot new thing.
He looked likely to make the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. He was a star. Everybody loved him. And then they didn't.
No more victories followed, and Glover, at 29, found himself written off. He never lost faith, though, and won the 109th U.S. Open with a 3-over-par 73 Monday, finishing 4-under overall.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," Glover said after making a five-foot birdie putt at 16 and coaxing in pars on 17 and 18. "I had the knees knocking pretty good on 16, 17 and 18."
He won by two over a chase pack that included a resurgent David Duval (71), sentimental favorite Phil Mickelson (70) and suddenly wild 54-hole leader Ricky Barnes (76). "I put myself in a great position to close it out," Mickelson said, but as with so many other U.S. Opens, he couldn't get it done.
After making a rousing eagle on the par-5 13th hole he was at 4-under for the tournament, headed for an emotional triumph. Wife Amy is about to begin treatment for breast cancer, and Phil has made no secret about his desire for a U.S. Open trophy.
But a victory in the year's second major will have to wait at least another year after he three-putted from the back fringe on the 15th hole, and failed to get up-and-down and bogeyed 17, as well.
Monday marked his fifth runner-up finish in the U.S. Open against no wins.
Duval, too, looked like he was on course to win, making a thrilling run of three straight back-nine birdies to bounce back from a front-nine triple-bogey and get to 3-under overall. He, too, bogeyed 17, from almost the exact same spot as Mickelson.
"I'm happy with how I played, but extremely disappointed," said Duval, whose runner-up finish was his first top-10 anywhere since 2002. "I came here with no doubt in my mind I would win."
Glover overcame his doubts in part by going to a new putter last fall, addressing the weakest part of his game. He preached the value of patience this week, and practiced it when all looked lost during shaky front nines in both the third and fourth rounds.
He shot even par on the back nine Monday, one day after he'd bounced back with a 3-under 32 on the back.
"I held it together," he said. "That patience thing I've been preaching all week paid off again."
Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 69 and finished T6 with Hunter Mahan (72) and Soren Hansen (69), four shots back