Maginnes: U.S. Open Sunday a fitting tribute to dads

Championship Sunday at the U.S. Open has fallen on Father's Day for the past several decades. And whether they win or lose our country's national championship, the dads in the field can take comfort in knowing their most important job is outside the ropes.

By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.com Contributor

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Happy Father's Day.

It is a cruel irony that the greatest golf-playing fathers face their toughest professional test on the day that honors them. Championship Sunday at the U.S. Open has fallen on Father's Day for the past several decades. Interestingly, though, the tournament has been around longer than Father's Day itself.

Father's Day was officially recognized by the government in 1972 -- the year that Jack Nicklaus celebrated with his third U.S. Open championship.

The best players in the world miss an awful lot in their pursuit of glory. Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are just some of the milestones that are celebrated on the road -- or slip past all together.

The PGA TOUR has a mobile childcare for players with young children that is run by some extraordinary women. These women, who set up in a new town every week, make it possible for families to travel together and for wives to watch their husbands play during the day.

As a player's career progresses and his children grow and start school, the opportunities for his children to travel become less and less. The life of a PGA TOUR player is about adjustment, sacrifice and time management. Knowing this makes them more human.

No other sport requires its players to be away from home as much as professional golf. There are very few home games. Couple that with the fact that golfer's careers are the longest in sports, and you can see the sacrifices that are made.

On the driving range before the final round of the U.S. Open, I wished Taylor's father, the 51-year-old Fred Funk, a happy Father's Day. He celebrated his 51st birthday on Thursday of U.S. Open week. Jammed into the towel loop of Fred's TaylorMade golf bag is a small, stuffed chicken hawk.

I learned that its name is Henry. When I asked him if the furry little animal being lynched on his golf bag was a gift from his son, he laughed. The truth is that fellow PGA TOUR father Blaine McCallister started calling Fred Funk "Fog Horn Leg Horn" during a round a few years ago and the nickname stuck.

As Father's Day progressed at the 107th U.S. Open it seemed unlikely that a current father would prevail. Steven Ames was the only father in one of the last three pairings. Of course, Tiger Woods is an expectant father. However, halfway through the front nine, the dads made a charge. Steve Stricker, the father of two, and Ames, who has two children, two took the lead. Angel Cabrera was just one back. Jim Furyk was two back.

Callie's and Tanner's dad made a terrific run on the back nine as he rolled in three consecutive birdie putts. In the end, the 2003 Open champion would finish one back. Ames and Stricker wouldn't hold either but can hold their heads high for their efforts in the toughest test in golf. They can all hold their heads even higher for their far more important job as fathers.

In the end, a 37-year-old father of two from Argentina shot 69 and came from four shots back to win the 107th U.S. Open. He will be toasted all over the world for his accomplishments. The man affectionately known as "pato," or the "duck," becomes an overnight celebrity worldwide. But like all the other fathers in this U.S. Open field, somewhere there are two little people who call him "Dad" or "Papa." They don't love him any more today than they did yesterday. That is what Father's Day is all about.

Happy Father's Day.