TheState.com: Golf

Woods sidelined by strained left elbow

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:15 EDT

Tiger Woods will be unable to defend his championship at next week's AT&T National due to a strain of his left elbow.

The world's No. 1 golfer made the announcement Wednesday on his personal website, revealing he has been advised to rest until the British Open.

"I was examined after I returned home from the U.S. Open, and the doctors determined I have a left elbow strain," Woods said in a statement. "I have been advised to take a few weeks off, rest and undergo treatment. I'll be ready to go for the British Open, and I'm looking forward to playing at Muirfield.

"I would like to extend my regrets to AT&T, our sponsors and the fans in the Washington, D.C., area. The AT&T National means a lot to me and my foundation. It's especially difficult not defending at my own tournament. It's going to be a great event, and I look forward to being there to provide my support."

Woods said he had been bothered by some minor discomfort before the U.S. Open Championship. However, he aggravated the injury last week at Merion, where finished in a tie for 32nd at 13-over for his highest score in a major championship as a professional.

Woods to rest elbow, skip AT&T National

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:51 EDT

In little more than a month, Tiger Woods went from being tough to beat to having a tough time even playing.

Woods said Wednesday that soreness in his left elbow would keep him from defending his title next week in the AT&T National at Congressional, and that he would not compete again until the British Open next month at Muirfield.

This is the sixth straight year that injury has kept him from either playing a tournament or finishing one.

The culprit this time is a strain in his left elbow. The problem first became apparent during the opening round of the U.S. Open last week at Merion, when he was flexing his left wrist or dangling his arm behind his back after shots out of the thick, punishing rough.

"I was examined after I returned home from the U.S. Open, and the doctors determined I have a left elbow strain," Woods said on his website. "I have been advised to take a few weeks off, rest and undergo treatment. I'll be ready to go for the British Open, and I'm looking forward to playing at Muirfield."

Rose running on adrenaline after US Open victory

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:50 EDT

Justin Rose took care of winning his first major championship last week.

This week is more about enjoying himself and playing with the confidence of a U.S. Open champion, Rose said Wednesday.

Rose, who is now ranked third in the world, leads a field of 156 players at the Travelers Championship, on the par-70 TPC River Highlands course that invites golfers to try for birdies. Last year's winner, Marc Leishman, shot a 14-under par, 266.

"It's a perfect week for the week after a major," said Rose, who won last week with a score of 1-over 281. "It's got challenges out there, but the challenge is, can you go low?"

Rose said he planned in advance to play a three-week stretch starting at Merion, and loves the TPC River Highlands course, where he has three top-10 finishes in seven starts. But he acknowledged being a bit tired and said he might have to rely on the adrenaline of his U.S. Open victory to help him through this week. He arrived Tuesday night after a flurry of media appearances in New York.

Woods, McIlroy to play in Dubai in 2014

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:07 EDT

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will play in the Dubai Desert Classic in 2014 when the tournament marks its 25th year.

Both skipped the tournament last year to play the Abu Dhabi Championship. Woods has twice won the Dubai event, and McIlroy notched his first professional victory there at age 19.

Woods says he has "really good memories" of playing in the $2.5 million tournament, which will run from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.

McIlroy adds he's looking forward to returning to the event, adding that it "will be fun to be part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the tournament."

DWYRE: Why do so many love to hate Phil Mickelson?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:42 EDT

THE ONLY THING more baffling than Phil Mickelson’s inability to finish the deal in a U.S. Open is the delight so many people seem to take in that.

From my vantage point, he appears to be the most unpopular popular person in sports. I don’t get it. Never have.

This week at the Merion Golf Club, where he finished second for an unimaginable sixth time in a U.S. Open, he was prominent for lots of obvious reasons. First, he was at or near the lead the entire tournament. Second, he did the unusual, flying to San Diego the day before the tournament for his daughter’s eighth-grade graduation and flying back just in time for his Thursday 7 a.m. tee time.

That was a story. Mickelson didn’t shove it at the media. We decided. We made it a big deal. Because it was fairly unusual — and because he shot 67 and led the tournament the first day — we were right. Mickelson, accessible and candid, is not going to lie when asked about his whereabouts leading into the Open. His life is a fishbowl. You either embrace it or endure it. He embraces it.

Once the story was written and broadcast in various forms, the reaction — as it always seems to be with anything about Mickelson — was volatile. Emailers and message boards, sadly today’s prevailing gauge of such things, filled up both with praise for his family values and disgust at the praise he was getting. Common themes were: Big deal. He’s a rich guy with access to a private plane; he’s a goody-two-shoes fraud; he smiles too much.

Justin Rose finds a coach and a friend

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:59 EDT

Next week marks four years that Justin Rose first began working on his swing with Sean Foley. But in the moments after winning the U.S. Open for his first major championship, Rose referred to him as more than just a swing coach.

He gave credit to Foley for improvements each year, particularly being able to hit the ball a little longer and a little straighter. Rose also mentioned a text that Foley sent him Sunday morning before he closed with an even-par 70 for his two-shot win.

"He said something along the lines of just go out there and be the man that your dad taught you to be and be the man that your kids can look up to," Rose said Sunday. "Really, that was my goal. Today was about winning the U.S. Open, but it was also about honoring great men that have come before us. A lot of us have that sort of situation with their fathers."

Rose lost his father, Ken, to leukemia in 2002 when Rose was 21 and is just starting to recover from a rocky start to his pro career. Rose describes their time together as quality over quantity.

As for Foley?

Mickelson has silver market cornered in US Open

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:09 EDT

The U.S. Golf Association is not opposed to inflicting cruel and unusual punishment at its premier championship, so here's something it might want to consider.

Award the "Phil Mickelson Medal" to the runner-up in the U.S. Open.

There is precedent. The U.S. Open champion has received a gold medal ever since this brute of a tournament began in 1895, and yet the USGA tinkered with 117 years of tradition by last year changing the name to the "Jack Nicklaus Medal."

An argument can be made that Nicklaus, a four-time champion, isn't even the face of the U.S. Open. Bobby Jones won it four times in eight years. The remarkable career and comeback of Ben Hogan was defined by the U.S. Open. He won his four titles in six years, including the year he couldn't defend because he was recovering from near-fatal injuries after a head-on collision with a bus.

But there is no disputing who has cornered the market in silver.

Nobody asked me, but ...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:54 EDT

Tennis, anyone?

Because we sure don't know much about what's going to happen with golf.

Shortly after the U.S. Open ended on Sunday, after Englishman Justin Rose jumped from a tie for fifth after three rounds to win the whole thing over Phil Mickelson and Jason Day, United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis was asked about the Merion East golf course in suburban Philadelphia.

Specifically, Davis was asked if perhaps Merion would be a candidate for the 2021 U.S. Open (the USGA already has picked U.S. Open courses through 2020).

While David gushed about the course and how it had stood up to today's player, another question came to mind.

Golf Tidbits: Rose proves that he is Philly tough

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:29 EDT

In a four-year span, Justin Rose has conquered two of the hardest courses in the Philadelphia area. If Pine Valley, the top-ranked course in the country, were to host a PGA Tour event in the coming years, my money would be on Rose.

The AT&T National was contested at Aronimink Golf Club in 2010 and '11, and in his eight rounds there, Rose broke par in five of them. He won the 2010 playing of that tournament and endeared himself to the locals.

Fast forward to 2013 and Rose returned to the Philadelphia suburbs to take on the East Course at Merion Golf Club. The club was hosting the U.S. Open, which generally is played under firm and fast conditions with thick rough.

The latter was in play, but Merion was far from firm and fast after more than five inches of rain fell on the course in the 10 days leading up and including the first day of the championship.

As television coverage kicked off for the championship, there was a montage about Philly toughness. Bobby Clarke, Allen Iverson, Chuck Bednarik and Chase Utley were among those named.

Bill Dwyre: Why do so many love to hate Phil Mickelson?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:09 EDT

The only thing more baffling than Phil Mickelson's inability to finish the deal in a U.S. Open is the delight so many people seem to take in that.

From my vantage point, he appears to be the most unpopular popular person in sports. I don't get it. Never have.

This week at the Merion Golf Club, where he finished second for an unimaginable sixth time in a U.S. Open, he was prominent for lots of obvious reasons. First, he was at or near the lead the entire tournament. Second, he did the unusual, flying to San Diego the day before the tournament for his daughter's eighth-grade graduation and flying back just in time for his Thursday 7 a.m. tee time.

That was a story. Mickelson didn't shove it at the media. We decided. We made it a big deal. Because it was fairly unusual - and because he shot 67 and led the tournament the first day-we were right. Mickelson, accessible and candid, is not going to lie when asked about his whereabouts leading into the Open. His life is a fishbowl. You either embrace it or endure it. He embraces it.

Once the story was written and broadcast in various forms, the reaction - as it always seems to be with anything about Mickelson - was volatile. Emailers and message boards, sadly today's prevailing gauge of such things, filled up both with praise for his family values and disgust at the praise he was getting. Common themes were: Big deal. He's a rich guy with access to a private plane; he's a goody-two-shoes fraud; he smiles too much.

Men and women will play back-to-back U.S. Opens at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:31 EDT

The USGA threw an intriguing question at the golf world in the U.S. Open at Merion: could a classic course from once-upon-a-time withstand the onslaught of the sluggers who dominate the men’s game today?

Now that the answer has been decided, golf will have even more daunting challenges looming on the horizon. To wit: what in the name of Bobby Jones are the USGA bigwigs thinking by staging the men’s and women’s Opens on back-to-back weeks on the same course, and who came up with this crazy idea anyway?

Actually, these answers are no deep, dark secret. David Fay, former executive director of the organization that oversees the game’s rules in this country, proposed the back-to-back concept with the idea of discovering how the best in the men’s game and the best in the women’s game would fare on the same course in virtually the same conditions.

Mike Davis, who succeeded Fay at the organization’s helm, remembers his first response to the idea: “Have you completely lost it?”

Besides, he wondered, where could this flight of fancy come to fruition?

Digest: Major win still eludes Jason Day

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:19 EDT

Jason Day has done about everything he can do at a major tournament except win one.

After leading this year’s Masters on Saturday, Day tied for second with Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club on Sunday, finishing at 3-over part and two strokes behind Justin Rose.

Second is something Day, 25, is used to at majors. That’s the spot he finished at the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2011.

So it’s going to happen soon, right?

“I’ve got to keep putting myself in position to win,” said Day, who bogeyed No. 18 Sunday to kill his chances. “I feel that my game is in a really good spot right now. I’m doing the right things. I’m doing the little things that count. I’ve been close so many times now in majors, especially at a young age, which is nice.”

Woods thinks Merion should get another U.S. Open

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:10 EDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - Even though he recorded his highest score at a major since turning professional, Tiger Woods said he would like to see the U.S. Open return to Merion. He's not sure if the USGA feels the same.

"Certainly as a golf course, it could definitely host another major championship," Woods said after a final-round 74 that left him 13 over for the week. "But I don't know if the USGA wants to; they make a lot of money on other venues."

Because of limited space for spectators and corporate hospitality suites, this U.S. Open likely will produce a revenue loss, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis has said. Davis, however, insisted the loss was a fair price for returning to a course he has called "magical."

Woods agreed on the course's characteristics, calling it more intimate than previous U.S. Opens. But he found the setup fickle, saying the USGA attempted to "protect par" by locating the holes in difficult places.

Woods had a rough week on those greens, averaging 32 putts per round. He struggled with speeds, citing the greens' composition and graininess.

Solheim Cup to donate to firefighters

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:31 EDT

Never afraid to let a tear or two drop, U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon did, indeed, get choked up when asked about the fundraising effort the tournament is organizing for firefighters battling blazes close to the golf course.

She wasn't nearly as warm and fuzzy while discussing how she'll choose the last two members of her team.

With the Solheim Cup only two months away, Mallon said she sent an email to the top 30 players in contention for the 12 spots on the team that will compete against Europe at Colorado Golf Club from Aug. 16-18. Ten of those spots will be earned based on rankings; Mallon will make the last two picks.

"I played on eight teams and I was never a pick, I made it on my own points," Mallon said. "So, I told the players, 'I have no sympathy for you if you don't make the team.' I said, 'Don't expect to make the team if you don't make it on points.'"

That said, Mallon will still have to pick two players after the British Open, which ends Aug. 4.

Bob Ford: Merion's toughness was a victory for Philly

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:26 EDT

Somewhere in the late afternoon of the U.S. Open's third round on Saturday, as Tiger Woods stalked after yet another errant tee shot, a proud local pierced through the perfunctory smatter of misplaced applause and yelled, "Merion's got teeth, Tiger."

This was not news to Woods, nor to any of the 156 golfers who tested it during the Open, none of whom would manage par for the course, which certainly isn't for them.

The United States Golf Association took what Merion had already done in toughening the layout, and used deep cuts of rough and persnickety pin placements to keep the golfers humble, and all of them left saying very respectful things about the course. What they said in private about the humorless bent of the USGA is another matter.

In any case, the PGA Tour toddles merrily up to the Travelers Championship in Connecticut this week, where 66 golfers finished under par last year, and Marc Leishman needed a 62 on the final day to win the thing by a stroke at 14 under.

Those are two very different games of golf. Each has its place, one supposes. At Merion, there were a total of 456 rounds played and only 23 of those bested par before Justin Rose won the trophy at 1 over. Rose made his share of mistakes - 16 bogeys to go with 15 birdies - but he didn't make any huge ones and he hit enough fairways that even playing 2 over for the final five holes of the tournament didn't cost him.

Few changes in women's world rankings

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:26 EDT

With the LPGA and Ladies European Tours off last weekend, there was little movement in the latest women's world rankings.

Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Suzann Pettersen and Na Yeon Choi remained the top four players in the world. So Yeon Ryu and Yani Tseng exchanged places with Ryu inching up one to fifth. Shanshan Feng stayed put in seventh.

Karrie Webb inched up one to eighth and that bumped Jiyai Shin down one to ninth. Shin was trailed by Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Catriona Matthew, Paula Creamer, I.K. Kim, Mika Miyazato, Ariya Jutanugarn and Amy Yang, who remained 10th through 17th.

Lizette Salas inched up one to 18th and that knocked amateur Lydia Ko down to No. 19. Angela Stanford stayed put in 20th.

Mike Kern: Merion shows it is an above-par site for a major

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:36 EDT

Former USGA executive director David Fay, one of the people primarily responsible for bringing the U.S. Open back to Merion's East Course after a 32-year absence, probably put it best a few months back, when asked whether this would necessarily be the last national championship held in Ardmore. Pa.

"Assuming the club wants it, and we always have to ask them because it might be too much of a hardship to go through, but if it plays out the way those of us who are fans of the club and the course think, hopefully there could be another one," he insisted. "But that goes back to, if you didn't have that attitude, then you shouldn't be there in the first place. That doesn't make sense."

Everyone knew there were going to be many more logistical issues than usual. So sacrifices had to be made, in large part because you're dealing with a place that's built on a little more than 100 acres.

In today's world, that simply isn't supposed to compute. But it did, because the USGA was willing to put only 25,000 fans out there instead of the 45,000 or so who will be showing up next year at Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2. There was a lot less room for corporate hospitality, which accounts for a lot of the bottom line, as well. And of the many championships the USGA conducts, this is the only one that makes money. So it has to support a lot of other expenses. The USGA knew this year the Open was basically going to be a break-even proposition.

Yet it was still willing to assume that burden for one reason: It was Merion, which has hosted more USGA events than any other club. And that history includes Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino. At some point, the USGA wasn't willing to turn its back on that any longer. There's something to be said for that, despite the obstacles.

Rose win at Merion gives England the missing piece

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:40 EDT

The most recent golden era of golf in England had everything but the one prize that brings credibility.

A major championship.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald reached No. 1 in the world. Ian Poulter turned into a rock star in the Ryder Cup. There was a strong supporting cast that included Paul Casey. Always lurking, and finally delivering, was Justin Rose.

The only player at Merion who never had worse than a 71 over four demanding days, Rose passed his biggest test Sunday when he split the middle of the 18th fairway with his tee shot and hit a 4-iron that set him up for a par on the toughest hole to win the U.S. Open.

The question no longer is why the English can't win a major. It's who might be next.

This Week in Golf -- June 20-23

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:06 EDT

Leishman, who earned his first title on the PGA Tour, finished the tournament at 14-under-par 266. The Australian had twice finished as the runner-up, and tied for third at the Byron Nelson Championship that May.

U.S. Open winner Justin Rose is in the field this week after securing his first major championship title at Merion Golf Club.

Golf Channel will have coverage for the opening two rounds before handing over to CBS for the weekend.

The PGA Tour heads to Maryland next week, where Tiger Woods picked up career win No. 74 last year at the AT&T National.

EUROPEAN TOUR

Column: Merion, the little course that could, did.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:04 EDT

Merion Golf Club did more than just hold its own.

Called too short, too cramped and too much of a pushover when the U.S. Open teed off, it nearly stole the show by the end.

It crowned a worthy champion in Justin Rose, slid a banana peel beneath Phil Mickelson and sent Tiger Woods packing with his tail tucked between his legs.

It forced every player in the field to pull every club in the bag at one time or another, and left nearly all of them second-guessing throughout. There were more bogeys and bent clubs, hosel rockets and self-inflicted head slaps in the first two hours of the final round than you see some seasons in all four majors combined.

Between the limited space for the galleries and corporate tents, the payoffs to neighbors and Merion members for commandeering their lawns and clubhouse, the U.S. Golf Association may leave with a smaller haul than usual. But if it came here in search of grand theater, the USGA got a steal.

Travelers says Rose plans to play in Connecticut

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:16 EDT

U.S. Open champion Justin Rose has no plans to take any time off after winning his first major championship.

Nathan Grube, the tournament director at the Travelers Championship, said Rose's wife, Kate, called shortly after he won his first major title, to confirm they would be in Connecticut for this week's tournament.

"She called last night at about 9:30 and I looked down at the phone and said, 'This is either going to be a really good call or a really bad call,'" Grube said Monday. "It was fine. She said, 'We're coming, we're just trying to rearrange our schedule a little bit because of all the media (commitments).'"

Rose, who rose from fifth to third in the current world rankings with his win at Merion, is in a field that includes just five other top-20 players: Lee Westwood (12), Keegan Bradley (14), Jason Dufner (17), Ian Poulter (18), and Bubba Watson (19).

Web Simpson (21) also is playing a year after he, too, won the U.S. Open and kept his commitment to play in Cromwell.

Teddy Greenstein: Donald just one of the casualties at Merion

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:10 EDT

Here's what Luke Donald has:

A beautiful family, his own wine label, the painting skill to produce auction-worthy abstracts, multimillion-dollar homes in Florida and Illinois, good looks, a refined English accent, a Polo-filled wardrobe, a Northwestern degree, a close friendship with Michael Jordan, an endless supply of perfectly marbled Miyazaki steaks, a caddie (John McLaren) who can apply the grill marks, stability in the form of the same coach (Pat Goss) since 1997 and the pull to get a FedEx Cup event at his home course, Conway Farms.

Here's what he doesn't have: a U.S. Open trophy.

They don't just hand these things out. For a while Sunday, it looked like the trophy would be awarded to ... no one.

Just send it down Cobbs Creek with Billy Horschel's octopus pants and the USGA officials who decided to risk the wrath of Mother Nature with late tee times.

Bill Dwyre: Merion stage delivers drama at every turn

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:05 EDT

It is hard to know whether this year's U.S. Open golf tournament will be remembered for Justin Rose's victory or Phil Mickelson's defeat.

Rose is 32 years old, an Englishman born in South Africa, who was a prodigy as early as 17 with his tie for fourth place as an amateur in the 1998 British Open. Recently, he has been seen as somebody who hasn't won a major but certainly should.

Now he has, making birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 and holding on for a one-shot victory with his closing 70, an even-par finale that left him at an unusual 72-hole winning total of one-over 281.

The real answer to how this U.S. Open will be remembered may rest with the course it was played on, Merion Golf Club, which yielded nothing. If Rose won, so did Merion. The U.S. Golf Assn. sets its courses for maximum challenge. Merion was certainly that.

The best rounds were 67s, by Mickelson the first day, Billy Horschel on Friday, Rickie Fowler on Saturday, and Jason Dufner and Hideki Matsuyama on Sunday. All week, players were bewitched on Merion's devious greens and bewildered in its unforgiving rough.

Mark Whicker: Phil Mickelson bedeviled again

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:45 EDT

Merion's 17th green and 18th tee lie in the most peaceful dungeon in the whole golf world.

It was a rock quarry originally, and in the old days they called it the "Infernal Abyss." Late Sunday afternoon, when Phil Mickelson brought his hopes there, a quick but heavy shower had passed through, and the whole bowl glowed, golden and fresh.

Commuter trains whined quietly, just on the other side of the fence. Sparrows hopped around and left footprints in the traps. Perhaps 5,000 fans sat above that green, in giant, British-Open style grandstands.

Many had earphones. They heard that, back up the hill, Mickelson had missed an 8-foot birdie putt, and they had just seen Justin Rose walk like a champion down the 18th fairway and heard that he'd lashed his second shot to probable par range.

"Birdie-birdie, Phil!" someone called out. He would need only one to tie. Since this is the Open, it was too much to ask.

Sam Donnellon: For Mickelson, it's the same old story

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:29 EDT

It was a story line that would not have been dared by Disney. A Father's Day U.S. Open played on his birthday, 14 years after his first near-miss at this event was followed by a frantic trip to witness the birth of his first child, and just a few days after he raised some eyebrows here by crossing the country to see that child's eighth-grade graduation.

There's always a story line with Phil Mickelson. It's why he is loved by the galleries and scorned by the game's cynics, because no one outside of episodic television is supposed to have this much drama in their lives. One year it's a wife battling breast cancer. Another it's a mother with the same fight. And then there are those six second-place finishes at this event, including some epic collapses, his quest for this elusive major providing perhaps the greatest story line of them all.

"For me, it's very heart-breaking," he said Sunday after a 4-over 74 left him tied for second, two shots behind U.S. Open winner Justin Rose. "This could have been a really big turnaround for me on how I look at the U.S. Open ... This week was my best opportunity, I felt, heading in, certainly the final round, the way I was playing and the position I was in."

He entered the final day as the Open's only sub-par golfer, holding a one-shot lead over three players, with a cluster of three one shot behind them. He scuffled right from the start, right to the end, but his incredible ability to find greens and rescue bad shots kept him right there to the bitter last holes, needing a birdie to force a playoff, to perhaps win the only major not on his Hall of Fame resume.

This was no choke job. He didn't hit balls into cans or on top of tents. It wasn't his ball that knocked out a lady, wasn't his that was caught in a grandstand. Maybe he made some bold strokes when he didn't need to - and promised us on Saturday that he wouldn't. And yeah, his short game was nothing to base a DVD around. But this was more about tricky greens and fickle cups. From the moment his putt for birdie lipped out on a first-hole birdie opportunity, the Merion course that Mickelson repeatedly professed love for refused to love him back.

Justin Rose to the occasion

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:15 EDT

When he was a 17-year-old amateur, Justin Rose grabbed the hearts of the British galleries by holing out a dramatic shot from the rough for a birdie to finish tied for fourth in the 1998 Open championship at Royal Birkdale.

He turned pro the next day. Then he went through a period where he literally couldn't make a cut. That's golf.

So it has been a long, bumpy climb. But Sunday on the East Course at Merion Golf Club, all that promise and potential finally brought him to the top of his world. And as many before him have happily discovered, it will never be the same.

You can scratch his name from that list of best players never to have won a major. He's a U.S. Open champion forever. And by hoisting the trophy here he now becomes part of a much different fraternity, one that includes Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino. Pretty historic company.

Speaking of which, Rose also becomes the first Englishman to win this major since Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine in 1970.

Heartbreak on his birthday for Mickelson in Open

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:25 EDT

This wasn't the way it was supposed to end, not on Phil Mickelson's birthday and not at Merion Golf Club, where history will record with little fanfare outside of England that Justin Rose won his first major championship.

When the rain began falling on the back nine Sunday after Mickelson pitched in for an eagle on the 10th hole to take the lead in the U.S. Open, you half expected a rainbow to appear amid the clouds with a trophy at the end of it and bearing Mickelson's name.

He probably expected it, too, if only because the law of averages would seem to demand it. Five times before he had been runner-up in this tournament and no bookie in Vegas would offer odds of any player finishing second in the national championship six times.

But golf is a cruel game and the Open seems even crueler to Mickelson, though some of the fault lies within. He desperately chased the best birthday present of all, only to kick it away once again in a way only Mickelson seems to lose golf tournaments.

Two bad wedges from one of the greatest short game players ever. One more huge disappointment in a tournament Mickelson seems destined never to win.

Scenes from both sides of Ardmore Avenue

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:44 EDT

It took me a week of walking Merion to determine that the grand old course is the Main Line version of Roxborough's Walnut Lane - seven holes on one side of the dividing road and 11 on the other. It is 1-~-18 in the city; 1, 13-18/2-12 in the suburbs.

The main difference I noticed was that there is no John Chaney and no pinochle in the Merion clubhouse. Merion plays to 7,000 yards and a par 70, perhaps a bit tougher test than Walnut Lane, which is 4,500 yards and par 62.

Mike Kern and I played Walnut Lane one day with Chaney. We even got him to cross the street and play more than seven holes. Once they clear all the tents off the Merion property, it obviously will be time for a foursome of Chaney, Mike, me and my new best friend, Scott Nye, Merion's head pro. Perhaps we can even bend the rules and make it a fivesome with Dave Smith, who does such a great job running the First Tee program at Walnut Lane. Or I will just putt.

The entire U.S. Open experience was fascinating - from all those close calls involving flying carts in close quarters (Bob Cooney and I even saw a guy texting and driving Sunday), to the crowds that were getting more Philly-like as the week went on, to watching the best players in the world wishing for par.

Shortly after noon, I watched Tiger Woods walk to the first tee. This was not basketball. He was not coming back, but the fans lined up five deep in front of the tee box either did not know or did not care.

Marcus Hayes: When all said and done, Sergio is just a poor excuse

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - The Sergio Garcia Reclamation Project almost held it together.

Garcia began his week of penitence with a handshake and a handwritten note for his victim, Tiger Woods, on Monday. He followed on Tuesday with 22 minutes of candid and seemingly heartfelt comments of regret and remorse.

As he played practice rounds and tournament rounds, he ignored the odd "Fried Chicken!" catcall and the frequent "Tiger!" shout from the otherwise benign galleries at cozy Merion, where Philly fans stood as close as the out-of-bounds.

How cool was Sergio?

On No. 18 Sunday, he heard, "You (score) another eight?" and he walked over to the ropes to confront that witty woman ... and handed her his extra golf glove.

Justin Rose wins US Open at Merion

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - Justin Rose made his first trip to Merion Golf Club the week before the U.S. Open, when he had an opportunity to get acquainted 1-on-1 without the distractions of crowds or media.

Rose bonded with the East Course through three practice rounds that week, then strengthened that link during the run-up to the Open. The preparation and knowledge paid off Sunday in the intense final round when Rose fashioned a solid even-par 70 to win the national championship, his first career major title, by two strokes.

Rose gutted out par saves on the last two holes, then waited to see Phil Mickelson, the last man with a chance to tie him, play the 18th. When Mickelson missed the hole with his birdie pitch, he was foiled again in his chance to win his first Open, and the trophy belonged to Rose.

For the 32-year-old Rose, the first Englishman to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin did it in 1970, it marked the end of a magical week. But he stretched it out to two weeks, coinciding with his initial arrival at Merion.

"This golf club is steeped in history," he said. "That really sort of hit home when I came here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday last week. I was able to appreciate this golf course in the quiet moments when there was nobody around, when there weren't thousands of people here.

Rose outlasts Merion, Mickelson for first major

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

The 32-year-old became Justin Rose received a text message this week telling him to "go out and be the man your dad taught you to be." Even before he had won the U.S. Open on Sunday at Merion, Rose pointed skyward as a nod to his late father and coach, Ken.

"The look up to the heavens was absolutely for my dad," Rose said. "Father's Day was not lost on me today. You don't have opportunities to really dedicate a win to someone you love. And today was about him."

Rose shot an even-par 70 Sunday, capping it with one of the loveliest pars he ever has made, to win the U.S. Open by two shots over Phil Mickelson and Jason Day. the first English player to win the U.S. Open in 43 years and shared the experience with the crowd, mingling with it while holding the U.S. Open trophy in one hand and one of Merion's trademark wicker-basket flagsticks in the other.

Rose's elation stood in stark contrast to Mickelson's heartbreak, a word he used again Sunday to describe his sixth runner-up finish in this championship. Mickelson's 4-over 74, his highest round of the week, appeared to prod him toward that most difficult of resignations.

If a one-shot Sunday lead, a golf course he loved and a system he trusted weren't enough to produce the breakthrough victory, what will be?

U.S. Open Final Round News & Notes

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

Justin Rose had back-to-back birdies twice in the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday, and those two bursts helped him claim his first major championship title.

The Englishman was able to grab the trophy thanks to an impressive statistical week.

Rose shared the championship lead to with 15 birdies. He tied for second in fairways hit, 42 of 56, and shared seventh in greens in regulation, as he hit 50 or 72 greens over the four rounds.

Rose said afterwards that he had put a plan in place to win a major championship over the next five to 10 years. The plan obviously worked quickly and now he has a chance to win multiple majors in that span.

MICKELSON COMES UP SHORT, AGAIN

More heartbreak for Mickelson

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - Phil Mickelson turned 43 on Sunday, a cruel reminder in light of his record sixth runner-up finish at the U.S. Open that his chances to claim that elusive championship are fading.

When the tale of the 2013 U.S. at Merion Golf is told years from now, Justin Rose's steady hand on the way to his first major title and the impressive way in which the old course held up will be mentioned prominently. But ultimately, it will be Mickelson falling short again that will be remembered most.

Mickelson, who entered the final round with a 1-shot lead, did not gloss over the dejection he felt after shooting a 4-over 74 and losing to Rose by 2 strokes. "Heartbreak was the word he used most to describe his feelings.

"This one's probably the toughest for me because at 43 and coming so close five times, it would have changed the way I would have looked at my record," Mickelson said. "Except I just keep feeling heartbreak."

If he had won, it would have been his fifth major title, along with three Masters titles and a PGA Championship, and he would have joined 13 other golfers to win three of the four legs of the modern career Grand Slam.

Rose the lone Merion survivor: 'What a day'

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:43 EDT

Justin Rose's caddie bolted out of the pro shop at Merion Golf Club, scanning the 18th green.

There was a 10-second delay on NBC telecast's of the U.S. Open, and Mark Fulcher couldn't wait 10 seconds. Rose's caddie of five years stopped on the patio but couldn't see over the crowd.

Fulcher ran to his right down a little path closer to the hole. He asked a woman standing on a stone wall, "Where'd Phil go, you know?"

The woman told him that Phil Mickelson's second shot on 18 had landed in front of the green. Fulcher hustled back to the pro shop. Rose had a 1-stroke lead, but Fulcher pointed out later, "Phil is capable of anything."

Waiting for Mickelson to play 18, Rose had done an interview with England's Sky Sport on the stone patio.

Jason Day makes a run but fizzles late

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:10 EDT

As long as he keeps knocking on the door, Jason Day says, he'll soon win a major.

For a moment Sunday on Merion's back nine, it seemed soon would be now.

Day took his turn as the hottest player of the round with spectacular shots on the 10th and 11th holes. But the demanding final stretch of holes took its toll, and he had to settle for a place he knows well in a major - second.

Day finished the tournament in a tie with Phil Mickelson at 3-over par, two strokes back of winner Justin Rose.

"You've got to understand that late Sunday of a U.S. Open and U.S. Open courses are very hard," Day said. "You can't do anything but kind of grind it out."

Mahan can blame 15 for lost US Open

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:59 EDT

Tied for the U.S. Open lead, Hunter Mahan was on cruise control.

He was the steadiest player for most of Sunday at Merion Golf Club, ripping off par after par after par to stay in the hunt.

Then he hit No. 15.

Mahan's tee shot sailed into the rough. So did his second. Just like that, Mahan's Open run was over.

He fell from a three-way tie for first after his double-bogey on 15 and finished in a four-way tie for fourth with a 5-over 75 and a 285 total. It was his best Open finish since he was sixth in 2009.

Stricker takes final-round fade in stride

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:45 EDT

Perhaps 10 years ago if he shot a 6 over on the final day of a major and tumbled down the leader board, Steve Stricker would be a littler harder on himself.

Sure, it will still sting. The 46-year-old entered Sunday just a shot off the lead. His elusive major - one of the few holes in an otherwise fine career - was well within sight.

But that's not how it played out for Stricker, who finished at 6-over 286 and tied for eighth at the U.S. Open. And frankly, that's OK with him.

"Golf is not the thing in my life it once was," Stricker said.

Stricker made the decision earlier this year to scale back his PGA Tour schedule, playing majors and a few other tournaments, so he could spend more time with his family.

Jason Day close again, ties for 2nd at US Open

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:20 EDT

Third place at the Masters. Tied for second at the U.S. Open.

And that's just this year.

Jason Day's too young to get saddled with that dreaded Best Player Never To Win a Major label, so he might as well go ahead and win one.

"As long as I keep knocking on the door," he said Sunday, "I think I'll win a major here soon."

It sure looks inevitable after watching him this week at Merion Golf Club. Rounds of 70, 74, 68 and 71 can be worn liked a badge of honor at a championship in which the winning score was Justin Rose's 1-over 281. Day finished two shots back, tied with Phil Mickelson.

Donald's game goes awry

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:26 EDT

Luke Donald couldn't see where his drive on the third hole landed. He had pulled it near some brush.

A voice said: "It hit the standard bearer," and Donald grimaced.

The shot had hit the woman holding the small scoreboard for the group ahead. She was struck on the elbow, Donald said, and fell to the ground.

After several minutes, the woman could walk off. Donald's game, though, immediately imploded. He had been two strokes off the lead, but he went 6-over par on his next six holes.

"She was in some pain and feeling a little bit faint," Donald said. "And I felt a little bit faint too, watching it."

Phil Sheridan: Reputation intact, mighty Merion stands tall

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:20 EDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - Ben Hogan's legend is safe. His old friend Merion East saw to that.

The U.S. Open came back, bringing the world's best golfers to town, and the only greatness on display was the course itself.

There's a reason Hogan's 1-iron on the 18th hole here is marked by a plaque, a reason golfers way too young to have seen him play took practice-round shots from that hallowed spot before the Open began.

Because it was damn hard, making a perfect shot under pressure to force a playoff in the 1950 Open. So damn hard, no one could do anything remotely like it here on Sunday.

No one, including Phil Mickelson. Especially Mickelson.