Summary of the 2009 US Open
Lucas Glover prevails at Soggy US Open
As he has been so many times since he broke onto the PGA Tour more than a decade ago, Tigers Woods was the prevailing favorite when 156 professionals and amateurs played in US Open 109 on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York.
Now healthy again with his game clicking after winning the Memorial Tournament, Woods looked close to claiming his third US Open title and 15th major championship. Tiger won the first US Open held at Bethpage Black in 2002, and the golf world was ready to repeat his performance.
But this was far from a normal US Open. Rather than a Tiger Woods victory march, the second big championship of the year was a heavy, rain-delayed affair through sodden fairways, thick, rough and unusually slow greens.
As a result, an interesting cast of contenders emerged that kept golf fans on edge about the outcome until the final putt was holed.
A Barnes burner
Ricky who?
That must have been what many a casual golf fan was thinking when qualifier Ricky Barnes jumped to the top of the leaderboard halfway through the weather-delayed Open. A collegiate standout at the University of Arizona and a former US amateur champion, Barnes had struggled to deliver on his promise in his early years as a Tour pro.
Barnes’ total of 132 not only led at Bethpage, but set a new 36-hole US Open scoring mark. Barnes searched the fairways with his Callaway driver, scoring frequent birdies and the occasional eagle on the large, flooded greens.
A 70 in the third round gave Barnes a one-shot lead after 54 holes. Another untested player, one-time PGA Tour winner Lucas Glover, was Barnes’ closest pursuer, with several players on the prowl, including Phil Mickelson and a resurgent David Duval.
Can Barnes withstand the pressure of the final round to win the US Open and instantly transform his career?
emotional roller coaster
At first, it came as a surprise that Phil Mickelson even played at the US Open. A few weeks earlier, Amy Mickelson, Phil’s wildly popular wife, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, an announcement that rocked the golfing world. Phil initially said that he would be taking a sabbatical from professional golf, but later returned when the Mickelson family learned that Amy’s surgery and treatment would not start for a few weeks.
Phil assured everyone that he was ready to compete and that he liked his chances. After rounds of 69, 70 and 69, Phil’s name rose near the top of the standings in the closing holes of the championship as leaders Barnes and Glover fell back.
On the par-5 13th hole, Lefty hit a Callaway fairway wood from the short rough that landed softly and rolled to a stop near the hole. Phil sank the putt for a dramatic eagle to tie for the lead, and the pro-Mickelson crowd went wild.
After a heartbreaking second-place finish in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006, would it finally be Phil’s time?
No. 882
David Duval had told the golf world that he was close to the form that made him the best player in the world in the late 1990s. But it was hard to believe the man who had sunk so low since winning the British Open in 2001, bottoming out at number 882 in the world golf ranking.
At Bethpage, the Duval drivers got serious talk. Rounds of 67, 70 and 70 put it in dispute. Like Mickelson, Duval found himself near the lead in the dying moments of the championship after making three straight birdies.
Golf fans cheered loudly as sentimental favorites Mickelson and Duval made late charges and went for redemptive victories on one of golf’s biggest stages. But another player, a cool young man from South Carolina, didn’t cave.
Lucas cool hand
In three previous appearances, 29-year-old Lucas Glover had not made a cut at the US Open. The former Clemson All-American and Walker Cupper had carved out a respectable living for himself on the Tour, finishing 21st on the money list.
But with only one Tour win and few major appearances, Lucas wasn’t on anyone’s short list to win at Bethpage. However, his constant play and composure shone through on rainy days on Long Island.
As Barnes fumbled on the front nine of the final round, Glover took a lead that he never relinquished over the last 12 holes. A decisive birdie on the 16th gave Lucas a two-shot lead, as late bogeys from Mickelson and Duval doomed his chances.
“Today I took the shots that I had to take in the situation, and that was a little bit more rewarding,” said Glover, the 2009 US Open champion.
Rewarding, indeed.