Winners and Losers From U.S. Open Week

Posted Jun 16, 2008 10:15PM By Shane Bacon (RSS feed)

There hasn't been a big golf tournaments of memory where I heard more casual golf fans say things like, "I can't peel myself away from golf, this is great TV."

People that normally think golf is more pointless than a Matthew McConaughey movie were glued to the television like their uncle was in contention, even playing hooky to see if the pool boy could actually hold off the titan.

Here are the winners and losers from a week that will be remembered in U.S. Open history for as long as people play blade irons.

Winners

Tiger Woods -- If he had been 100 percent healthy, the interest level would have dropped tremendously. Instead, the bum knee made Tiger actually, gulp, human. We saw him wincing, yelping, pouting and in the end, prevailing. It might not have been the sexiest performance of his 14 major wins, but it was definitely the most thrilling. The next time anyone doubts Tiger Woods, think back to June 12-16, 2008. The man really can do it all.

Rocco Mediate -- He lost and it was disappointing for anyone that loves an underdog sports story, but could you have picked a more perfect foe to battle Tiger? Gracious, quirky and a little abnormal, Mediate threw every pitch he had at Tiger and still couldn't strike him out. He might not have won a trophy this week in San Diego, but he made us all realize how much fun true competition can be.

NBC -- The prime time coverage was excellent, no matter if it involved Johnny Miller and his endless talk of "hole-in-one" pin positions. It might have seemed like it lasted forever at times, but it was nice to have something to watch with your pops late in the afternoon of Father's Day. A thumbs up to the idea and here is one golf fan hoping it continues in 2009.

D.J. Trahan -- The 27-year-old had never made a cut at a major, but changed that with a tie for 4th place. Unlike Tiger, Trahan never made more than a bogey this week with four rounds that never spiked higher than a 73.

Torrey Pines and the USGA -- It sure was nice to have a golf tournament with very little complaining from the players. Hopefully this is a new age for the USGA, making all the tees available for play and even making the par-4 14th an interesting and strategic 269 yards. The graduating rough made it penal for an errant tee shot but not horrible for someone that just missed the fairway by a couple of yards and the bunkers played difficult like they should. It would be beneficial to this championship to continue this trend next year at Bethpage Black.

Losers

Phil Mickelson -- What appeared to be the stars aligning for his first U.S. Open title turned out to just be a few fireflies. People have criticized his philosophy to leave the driver out of the bag, but that wasn't the problem, it was his tee game in general. Lefty didn't bring his A game this week, and only a final round 68 yesterday had him finish in the top-20.

The Spectators -- I have never seen a golfer have to back away from as many shots as Tiger did during Sunday's round and Monday's playoff. Maybe it was antsy spectators that had waiting around all day to see the two arrive on their hole or maybe it was drinking beer on a hot day in the sun, but it seemed like a lot of people didn't know when to scream and when to shut up (Obviously I understand that out of 1,000 people, one guy doesn't define the crowd, but it seemed to happen more than usual).

Lee Westwood -- He hung around all Sunday with Tiger, but just couldn't wiggle that birdie putt in on the last hole of regulation. It really was a shame, because Westwood played the most steady golf of anyone all week, just was one birdie short of another round at Torrey.

Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia -- Another major, another disappointment. Two guys that have struggled of late continued to struggle at the big tournaments down the stretch.

Davis Love III -- I was trying to find an analogy that wasn't Davis Love himself, but I can't. Love turned in a typical Love performance, shooting 72-69 to get people talking, and then not making a birdie the entire weekend!

I almost added the British Open to the list, because it really has a lot to live up to after this major championship. I hope you all enjoyed this U.S. Open as much as I enjoyed writing about it.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-17-2008 @ 12:42AM

George B Vieto said...

ESPN and NBC. The Tiger Woods proganda machine. Thank God for the mute button.

6-17-2008 @ 11:00AM

les said...

Tiger should have been penalized for slow play. No other golfer would be viewed with awe taking 5 hours to play 18.

PS does Johnny Miller brush his teeth after kissing Tiger's A**

6-17-2008 @ 1:33PM

Mo said...

I thought that this was just an exciting battle between two men....One the Greatest...The other having a chance to come so close at a Cinderella ending....But I must say Rocco was having a ball and it was really nice to see him ENJOYING his time with many smiles and much laughter....He showed True professionalism......I was Disappointed he lost!....As for Tiger...You don't throw down your iron because you had a lousey shot but I must say he showed he is human on the Golf Course!.....I know that it is said that he carries no fear while playing and for him that's great but he can learn a few things from Rocco....I never enjoyed a player as much as I did Him......To me he was the REAL WINNER!

6-27-2008 @ 12:33PM

B.R.V. said...

Is it really that painful for all of you Tiger haters? You sound so pitiful and distraught. What would you have NBC and ESPN do?....not talk about the greatest golfer to ever play the game. Tiger is so dominant in his march toward history, with his flare for the dramatic and the excitement, the networks would be fools not cover his every move. The ratings speak for themselves.....they're through the roof! Stop sounding so bitter and angry....enjoy the ride! You'll be able to tell your grandchildren that you were a witness to the GREAT TIGER WOODS making history.