The 113th U.S. Open did not disappoint golf fans. It offered Phil Mickelson trying to win his first U.S. Open, as well as, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker trying to win their first major.
It had high drama in the final round with Jason Dufner posting a three-under par 67, one of the low rounds of the week. Jason Day had another top-10 finish in a major and nearly got his first major victory.
One of the biggest stories of the week began when Phil Mickelson flew home on Tuesday to attend his daughter’s eighth-grade graduation in San Diego. He flew back Wednesday night in time to make his 7:30 AM tee time on Thursday morning.
Even though he had quite a commute, Mickelson went on to shoot a three-under par 67 in the first round and hold the first round lead.
Steve Stricker tried to add a major title to his outstanding career stats, but again missed a golden opportunity to get the win at Merion. He began the final round on Sunday at even par, just one shot back of the leader Mickelson.
His hopes were dashed with a triple-bogey, eight at the par-5 second hole when he shanked his second shot out of bounds. He hit a spectator in the head, who appeared to be all right, but the shot unnerved him and the damage to his round and psyche was done. Stricker shot a final round 76 and fell into a tie for eighth position.
Luke Donald made one of his best attempts ever at winning a major title, but he too fell just short of the prize. With his world-class short game he was on the short list of potential winners at Merion Golf Club.
Donald collected five bogeys and a double-bogey for good measure on the front nine on Sunday. He posted a very disappointing 42 on the front side in route to a final round 75.
The U.S. Open can create a case of the jitters even in hardened veteran golfers.
Phil Mickelson created the most drama, however, on Sunday. As one of the most popular golfers ever to play the game, his huge fan base was pulling for him to erase the five runners-up finishes in U.S. Open competitions and finally get a win.
He began the day with a one-shot lead over Hunter Mahan, Charl Schwartzel and Steve Stricker. Even with a birdie at the par-5 fourth hole sandwiched between two double-bogeys at Nos. 3 and 5, they proved too much to overcome with a limited number of holes left to play.
He did add some excitement with an eagle from the rough on the short par-4 tenth hole. His lay up shot from the tee found the right rough. With just 86 yards remaining to the hole, Mickelson did what he does best. He hit a short iron shot that landed perfectly on the green and rolled into the cup for a deuce on the par-4 hole.
That put him back to even-par and tied for the lead, but three more bogeys on the back nine left him two shots short of Justin Rose.
This was his record setting sixth runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and you could visibly see the disappointment in Mickelson during his post round interview.
At 43 years old, he knows his days of winning major championships are growing shorter and this was a very good opportunity to add to his career numbers.
Justin Rose has earned his spot in the winners circle. He first burst onto the golf scene with a T-4 in the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale as a mere 18-year-old amateur.
After turning professional, he promptly missed 21 consecutive cuts. It was a long hard road to keep plugging and find a game that would withstand the rigors of professional golf.
Rose did not begin to become a solid performer until 2001 when he collected two runner-up finishes and a win at the Dunhill Championship. He finished inside the top-40 on the European Tour that year and has not looked back.
With the help of his golf coach, Sean Foley, he has developed one of the best swings on the PGA Tour. Rose has been steadily growing and improving over the past five years and his win in the 2013 U.S. Open is the culmination of his hard work.
The biggest story of the week has to be the performance of the golf course itself. Merion Golf Club once again proved why it is a national treasure.
It was deluged with over five inches of rain on Monday and the maintenance staff was able to groom her for play starting on Thursday. More rain on Thursday halted play, but thick rough, narrow fairways, deep bunkers and the difficult greens kept scores in check.
Rose’s winning total was one-over par and there were precious few rounds turned in under-par during the week.
Merion Golf Club can add another notch to her illustrious history. Jones, Hogan, Graham and Trevino will need to make room for Justin Rose and the disappointment of Phil Mickelson in the latest chapter of the U.S. Open from Merion Golf Club.