After a long, brutal, rain soaked week, Lucas Glover was the man who out-lasted the field on his way to a final round 3-over par 73 to capture the 2009 U.S. Open Golf Championship. Glover finishd the golf tournament at 4 under par, 2 strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson, Ricky Barnes, and David Duval. Ricky Barnes began the final round with a 1 stroke lead over Glover, but that lead disappeared when he made a bogey on the first hole of the final round. You have to give Barnes credit, though, because in the final round he bogied 5 holes to shoot a 5 over par 40 on the front nine, but he never quit trying. On the final hole he came within inches of making a birdie that would have forced Glover to make his 4 foot putt for the victory.
One of the biggest surprises for most people was the performance of David Duval. Duval has been saying for quite a while that he is playing great, but his scores have not reflected that. This week his scores reflected how great he played. You have to wonder what would have happened if his tee shot on the par 3 3rd hole had not buried under the lip of the greenside bunker, which led to a triple bogey. You can talk about “what ifs” all day, but just remember, every player in the golf tournament has a story about a bad break that cost them strokes. It’s all part of playing in the U.S. Open Golf Championship.
Although Glover struggled in the final round, he was able to maintain his patience, realizing that everyone else was going to struggle also. You very seldom see someone play the final round of the U.S. Open without struggling somewhat. It’s usually the person who can handle their misfortunes the best that walks away with the trophy, and that’s what happened this year. Glover was able to maintain his concentration and when he did get into trouble, he was able to minimize the damage and go on to the next hole. That is the sign of a true champion. I look for this victory to boost Glover’s confidence to the point where he will be in contention to win golf tournaments on a much more regular basis.