Golf Us Open

Tiger Woods won five times in 2009, but for the fourth time in his 13-year career, he was shutout in the majors. That may not be cause for concern for Woods, but it gives fans and the media something to talk about. It also makes the "How would you rank the major championships?" question a lot more interesting.

With only one tournament left on the PGA Tour calender, now seems like as good a time as any to make my case. Obviously, this will be a scientifically rigorous endeavor, and I hope that you would treat the results accordingly. Or don't. Whatever, let's get to it.

In reverse order, the most exciting majors of 2009:

This seems impossible: Bob Bubka, a radio golf analyst from Long Island, predicted on Ireland's Sportstalk Radio that Lucas Glover would win the U.S. Open. I'll be honest: I've never heard of Bubka, but apparently he's well known in degenerate gambling circles; his opinion was enough to move the odds from 175-1 to 11-8.

Still, Paddy Power, a legal bookmaker, reported losses of $1.6 million, citing a "betting frenzy" following Bubka's radio appearance. But unlike some people who just stared at the list of players in the U.S. Open field and randomly selected a name (see me, for example), Bubka actually knows what he's talking about.

Kenny Perry was the story on Thursday at the Travelers Championship. He fired a first-round 61, good for 9-under and two shots clear of the field.

(Also, I have to mention how Bacon "Eddie Mush-ed" Perry midway through his back nine, sending me the following e-mail: "Kenny P is 8-under through 14 holes at the Travelers. Nobody has ever shot 59 on a par-70 course, but three more birds and Mr. Perry would be there." Shane also likes to remind pitchers that they're in the middle of a no-hitter. So, yeah, Perry didn't stand a chance.)

Ricky Barnes finished in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list last season, and for the first time in his then-five-year professional golf career, he had earned his PGA Tour card.

Success has been fleeting for the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, who was also the low amateur at the 2003 Masters. From 2005-2008, Barnes competed in just five PGA Tour events as a professional, making two cuts. This year, he's played 13 tournaments, played on the weekend seven times, including a second-place finish at Bethpage Black last week (although prior to the U.S. Open, his best finish was a T47 at the St. Jude).

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will list the top five names in golf and why they're important. Did Barack play 18 with Tiger? Did a certain player do something controversial off the course? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a weekly feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Ana Ivanovic -- Yep, she plays tennis, but she also is wooing a golf heartthrob away from the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. Adam Scott, who is to the PGA Tour what Erin Andrews is to sideline reporting, has said he will miss the AT&T to go watch Ivanovic at Wimbledon. The word is they're dating, but nothing has been confirmed. I guess here's hoping Ivanovic makes it long enough so that Scott can sport his Burberry on the hallowed tennis grounds.

Lucas Glover was born in Greenville, SC, played golf at Clemson, just won his first major -- the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, NY -- and more surprising than that, perhaps, he's a Yankees fan.

So even though Glover grew up 750 miles south of the Big Apple, he loves the city and its Bronx-based baseball team. Alex Rodriguez appreciates the support.

On Tuesday, after outlasting the field -- and the weather -- over five days, Lucas was in New York City, making the rounds, and that included a stop at the Ed Sullivan Theatre to rattle off the Top Ten List. Hilarity ensued.

Moving pictures after the jump.

Bill Murray is probably one of my five most favoritestest actors of all time. Sure, at his age, he's become a touch annoying, but he's starred in so many roles that I loved as a kid and then still into "adulthood" (it doesn't technically count if you're not mature, right?) that I'm willing to give him a pass. Besides, he routinely does stuff like this: busting out his Carl Spackler at Bethpage Black during a rain delay at the US Open. <3 u, Bill.

Other than deploying the squeegee brigade, there wasn't much Bethpage superintendent Craig Currier could do about the torrential rains last week. But if the U.S. Open is to return to the Black Course -- and there's no reason to think that it won't -- the USGA might have to do something about the finishing hole.

The 18th is listed as a 411-yard uphill par 4, and the fairway is one of the lowest point on the course. Which means that a downpour will leave the landing area for tee shots virtually unplayable. The USGA's workaround? Move up the tees.