Glover Wins It

FARMINGDALE -- Give Lucas Glover credit. He didn't have a great day Monday. He and Ricky Barnes came back to the field, as a lot of people expected. But after falling back into a tie for the lead, Glover made the shots he needed to make, and he won the U.S. Open by two shots.

Glover didn't make a birdie all day until he really needed it. Then he birdied the par-4 16th hole to reclaim the lead at 4-under par. Phil Mickelson and David Duval, who had briefly been tied for the lead, each bogeyed the 17th -- and Glover had a two-shot lead.

Glover then parred the last two holes for the win. Mickelson had a great chance, but did one of his typical U.S. Open fades. Duval had a chance, too. But Glover finished the job. He shot 73 and none of his closest pursuers was able to break par and catch him. He's a deserving champion.

""All I know is he shot 4-under par on a very difficult golf course and held on to win,'' said Mickelson who finished second in a U.S. Open for the fifth time. He has never won it.

Mickelson was the clear sentimental favorite here. He's the darling of the New York crowds, and their affection was intensified by the knowledge that Mickelson's wife, Amy, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Still, it was the same old Phil in the end. He had an ugly three-put bogey on the 15th hole. He had to make a 6-footer to par 16. He drove into the bunker on 17 and bogeyed. On 18, he bombed his drive to about 25 yards from the green, but hit his approach 30 feet past the flag.

Three years ago at Winged Foot, Mickelson took a lead to the final hole and lost.

""I feel different this time,'' he said. "I don't know where to go with this. I want to win this tournament so badly.''

He'll be 40 next year. Time is running out for Lefty. Yes, Glover won the tournament. But it was there for Mickelson. Many of the game's top players didn't play well here. But he came up just short, again.

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Yawn!!!