And really, it was.

Like anyone interested enough in the game to be reading this website, I’ve watched a number of U.S. Opens over the years, and while par as “the standard of excellence” has never particularly bothered me, it is a recipe less likely to produce high drama than, say, a pre-Hootie Masters. Of course, this Open cannot be considered the highest of drama in the sense that by the final green, Lucas Glover faced a relatively easy three putt for victory after Ricky Barnes near-perfect run at birdie somehow stayed on the high side. But the events leading up to that point were so special that for the second straight year, the Open succeeded both in getting me out of my seat and making me feel goosebumps – reactions which I long thought the USGA to be ideologically opposed to.

Other then the new champion, the centerpiece of the entire enterprise had to be Phil Mickelson, playing for the final time before the start of his wife Amy’s treatment for breast cancer, in the event he most covets, in a city where his fan base’s exuberance is borderline irrational. Seemingly destined to linger in the lower reaches of the top 10 after playing Monday’s front nine in a one-over-par 36, Mickelson made birdie at the 12th, then a spectacular eagle at the par-5 13th to rather suddenly launch himself into a tie for the lead. But sadly, in a chapter which has been written several times before, his putter betrayed him late, including a crucial three-putt at the 15th and a missed six-footer at the 17th – and once again Mickelson was left on the outside looking in despite having made a truly gutsy and emotional run.

And then there was David Duval.

It’s hard to say that a potential Duval win would have been the greatest Major championship story of all time, but had such a victory actually come to pass, it would certainly have placed itself squarely in the conversation. This, after all, is a man whose interest had clearly waned during his first several years in the golfing wilderness, and whose occasional flashes of one-round form have all-too-often been followed by a next-day implosion. That Duval kept the wheels on right into round four was impressive. That he managed not to collapse after carding an early, hard-luck triple bogey at the 3rd (where his tee ball embedded under a bunker lip) was even moreso. But his mid-back nine run of birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th, to lift himself into a tie for the lead, was epic stuff indeed, screaming of an almost impossible degree of self-confidence at a point where nearly anyone else who’d walked his particular road would quite likely have cracked.

I have watched Duval in person twice in the last three years and each time come away convinced that his troubles were 90% mental; the physical tools, it appeared to me, were still largely intact. His 2nd-place finish at Bethpage – which prompted a 740-spot jump (!) in his World ranking (from 882 to 142) – must provide the sort of confidence boost necessary to lift Duval back among the game’s best, for after putting together four days of inspired, world-class golf, it would seem almost inconceivable that he might now tumble back into the abyss.

As for Lucas Glover, what can we say that hasn’t already been covered to death? The 2007 Presidents Cup team member has long been viewed as a potential star by his peers, but never quite found a way to lift his game above the single win level (that being the 2005 Walt Disney Classic) – that is until a splendid 8 iron at the 70th set up the crucial birdie which, combined with both Mickelson and Duval’s bogeys at the 71st, lifted Glover to a two-shot victory.

Much like Duval’s, Glover’s future suddenly looks pretty bright right about now.

And finally, for the second year in a row, serious kudos to USGA course set-up guru Mike Davis, whose desire to see some dashes of excitement led to some shortening of final-round tees (e.g. the 127-yard 14th and 354-yard finisher) and some opportunities for drama that were, for decades, largely eschewed by his blue-blazered predecessors. Whereas in the past, we looked to upcoming U.S. Opens wondering how hard the USGA could possibly make things, now we can anticipate opportunities for them to make it thrilling. It’s an approach that turned an utterly mundane Torrey Pines layout into a strong venue in 2008, and a solid-but-waterlogged Bethpage into a Sunday classic in ’09.

It was far too long in coming, but its value, both now and for the long-term, is significant.

PGA Tour: Travelers Championship

Site: TPC River Highlands - Cromwell, CT
Yards: 6,844   Par: 70
Defending: Stewart Cink   261   (beat T. Armour III & H. Mahan by 1)
Field: World Top 20: Sergio Garcia (4), Kenny Perry (7), Vijay Singh (9), Anthony Kim (15) & Zach Johnson (20)   Other Notables: Paul Azinger, Steve Elkington, Corey Pavin & Bob Tway.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA Tour: BMW International Open

Site: Munchen Eichenried Golf Club – Munich, Germany
Yards: 6,955   Par: 72
Defending: Martin Kaymer   273   (beat A. Hansen in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: Henrik Stenson (6) & Rory McIlroy (18)   Other Notables: Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Colin Montgomerie, Jeev Milkha Singh & Richard Sterne.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic

Site: Yomiuri Country Club – Yomiuri, Japan
Yards: 7,236   Par: 72
Defending: Prayad Marksaeng   269   (beat A. Yano by 1)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Prayad Marksaeng & Shigeki Maruyama.

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Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf – Eastern Cape

Site: Fancourt Montagu Golf Course – Fancourt, South Africa
Meters: 6,714   Par: 72
Defending: George Coetzee   212   (beat J. Hugo by 1)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: Desvondes Botes & Darren Fichardt.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: Wegman’s LPGA

Site: Locust Hill Country Club – Pittsford, NY
Yards: 6,365   Par: 72
Defending: Eun-Hee Ji   272   (beat S. Pettersen by 2)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Lorena Ochoa (1), Suzann Pettersen (6), Angela Stanford (7) & Yuri Fudoh (19)   Other Notables: Rachel Hetherington, Vicky Hurst, Meg Mallon, Se Ri Park & Michelle Wie.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Champions Tour: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open

Site: En-Joie Country Club – Endicott, NY
Yards: 6,974   Par: 72
Defending: Eduardo Romero   199   (beat F. Allem & G. Koch by 1)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Bernhard Langer (1), Michael Allen (2), Loren Roberts (4), Mark O’Meara (6), Gil Morgan (15), John Cook (17) & Mark James (20)   Other Notables: Isao Aoki, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Lanny Wadkins & Fuzzy Zoeller.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
LET – AIB Ladies Irish Open – Portmarnock, Ireland
JLPGA – Promise Ladies – Hyogo, Japan
Futures – Horseshoe Casino Classic – Hammond, IN
Nationwide – Nationwide Tour Players Cup – Bridgeport, WV
Euro Challenge – The Princess – Bastad, Sweden
Tour de Las Americas – Venezuela Open – Caracas, Venezuela
Canadian – ATB Financial Classic – Calgary, Alberta
Euro Seniors – PGA Seniors Championship – Northumberland, England

The U.S. Open

Winner: Lucas Glover   69-64-70-73   276   (beat three players by 2)
Site: Bethpage State Park (Black course) - Farmingdale, NY

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
JLPGA – Nichirei PGM Ladies – Sakura Yokomine 136 (Story)
Futures – Duramed Championship – Whitney Wade 204 (Story)
Nationwide – Fort Smith Classic – Jason Enloe 265 (Story)
Euro Challenge – Saint Omer Open – Christian Nilsson 271 (Story)
Euro Seniors – Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open – Bertus Smit 211 (Story)

Having enjoyed a stellar set of results at the LPGA Championship (only Jiyai Shin and Angela Stanford cracked the top 10 among my picks – but did anyone bet on Anna Nordqvist?) we’ll take a slightly different approach this week and rate the chances of each of the world’s top 15 at Bethpage. After all, predicting that people won’t win is a heck of a lot easier than trying to pull one needle from a 156-man haystack, so...

Tiger Woods (8-1) – For my money, he cannot be as strong a favorite as he was pre-surgery, one fairly impressive Memorial triumph notwithstanding. But seriously, how confidently would you bet against him?

Phil Mickelson (25-1) – Obviously his prospects are dimmed more by wife Amy’s physical battles than his current form, which actually wasn’t too bad (two wins and a 5th at Augusta) through April. Finished 2nd at Bethpage last time, and might feed of the New York crowd...but there’s no way his head can be 100% right.

Paul Casey (16-1) – A hot player worldwide with one win in America (Houston) plus titles at Dubai and the British PGA thus far in ’09. Has a limited record in this event, however, with only a single top 10 (a tie for 10th in 2007, at Oakmont) in six starts. Certainly has the requisite length...

Sergio Garcia (19-1) – Does he have the temperament? Can he hole enough putts? Will the gods conspire against him? A tough man to call with all of this baggage, plus mediocre recent form – but his overall Major record is good, he finished 4th here in 2002, and the U.S. Open is a ball-striker’s event. Hmm...

Geoff Ogilvy (14-1) – The 2006 champion started ’09 strong (wins at the Mercedes and the WGC Match Play, plus a late ’08 triumph Down Under) but had been in less superlative form of late – prior to a Saturday 63 at the Memorial which led to a T10. Clearly does have the right temperament, and is thus never a bad pick.

Henrik Stenson (22-1) – The current Players champion seems a threat to contend whenever he tees it up. He plays relatively little in America, however; this will be his 4th U.S. Open, with the previous three amounting to a T26 and two MCs.

Kenny Perry (24-1) – Still demonstrating remarkable form for a 48-year-old...though he’s cooled a bit since his heartbreak at Augusta. Has only playing in 10 Opens, and then only once bettered 23rd, that being a T3 in 2003 at Olympia Fields. Another who won’t by overwhelmed by Bethpage’s size.

Steve Stricker (15-1) – An interesting prospect this week. Has finished six times among the top seven in ’09, including an impressive playoff victory at Colonial two weeks ago. Has an up-and-down record at the Open, thrice finishing among the top 10 (in 13 starts), the most recent being a T6 at Winged Foot in 2006.

Vijay Singh (22-1) – Was having a quiet season (four missed cuts in his first nine starts) before logging top 10s at The Players and Colonial. Recorded seven U.S. Open top 10s in 12 starts from 1995-2006, so his ball-striker’s game seems to translate well here. But at age 46, is his mojo as strong as it used to be?

Jim Furyk (12-1) – Another compelling choice. Is very much on form (three straight top 10s, including a 2nd at Memorial) and enjoys a strong Open record, winning in 2003 at Olympia Fields and tying for 2nd in both ’06 and ’07 at Winged Foot and Oakmont.

Padraig Harrington (25-1) – Was a dominant player last summer, but hasn’t recorded a worldwide win since the PGA Championship, and has struggled significantly in the U.S. of late, missing three of his last four cuts and recording not a single American top 10 in 2009.

Camilo Villegas (24-1) – Tied for 9th last year at Torrey Pines and started ’09 nicely with three early top 10s. Has been consistent but not quite on form ever since (no top 10s, no MCs) so it’s tough to read which way he’s trending.

Sean O’Hair (20-1) – Has been up and down all year, with four top fives (including a win at Quail Hollow), but also two MCs (plus a withdrawal at Memorial after an opening 76) since late March. Has one top 10 (a T10 at this year’s Masters in 13 career Major starts.

Robert Karlsson (-) – Chances are nil; he withdrew on Friday with an eye infection.

Anthony Kim (26-1) – Last year’s phenom is this year’s (modest) disappointment. Hasn’t come near a top 10 since tying for 2nd at the season-opening Mercedes Championship. Has one top 10 (a T7 at last year’s Open Championship) in six Major starts. Thus he would seem a longshot this week despite his considerable talent.

Congratulations are in order to our friend Mike Clayton, a man currently known as one of the world’s finest golf course designers – but quite clearly, still a world class player as well. A former Australian Amateur champion who won once on the European Tour (the 1984 Timex Open) and six times on his native Australasian circuit, Clayton has made occasional European Senior Tour starts (a total of eight) since becoming eligible in 2007, but has seldom played with enough frequency to truly get his sea legs under him. After tying for 42nd two weekends ago at the Irish Seniors Open, however, he journeyed to the Channel Islands for the Jersey Senior Classic, where he proceeded to torch the venerable La Moye Golf Club with an opening 64, then closed with 73-70 to tie Jamaica’s Delroy Cambridge, before ultimately losing the title on the third hole of sudden death.

Pretty good stuff......for an architect.

The U.S. Open

Site: Bethpage State Park (Black course) - Farmingdale, NY
Yards: 7,426   Par: 70
Defending: Tiger Woods   283   (beat R. Mediate in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: All except Robert Karlsson (14)   Other Notables: All who are physically able.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
JLPGA – Nichirei PGM Ladies – Inaraki, Japan
Futures – Duramed Championship – Mason, Ohio
Nationwide – Fort Smith Classic – Fort Smith, AR
Euro Challenge – Saint Omer Open – Lumbres, France
Euro Seniors – Ryder Cup Wales Senior Open – Mid Glamorgan, Wales

PGA Tour: St. Jude Classic

Winner: Brian Gay 64-66-66-66   262   (beat B. Molder and D. Toms by 5)
Site: TPC Southwind – Memphis, TN

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour: Japan PGA Championship

Winner: Yuta Ikeda 65-67-69-65   266   (beat M. Tateyama by 7)
Site: Eniwa Country Club – Hokkaido, Japan

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: McDonald’s LPGA Championship

Winner: Anna Nordqvist 66-70-69-68   273   (beat L. Wright by 4)
Site: Bulle Rock Golf Course – Havre de Grace, Maryland

STORY          RESULT          MONEY LIST          STATS          INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET - Ladies Open de Portugal – Johanna Westerberg 213 (Story)
JLPGA – Suntory Open – Shinobu Moromizato 276 (Story)
Futures – Michelob Future Players Championship – Mina Harigae 277 (Story)
Nationwide – Knoxville Open – Kevin Johnson 268 (Story)
Euro Challenge – Challenge of Ireland – Robert Coles 278 (Story)
Canadian – City of Surrey Invitational – Mike Grob 272 (Story)
Euro Seniors – Jersey Seniors Classic – Delroy Cambridge 207 (Story)

As the women make their annual return to Bulle Rock for the LPGA Championship, here are my personal favorites to contend for the title, with odds based upon their realistic chances of winning, not the betting handle...

Lorena Ochoa (7-1) – Okay, so she’s not steamrolling the world as she was a year ago at this time, but the world number one has won twice (and finished 2nd once) in eight ’09 starts – pretty decent numbers for anyone else. Of course, she hasn’t bettered 71 in her last six competitive rounds (dating back to mid-May) but even being slightly off form, how easily can one bet against her?

Paula Creamer (10-1) – Following early 3rd-place finishes in Thailand and Singapore, it had been a lean run for the world number three right on through April. But with finishes of T3, T2 and T6 in her last three outings, she suddenly appears very much on form – and nobody is hungrier for a Major.

Suzann Pettersen (11-1) – The world number six has gone winless on the LPGA Tour since October of 2007, but her form has certainly been strong of late, with six top 10s (including two solo 2nds) in her last eight starts. Won this event, on this golf course, in 2007, so her confidence figures to be high.

Cristie Kerr (12-1) – The LPGA Tour’s leading money winner is in strong form, logging top-10s in six of her last eight starts, including a win at May’s Michelob Ultra Open and a T2 at the Kraft Nabisco. Has two top 10s in four starts at Bulle Rock.

Yani Tseng (12-1) – The world number two claimed her first ’09 victory two weeks ago at the Corning Classic, and is also the defending champion, having torched Bulle Rock with weekend rounds of 65-68 in 2008. Finished 2nd at last year’s Women’s British Open, so she’s obviously at home on the big stage.

Angela Stanford (14-1) – Still riding a long, consistent run of strong play dating back to last September, the world number seven has finished worse than 15th only once in nine ’09 starts, including a season-opening win in Hawaii and a total of six top 10s.

In-Kyung Kim (15-1) – Though riding high off a win at last week’s State Farm Classic, Kim had already cracked the world top 10 on the strength of three top-5 finishes in five starts between late March and mid-May. A highly consistent ball-striker who has shot 65 or better three times in her last 15 competitive rounds.

Jiyai Shin (15-1) – The world number five’s fortunes have been a bit up-and-down thus far in ’09 as she adjusts to playing in America full-time. Has only two top 10s in 10 starts, but one of those was a victory at the prestigious HSBC Champions back in March. Seems comfortable on the Major stage (she’s the reigning British Open champion) but this is her first time at Bulle Rock.

Michelle Wie (17-1) – Admittedly a bit of a wildcard choice given that the former phenom has finished T26 and T54 in her last two starts, and has logged only three top 10s in eight ’09 events. But Wie’s game has been showing signs of life lately, and she has contended here before, finishing 2nd in ’05 and T5 in ’06.

Any weekend highlighted by a Tiger Woods victory has its storyline largely pre-written, but lost in the inevitable excitement of Woods’ triumph at the Memorial Tournament (his 67th career PGA Tour win) was a remarkable accomplishment which took place on the Sunshine Tour. Beginning Sunday’s final round some four shots off the pace (in a tie for 14th) at the Lombard Insurance Classic, 28-year-old Peter Karmis proceded to uncork a spectacular record-setting 59 to post a 198 aggregate and claim his second career victory by a comfortable four-stroke margin.

Karmis’s round started modestly, with birdies at the Royal Swazi Sun Country Club’s 1st and 4th holes (both sub-400-yard par 4s) before an eagle at the 536-yard 5th got the ball rolling, and one more birdie (at the short par-5 7th) saw him out in five-under-par 31. A birdie at the 437-yard 11th kept the momentum up before lightning struck with back-to-back eagles at the 12th (a 504-yard par 5) and the 389-yard 13th, where he holed out his approach. Now 10-under-par with five holes left to play, Karmis reeled off birdies at the 424-yard 15th, the 408-yard 16th, and finally at the 549-yard 17th, where his third shot (played from a greenside bunker) very nearly fell in the hole for a fourth eagle. A routine par at the 191-yard 18th (a hole he’d birdied during the first two rounds) closed out both Karmis’s second win and the Sunshine Tour’s first-ever sub-60 competitive round.

And what about the legitimacy of the venue?

The Royal Swazi Sun layout is modestly short (6,715 yards) but certainly of regulation size and challenge. It is, however,a track which Karmis finds quite appealing, for his only previous win came in this same event two years ago, when rounds of 64-72-64 gave him a 200 total and a one-shot victory.

He’s obviously hoping the event never moves.

PGA Tour: St. Jude Classic

Site: TPC Southwind – Memphis, TN
Yards: 7,244   Par: 70
Defending: Justin Leonard 276   (beat R. Allenby & T. Immelman in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: Phil Mickelson (2), Sergio Garcia (4), Henrik Stenson (6), Padraig Harrington (10) & Camilo Villegas (11)   Other Notables: John Daly, David Duval, Steve Elkington & Jose Maria Olazabal.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: Japan PGA Championship

Site: Eniwa Country Club – Hokkaido, Japan
Yards: 6,956   Par: 72
Defending: Shingo Katayama 265   (beat W.C. Liang by 6)
Field: World Top 20: None   Other Notables: All J Tour regulars.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: McDonald’s LPGA Championship

Site: Bulle Rock Golf Course – Havre de Grace, Maryland
Yards: 6,641   Par: 72
Defending: Yani Tseng 276   (beat M. Hjorth in a playoff)
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Yuri Fudoh (15), Jeong Jang (16) & Sakura Yokomie (18)   Other Notables: All who are physically able.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
LET - Ladies Open de Portugal – Rio Maior, Portugal
JLPGA – Suntory Open – Hyogo, Japan
Futures – Michelob Future Players Championship – Decatur, IL
Nationwide – Knoxville Open – Knoxville, TN
Euro Challenge – Challenge of Ireland – County Kildare, Ireland
Canadian – City of Surrey Invitational – South Surrey, B.C.
Euro Seniors – Jersey Seniors Classic – Jersey, England