U.S. Open Thoughts

What can you say about Sunday's final round? It was horrendous golf, simply put. Oh, and my DVR stopped at 9pm or some reason as Havret had put it in the bunker at 18 and McDowell was walking to the 18th tee, so at 9:45pm I had to go to ESPN News to see what had happened. Nice. For all the arguments we have had about deeper fields in the Tiger era versus the studs in Jack's era, you can't tell me that this tournament doesn't add ammo to the side that says Jack's era had better closers?

To me, Ernie Els has to feel the worst today out of all the contenders. He made bogey from 99 yards on #14, missed a 3 footer for birdie on #15 and couldn't make either mid-range putt on #17 & #18. Oh yea, he made a mess of #10 too. Ernie's putter, which had shown signs earlier this year, was once again tentative in the big pressure cooker of a major.

Phil - I'm beginning to think Phil is never going to win one of these U.S. Open thingies. Just really frustrating. Every time Phil or Ernie seemed to be back in the mix on the back nine, they would miss a key putt or hit a poor shot. It was really maddening.

Tiger - His swing does look better, but he is clearly not back. I said "Bye-Bye" on Saturday after he got to +6 and then shook my head 3 hours later as he played the final 15 holes in 7 under. Still, 15 brilliant holes does not mean Tiger is the dominate player he used to be. Sunday's effort was very pedestrian. We are still waiting for that final round major comeback.

Dustin Johnson - I was rooting for Phil or Ernie to win, and then Dustin. A couple of poor swings early really killed Dustin -- but if you look closely, his putter is what really let him down. He missed numerous putts inside of 5 feet and 3-putted #7, #18 and possibly #16. Brandel Chamblee shows why he is the best analyst in the sport right now when on Saturday night, when everyone was gushing how Dustin could blow away the field, Chamblee pointed out how Dustin Johnson had struggled mightily in final rounds this year. Remember, he even took 74 to win at the AT&T earlier to win. Sickening to think that a 76 would have won it for Dustin.

Greg Havret - Thank goodness this guy didn't win it. A great performance and 2nd place will do wonders for his career and getting into future big events, but him winning would have been a travesty and Micheel-like.

McDowell - Will McDowell pull an Immelman and disappear from the stage after winning a major...or a be a force in the game for years to come? Admittedly, Immelman has struggled with injuries and McDowell could simply be on a hot streak, but I have been wrong before. I thought Immelman was going to be force. It hasn't happened.

Next up in the majors is the home of golf, St. Andrews. I have to tell you, I am not excited about this venue. Maybe it's because the last 2 times Tiger has won handily, but I just don't get that excited for this course. Carnoustie has produced the most exciting Opens to me over the last 15 years. Tiger is my pick again. Ernie will tease but ultimately get his heart ripped out by Tiger in yet another major.