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Lucas Glover Breaks Ahead To Win U.S. Open

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Jun 22, 2009 10:45 pm US/Eastern

Lucas Glover Breaks Ahead To Win U.S. Open

Tiger Woods Finishes On Par, Ties For 6th Place

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) ― Lucas Glover has won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Getting only the second victory of his PGA Tour career, Glover finished a final round of 3-over 73 Monday afternoon to win by two strokes over Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ricky Barnes.

Glover took the outright lead with his lone birdie of the day at the par-4 16th and held on, taking home $1.35 million for the victory. He was 4 under for the championship.

Defending champion Tiger Woods finished even par and in a tie for sixth, four shots behind Glover.

Defending champion Tiger Woods missed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole by the slimmest of margins, epitomizing his week. Each of his last three rounds were in the 60s, capped by a 1-under 69 on Monday and he finished at even par, still lamenting how he dropped four strokes over the final four holes of his rain-slogged opening round that ended Friday.

"I striped it this week. I hit it just like I did at Memorial, and unfortunately I didn't make anything," Woods said. "I hit so many putts ... my good ones are not going in, and then my bad ones aren't even close."

After all the rain almost made the Black course seem benign with soft fairways and greens, Bethpage had its bite back Monday.

Birdies were rare. Wind was ripping in some areas. And mudballs — players' biggest fear this rainy week — were increasingly common.

Duval was in the middle of the fairway on the par-4 7th, with mud coating many of the dimples on his ball. Sure enough, his second shot turned dead left, sailing 40 yards past the gallery line and nestling behind a tree — adding to a frustrating start for the former world's No. 1, who also made triple-bogey at the par-3 third hole.

It was the harbinger of what awaited at Bethpage. Just about everyone was dropping shots.

Mickelson was a rare exception.

The U.S. Open is the tournament that has plagued Mickelson like no other. After making double-bogey on the final hole to lose at Winged Foot in 2006, he famously exclaimed, "I just can't believe that I did that. I am such an idiot."

He nearly won the tournament in 1999, falling by a shot to Payne Stewart. His wife dominated his every thought that week, too; Amy Mickelson was about to give birth to the couple's first child.

"I'm one good round away," Mickelson said Sunday night, handicapping his chances.

Woods jumped 26 spots up the leaderboard in the third round, starting tied for 15th, and kept the climb going in the final round. The world's No. 1 made a putt in the dark for birdie at the 7th hole just as play was stopped Sunday night, hoping that would be the spark.

It almost was.

Woods sought a perfect storm Monday, the combination of him making a bunch of birdies and the leaders making a bunch of mistakes. Improbable as it seemed 24 hours earlier, it nearly came together, but he wound up driving away from Bethpage at noon Monday, knowing major win No. 15 would have to wait.

"I gave myself so many chances," Woods said, "and made nothing."

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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