The Live Report: U.S. Open, Monday
It's the first non-playoff Monday finish at a U.S. Open since 1983, and we will have live updates from Bethpage Black until the last putt drops.
GLOVER MOVES INTO TOP 10 (1:44 p.m.) -- Lucas Glover's victory at Bethpage Black is worth a whopping 600 FedExCup points, moving him all the way to ninth in the standings. The victory is also good for a five-year exemption on the PGA TOUR.
The victory also gives Glover a shot at playing in the Presidents Cup this fall at Harding Park. Glover was 34th in the U.S. standings before the U.S. Open.
Glover was a Presidents Cup rookie in 2007 in Montreal, where he went 2-3-0 in his matches.
LUCAS GLOVER, U.S. OPEN CHAMP (1:21 p.m.) -- It was a wild ride -- as most journeys are in the U.S. Open -- but Lucas Glover survived with the steadiest of play to win by two strokes at Bethpage Black.
It's Glover's second career PGA TOUR win; he previously won the 2005 FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort.
Glover resumed the final round Monday morning tied for the lead with Ricky Barnes at 7 under. He dropped three strokes in the first nine holes, but he then put together five straight pars to get back on track.
Then after bogeying the par-4 15th -- the toughest hole on the course -- he bounced back with his only birdie of his round to move back to 4 under.
He then parred the last two holes to finish out his final round 73.
Barnes, shooting a final-round 76, finished in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson and David Duval. For Mickelson, it's his fifth second-place finish at the U.S. Open, while Duval had his best finish since winning the British Open in 2001. -- Mike McAllister
IT'S GLOVER (1:20 p.m.) -- Lucas Glover easily made a short par putt to seal an unlikely U.S. Open win -- he became the first sectional qualifier to win since Michael Campbell in 2005.
Glover's final margin was two shots over Phil Mickelson and David Duval, who each finished at 2 under 278.
GLOVER ON THE 72ND GREEN (1:13 p.m.) -- Lucas Glover is safely on the 18th green in two and needs a par to seal his first major championship win and second PGA TOUR win.
DUVAL BOGEYS THE 71ST HOLE (12:58 p.m.) -- David Duval just lipped out a five-footer for par to move back to 2 under, giving Lucas Glover a two-shot lead on the 17th tee.
PHIL'S IN WITH 70 (1 p.m.) -- It appears Phil Mickelson may have to settle for yet another runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.
After finding himself in the lead midway through his back nine, Mickelson bogey the 15th and 17th holes to finish with a final-round even-par 70, leaving him at 2 under for the tournament.
That puts him two shots behind leader Lucas Glover, who has two holes to play.
Mickelson saw his birdie putt on the 18th just slide by on the right.
If Mickelson ends up tied or in sole possession of second, it would the fifth time he's finished as the U.S. Open runner-up. -- Mike McAllister
GLOVER RECAPTURES LEAD (12:54 p.m.) -- Lucas Glover just birdied the par-4 16th in the same fashion David Duval did 15 minutes ago, moving him back to 4 under and in sole possession of the lead.
If Glover can get through the 211-yard par-3 17th with a par, he will be tough to beat. The par-4 18th is playing only 357 yards and has been an easy par all day.
RORY AT PEBBLE BEACH (12:50 p.m.) -- Regardless of what happens over the next 12 months, Rory McIlroy has assured himself of a return to the U.S. Open.
The young Irishman shot 68 in the final round to finish at 2 over ins his U.S. Open debut and in a tie for 10th. The low 15 players and ties at the end of this championship earn automatic invitations to next year's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
"It was a really solid round and could have been a little better, but I made a couple of putts for pars that were very crucial as well," the 20-year-old phenom said. "Overall I was very pleased with how I finished."
McIlroy won his first European Tour event earlier this year in Dubai, and he has five other top-10s. Small wonder that he's looking forward to the British Open next month with great anticipation.
"I feel as if I've got the game to contend in majors now and try and compete to win them," said McIlroy, who tied for 42nd at Birkdale last year and 20th at the Masters earlier this year. "So yeah, the Open is a big target of mine in the summer." -- Helen Ross
BOGEY, BOGEY FOR MICKELSON (12:48 p.m.) -- Phil Mickelson missed the green at the par-3 17th and failed to get up and down, moving him to 2 under. David Duval and Lucas Glover are now the only ones at 3 under.
DUVAL TIES MICKELSON, GLOVER (12:44 p.m.) -- David Duval just birdied the 16th hole for his third birdie in a row, tying him with Phil Mickelson and Lucas Glover at 3 under.
Duval hit his tee shot all the way down the hill at No. 16, leaving him with a mere 8-iron to the 490-yard hole. Duval hit his approach to 10 feet and made the putt, leaving him with an excellent chance to score his victory anywhere in the world since his win in the 2001 British Open.
GLOVER, MICKELSON TIED AGAIN (12:37 p.m.) -- Lucas Glover picked a bad time for his first three-putt of the week at Bethpage Black.
Glover became the latest to bogey the hole when he three-putted the hole to drop to 3 under. At virtually the same time, over at the par-4 16th, Phil Mickelson two-putted the 16th for par to remain at 3 under.
RARE BIRDIE AT 15 (12:35 p.m.) -- If David Duval goes on to win, he'll likely look at his birdie on the par-4 15th as a key moment.
That's because a birdie is rare at that hole, which has the scariest green on the course, two tiers with a severe slope. The 15th, just like it was at the 2002 U.S. Open, is the toughest hole on the course, with just 17 birdies recorded there all week.
By making birdie at the 15th, Duval essentially picked up a stroke on every other contender. It was also his second consecutive birdie, as Duval moved to 2 under for the tournament, two strokes off the lead. -- Mike McAllister
STRONG FINISH FOR STENSON (12:33 p.m.) -- Henrik Stenson got his name on the leaderboard midway through the fourth round but THE PLAYERS champion never was in contention.
Stenson closed with a 69 -- his only sub-par round of the week -- and ended up 1 over for the championship when he birdied the 16th hole. Later, Stenson assessed his game.
"Double C, hopefully moving in the B direction," he said. Still, Stenson thought his short game was sharp and he was happy overall with his performance during the damp and disjointed week..
"Pretty pleased with knowing this was going to be the last couple hours at the course, and as I said, it's been a long week for everybody," Stenson said. "I can only imagine how hard the green-keeping staff have worked, endless hours and middle of the night to keep this course playable, given the amount of rain that they had. -- Helen Ross
FISHER BACK TO 2 UNDER (12:28 p.m.) -- Ross Fisher is the latest player to bogey the par-4 15th after failing to reach the green in two.
Fisher's long par putt rolled right over the coin of playing partner David Duval, who birdied the hole to move to 2 under for the championship. Since triple-bogeying the par-3 second, Duval is two under on the day.
TIGER ON HIS ROUND (12:23 p.m.) -- Quick quote from Tiger Woods summing up his final round:
"I had a chance today. I birdied 13, 14, and ... hit the best shot I hit all week at 15. Just ended up making bogey there.
"Then I gave myself chances on the last three holes. I hit an 8-iron right underneath the flag right where you need to leave it, striped a 4-iron. And on 18 I had to be a little more conservative because of where I was.
"But overall, I gave myself so many chances and made nothing."
Indeed, it was the putter that let Tiger down this week, as he took 120 putts. -- Mike McAllister
BIRDIES ON THE FINAL HOLE? (12:23 p.m.) -- The 18th at Bethpage Black usually plays 411 yards, but the tee boxes are moved up nearly 60 yards today. There is plenty of room in front to bomb a driver just short of the green, so birdies are definitely attainable today on the closing hole.
GLOVER BACK IN THE LEAD (12:17 p.m.) -- Phil Mickelson just three-putted the 15th hole for bogey to drop back to 3 under.
Mickelson hit a brilliant approach out of the rough to the back of the green, but he left his birdie putt four feet short. His par putt veered off line, and Mickelson had to nail a gritty four-footer coming back for bogey.
FIGHT TO THE FINISH FOR BARNES (12:15 p.m.) -- The Cinderella story may be coming to an end, for Ricky Barnes but there is still an awful lot to play for. With Phil charging and Lucas Glover seemingly harnessing his own demons, Ricky continues to slide. But there is so much at stake. An eighth-place finish or better will get him a date at Augusta next year. A top 16 finish will put him in the U.S. Open field next year at Pebble Beach.
Not to heap too much importance over these last six holes but the next phase of his career is on the line. In his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, Ricky earned less than $70,000 toward his quest to finish in the top 125 on the money list.
However this plays out for Ricky he has shown personality and character this week. Fresh faces and unique personalities are good for the game. Realized potential is even better. Win or lose, Ricky Barnes made a lot of new fans this week. -- John Maginnes
FINALLY, PHIL'S TIME? (11:54 a.m.) -- Sam Snead is the most famous name to never to win the U.S. Open, but Phil Mickelson is a close second. And Mickelson is about an hour away from erasing that black mark once and for all.
Mickelson has a record four runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, and if he can get it done today, he will be three-fourths of the way to a career Grand Slam. A potential Grand Slam is off the books until 2010 at the earliest, because Mickelson said last week that he will most likely miss the British Open as his wife undergoes breast cancer surgery.
TIGER FINISHED (11:49 a.m.): -- Tiger Woods appeared on the verge of a back-nine rally when he birdied the 14th, but he failed to get up-and-down after landing in the rough on the next hole and he never regained his momentum.
After dropping a shot there at the 15th, he parred in for a 1-under 69 that leaves him at even par for the tournament and the leader in the clubhouse.
That'll be good enough to land him in the top 10, but with Phil Mickelson moving up to 4 under and in a tie for the lead with Lucas Glover, Woods appears to be too far back as the leaders play the back nine.
Ultimately, Woods' opening-round 74 will prove to be his undoing, as he played the final three rounds in a collective 4-under (69-68-69). -- Mike McAllister
MICKELSON CATCHES GLOVER WITH EAGLE (11:47 a.m.) -- Phil Mickelson just eagled the 554-yard par-5 13th to catch Lucas Glover at 4 under, eliciting a roar from the partisian New York crowd.
Mickelson covered the flag with an approach from only 229 yards out, setting up a short eagle putt.
Glover missed a birdie putt on the 12th hole that would have retaken the lead at 5 under, but he pulled it left.
RED-HOT POULTER (11:35 a.m.): Ian Poulter was too far back at the start of the day, but he's quietly putting together an impressive final round.
With two holes left, Poulter is 4 under for the round and is now 3 under for the tournament.
Just four other players are under par for their final rounds. Rory McIlroy and PLAYERS Championship winner Henrik Stenson are finished after shooting two-under 68s, while Matt Bettencourt carded a 69 -- his second sub-par round in his first U.S. Open start. -- Mike McAllister
FISHER ON TARGET (11:25 a.m.): One of the reasons England's Ross Fisher is in contention for his first major is his ability to hit greens in regulation. He leads the field in GIR this week with a 76.56 percentage (49 of 64). He hit 15 of 18 greens in the first round and 16 of 18 in the third round.
But he hasn't been as accurate in the final round, hitting just six of his first 11 greens. He found the rough in front of the 11th green, but a nice pitch allowed him to save par and remain at 2 under, just two strokes off the pace. -- Mike McAllister
BACK-NINE SHOOTOUT (11:10 a.m.): When Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover left Bethpage Black on Sunday evening -- one hole into their final round -- the two were tied for the lead at 7 under.
Since then, both have been in a downward spiral, which has brought loads of players back into the tournament for what's sure to be a back-nine shootout.
After 63 holes, Glover maintains a one-shot lead over Barnes at 4 under after his 2-over 38 on the outward nine. Barnes, meanwhile, appears to have lost the magic that helped him reach 11 under in the third round on Sunday. With a 4-over 40 on the front nine, Barnes has dropped all the way back to 3 under.
All of that is the long way of saying, this Open is now wide open.
England's Ross Fisher is at 2 under through nine holes, while Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir are all three shots off the pace at 1 under and have just begun their back nine.
And, don't look now, but Tiger Woods is even par through 15 holes and tied for seventh. He's going to need a birdie or two and a lot of help coming in to have a chance. -- T.J. Auclair
IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE (11 a.m.): There aren't a lot of things in his incredible career that Tiger Woods hasn't already accomplished. But, winning a major despite trailing after 54 holes is one of them.
Woods trailed by 15 shots at one point in the third round, but now finds himself just four shots off the lead at 1 under.
Of course, Woods has gotten quite a bit of help from front-runners Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes, who have backed up considerably. But, over that time, Woods has been no slouch.
Starting his final round before the darkness set in on Sunday evening, Woods bogeyed his first hole to drop back to 2 over. Since then, he's been a remarkable 3 under in arguably the toughest conditions at Bethpage Black this week because of the wind.
Through 14 holes, there's no question that Woods is still going to need some help from those in front of him. However, he'll certainly help his own cause with his name making its presence on the first page of the leaderboard. -- T.J. Auclair
WHEELS OFF FOR BARNES (10:50 a.m.): -- Just an hour ago, Ricky Barnes was 7 under and had a one-stroke lead. But the pressure of being in the U.S. Open may have finally kicked in for the 36- and 54-hole leader.
Barnes has just bogeyed four consecutive holes and is now 3 under for the tournament, two strokes behind Lucas Glover, who has held steady with four pars in the same stretch.
There's still time for Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champ, to regain his stroke. But after getting to 11 under at one point during the third round Sunday, he has been steadily backtracking. -- Mike McAllister
BACK NINE PREVIEW (10:35 a.m.): The leaders are still a couple of holes away from reach the back nine, but Lucas Glover might be the most comfortable on the back nine.
Among the top six players currently on the leaderboard, Glover has the best results on the back nine through the first three rounds. He's a collective 6 under on the backside (35-32-32), producing eight birdies against just two bogeys.
His playing partner in the final group, Ricky Barnes, is a collective 2 under on the back nine.
Of the other four players still under par for the tournament, Mike Weir is 4 under on the back nine, Ross Fisher and Peter Hanson are each 1 under, and Hunter Manan is even par.
Meanwhile, in case you're wondering, Phil Mickelson is 2 under on the backside and Tiger Woods is 1 over. -- Mike McAllister
GLOVER BACK IN THE LEAD (10:32 a.m.) -- Lucas Glover just hit one of the best shots of the day, bombing a fairway wood 242 yards onto the green at the 489-yard par-4 seventh. The par gave Glover the sold lead at 5 under after Ricky Barnes dumped his approach shot into the bunker and made bogey.
IS MAHAN THE ONE? (10:17 a.m.): -- If you're looking for someone to make a charge and chase down the leaders down the stretch, Hunter Mahan might be as good a choice as any.
Mahan, a member of last year's winning Ryder Cup team for the U.S., certainly has the ability to get hot and string together birdies. In fact, Mahan is tied with J.B Holmes for most birdies recorded this week at Bethpage Black, with 16 apiece. And Mahan ranks T11 in birdie average on the PGA TOUR this year at 4.14 birdies per round.
Mahan already has two birdies today and is just three strokes off the pace as he nears the turn. -- Mike McAllister
THE LAST EUROPEAN HOPE? (10:15 a.m.) -- Ross Fisher has certainly flown under the radar at the 109th U.S. Open.
He has shot par or better in his first three rounds, though, and the 28-year-old Englishman is holding tough during Monday's finale. Fisher is even for the day and 2 under for the tournament through six holes -- which leaves him tied for fourth with Mike Weir, just four strokes off the pace.
Should Fisher go on and win, he would be the first European winner of the U.S. Open since 1970 when Tony Jacklin beat Dave Hill by seven at Hazeltine. -- Helen Ross
SIXTH BITES PHIL AGAIN (10:06 a.m.): -- The 408-yard par-4 sixth has been a particularly adventurous hole for Phil Mickelson ... and not all that kind for the most part.
Using iron off the tee Monday, Mickelson found the fescue on the left side of the fairway and had to take an unplayable lie, ultimately resulting in a bogey that drops him to 1 under for the tournament.
In the third round, Mickelson found the rough with his drive and hit a 9-iron approach shot that buried under the lip of a greenside bunker, leading to double bogey, one of just 12 recorded at that hole this week.
Mickelson also bogeyed the hole in the first round, although he did make birdie in the second round.
The hole hasn't been one of the most difficult this week, ranking as the eighth easiest. -- Mike McAllister
HANSON HANSEN (10:04 a.m.) -- From the "believe it or not" desk, which has several other names that can't be spoken here, we have some news. As of 9:55 a.m. Monday morning, there were only two players in the top 10 that were under par for the final round. It wasn't Tiger, Phil, or even even Retief. It was two guys named Hanson -- or Hansen -- depending on which part of the continent you call home.
Peter Hanson of Sweden and Soren Hansen of Denmark were both one under par and trying to push their way into the mix in the final round of the U.S. Open. Why not? We have had a little of everything else this week. Why not meet the Hansons...or Hansens. The question is, where the heck is Anders? -- John Maginnes
FEW GOING LOW (9:45 a.m.): Of the 60 players left in the field, just nine are currently under par for their final rounds. Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Matt Bettencourt have the best scores going thus far, with each player at 2 under for his round. Those three, howevers are still over par for the tournament and not within striking distance ... yet.
The greens are speeding up by the minute at Bethpage Black. They are running about 13 on the Stimpmeter -- definitely the highest we've seen during this championship. -- Mike McAllister
TIGER AT THE TURN (9:36 a.m.) -- If defending U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods wants to make any noise Monday, he better do so quickly, since he has just more nine more holes left in his final round.
Woods has just completed his opening nine and is seven shots behind leader Ricky Barnes. Woods resumed his final round at 1 over, but birdied the par-4 seventh to move to even par for the tournament. -- Mike McAllister
GLOVER DROPS A SHOT (9:29 a.m.) -- Lucas Glover just bogeyed the par-3 third after missing the green, and Ricky Barnes made a beautiful up-and-down from the bunker to save par. Barnes has the sole lead at 7 under.
HANSON MAKES MOVE (9:25 a.m.): Peter Hanson has the hottest start thus far with back to back birdies at the fifth and sixth holes. That moves Hanson, who has two European Tour wins, to 1 under.
Meanwhile, Hunter Mahan has also made a move with a birdie on the par-5 fourth to move to 3 under, just four strokes off the lead.
ROUGH START FOR DUVAL (9:20 a.m.) -- David Duval entered the final round only five shots back, but he's already given back four shots in the first three holes.
CINDERELLAS WELCOME AT U.S. OPEN (9:16 a.m.) -- The list of U.S. Open major winners is usually reserved for the greatest players of their generations, but this tournament is famous for producing the unlikeliest of winners.
Ricky Barnes is trying to become the first sectional qualifier to win since Steve Jones in 1996 at Oakland Hills. Jones' win was one of the most incredible stories of the decade -- he had won three times in 1989 before a motorcycle accident damaged a finger on his left hand. His Cinderella win in 1996 gave him remarkable new life, as he went on to win three more times in the next two years.
IT'S GO TIME (9 a.m.): The fourth round has officially resumed, as co-leaders Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover are hitting their approach shots on the second hole. Barnes had pulled his tee shot way left, but he somehow muscled his ball onto the green and made par. Glover also two-putted for par. -- Mike McAllister
WEATHER UPDATE (9 a.m.): The skies over the Black Course at Bethpage State Park are overcast, but it looks like we'll be safe from showers until the afternoon. So if there is an 18-hole playoff, there could be some rain, but any such storms aren't expected to be intense and should move through the area quickly.
The possibility of rain is 20 percent until noon and increases to 40 percent from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. With any luck, though -- and trust us, the fans who are coming out to the Black Course on Monday deserve some luck -- those umbrellas won't be needed. -- Helen Ross
GROUPS WE'RE WATCHING (7:50 a.m.): Only a few holes were played Sunday evening -- just one for the leaders -- before play was called due to darkness. As the final round of the U.S. Open picks back up Monday morning, here are the groups we're watching.
| GROUP | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| Ricky Barnes and Lucas Glover | Barnes began the final round with just a one-stroke lead over Lucas Glover and dropped that shot quickly on his first and only hole Sunday evening. They will tee off Monday tied for first at 7 under. |
| GROUP | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| David Duval and Ross Fisher | Once one of the best players in the world, Duval hasn't won since the '01 British Open, while Fisher has made a habit of showing up in majors the last few years. |
| GROUP | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan | Mickelson has been the sentimental favorite with the fans at Bethpage all week, and Mahan has shown he can find the birdies he needs to win this thing. |
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