What? No US Open Thread?

[Nigel Tufnel]

Go, OGILVY, go! Go, OGILVY, go! Go, OGILVY, go!

Its on tomorrow....I absolutely love the US Open. I love watching the big boys being brought to their knees. The US Open on HD on Father's Day....ahhh, what's better? (OK, I realize that X in the Final Four or winning a NC would be better....but what's better this weekend?)

How's this for a nice weekend? Playing in a scramble Friday from about 9:00 am until 2:30 pm. The Wife is picking me up at the golf course and we are heading up to Columbus. We are flying up to Chicago for our 10th anniversary. Get there around 7:00 pm. Cubs tickets Saturday in Wrigley. Staying for free at the sister in laws house. Fly home early Sunday morning...land around 11:00 am. Drive home and enjoy Father's Day with a grill out and some US Open final round action. Don't have to go into work until Monday afternoon.

SA-WHEET!!!

For the record....here's who I'm going with this weekend. (Disclaimer: Tiger is looking unbeatable right now. Read that he played a practice round last week and hit every fairway...if that happens, this weekend WILL be a foregone conclusion...but as a guy who has been known to place a wager or two in my life....it is simply insane to take a guy at 3/2 against an entire field....just no value in that)

Stricker 28/1
Rose 80/1
Sabbatini 66/1
Allenby 66/1
Corky (from Life Goes On) Westwood 66/1
Cabrera 50/1 -- Dude won the Masters and has won a US Open and is an afterthought? I'll take it.
Villegas 40/1
Stenson 40/1 -- anyone remember the Players this year?
Furyk 20/1 -- can't not take Furyk in the tough conditions of the Open....who knows what happens if he hits that birdie putt on 15 at the Memorial?

and finally....

Ogilvy 16/1 -- just three years ago at Winged Foot I got this very same guy at 75/1....now he's listed first after Tiger and Phillip in terms of odds...oh what a long way he's come.

Can't wait for this weekend...so many story lines. Tiger, how badly will the fans abuse heartbroken Sergio? (if you don't know about this story, Greg Norman's daughter dumped him and he has blamed his poor play on getting his heart broken....he might be second guessing whether he shows up with the abuse he's going to take after flipping the fans the bird in 02), and obviously Phil. I'm not a big fan of Phil...but if he is in contention on Sunday, with the New York fans (who love him...not sure why...Phil and New York fans don't seem to fit), it will be classic sports television. It will be really hard to root against the guy, all things considered....of course unless he is going head to head with Ogilvy on Sunday.

OK guys, let's hear it....who is going to take this thing thing this weekend?

[DAllen15]

I've got Tiger, Furyk, Toms, Dustin Johnson and John Merrick on one fantasy team, and Furyk, Casey, Choi, Kim, and Perry in another.

Everyone's first thought was that you had to favor the bombers, and a soft course makes it even longer, but the flip side is the soft greens and a premium on accuracy favors guys like Zach Johnson, David Toms, Furyk, etc., so who knows?

J.P. Hayes is the early leader at -1 after 1, so that changes everything!

[Raoul Duke]

I think I've asked this before, but why do so many people dislike Phil?

Disliking Sergio I can understand (although he doesn't bother me that much.)

[chico]

Nice weekend, Nigel. All I can say is, (to quote David St. Hubbins) "Go, Nigel, go!"

Tiger has to be the favorite, especially after winning the Memorial. Ogilvy is a good choice, but seems to be the trendy pick. Maybe Zach Johnson or Stricker, but it's really a toss-up after Tiger.

[GoMuskies]

I think I've asked this before, but why do so many people dislike Phil?


He's supposedly got a reputation as a cocky a-hole on the Tour. His nickname, I understand is FIGJAM: F*** I'm Good, Just Ask Me.

[Juice]

I think I've asked this before, but why do so many people dislike Phil?

Disliking Sergio I can understand (although he doesn't bother me that much.)

Two words: Bitch tits

[DAllen15]

The one thing that's always bothered me about this rumored dislike of Phil is it's always off the record, and there's never any confirmation of whether he's actually a phony or not.

Two Masters' ago, I got a forwarded email (always a reliable source of information) that had been sent to dozens of guys with a supposedly "true" story about Phil stiffing some guys he was playing for money, and it was supposedly confirmed by a Golfweek editor. The person sending the email added something like "what an a***ole Phil is".

Of course, it was immediately found out to be 1000000% untrue, and denied in writing by the Golfweek editor who was supposedly the source, but by then the damage had already been done.

If you read John Feinstein's comments in various publications, he'll tell you that not only is Tiger the most-fined guy on the PGA Tour every year for language and club-abuse violations, but also Team Tiger (especially early on) was notoriously arrogant and not exactly people-friendly, yet those observations rarely, if ever, make the rounds.

[Raoul Duke]

Interesting. I guess my glib understanding of him is from mainstream media and interviews, etc. Seems like a likeable guy up front, but I'm certainly not privy to what goes on behind the scenes.

[XUglow]

I watched Phil sign autographs in Memphis last week, and you have never seen a pro be nicer about the whole thing. I went from this signing session out on the course to follow a friend on mine for 3 holes, and when we got back to the clubhouse at the turn, Phil was in the same place still signing autographs and talking with people, and he had the same at-ease manner about him that he had 45 minutes before. The fans were soaking it up.

If this guy ever was a prick, he isn't one these days. He certainly didn't have to stand there all of that time, yet he did it anyway. To me, that was impressive.

[DAllen15]

Good point, Glow. Maybe it's all for show, I don't know, but Phil seems to be one of the very few PGA players who are Arnold Palmer-like in terms of signing autographs and interacting with the fans.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Personally, I don't dislike Phil...I'm just not a big fan...I choose to root for other golfers. A buddy of mine who lives out in Albuquerque once told me a story about Phil. His brother was a principal of a high school in Eastern New Mexico. For a field trip, the school sent students to an amusement park in Texas. This had to have been at least 10 years ago. When the students got to the amusement park, Phil and Amy were there. The principal told my buddy that Phil and Amy spent a half an hour with the students, signing autographs, talking, etc. I guess all the boys wanted their picture taken with Amy and the Mickelson took the time to let each of the boys have their picture taken with her.

That is truly a nice story and I've always respected him for that. Just not the guy I choose to root for....that being said, if he is in contention Sunday, like I said, it will be really hard not to root for the guy.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Nice weekend, Nigel. All I can say is, (to quote David St. Hubbins) "Go, Nigel, go!"

Tiger has to be the favorite, especially after winning the Memorial. Ogilvy is a good choice, but seems to be the trendy pick. Maybe Zach Johnson or Stricker, but it's really a toss-up after Tiger.

Thanks, Chico. I agree, Ogilvy does seem to be the trendy pick, but not for me....I bet on him every week he competes.

Looks like play has been suspended....and the scores indicate that Bethpage is going to be the victor this weekend.

[GoMuskies]

Looks like superstar Johan Edfors is the man to beat. That is, if he can beat out legend Jeff Brehaut.

[XUglow]

Looks like superstar Johan Edfors is the man to beat. That is, if he can beat out legend Jeff Brehaut.

Golf tournaments are just short enough to make an upset possible and just long enough to make an upset unlikely.

[Stonebreaker]

Here's an update. It's raining.

[GoMuskies]

Brehaut is now the clubhouse leader at level par. Looks unstoppable to me.

On a less sarcastic note, I saw that this is only Brehaut's second US Open, and in his first he came in 17th. Pretty impressive.

[GoMuskies]

Tiger crumbled down the stretch finishing 4 over in his last four holes and 4 over for the round. That puts him four shots back of Jeff Brehaut with only 54 holes to play....

[Jumpy]

That is nearly an insurmountable lead for the noob. I may as well not even watch at all this weekend.

[XUglow]

Mickleson is off to a -1 start after 3. His ball strking was pretty good at Memphis (other than #18), but his putting was awful. He likes to be aggressive, but he was nuking putts anywhere from 6 to 12 feet past the hole. I don't think he had a good sense of "down grain / down hill" on Championship Bermuda. What was odd to me is that he didn't seem to be picking up on it as the week moved along.

Sergio is off to a -1 start as well after 5 holes. There are few safe bets in golf, but I am pretty sure that the NY crowds will be under his skin again before too long.

[XUglow]

David Fricking Duval is -1 through 13 holes. WTF?

[GoMuskies]

Duval came up through qualifying, so he must be playing pretty well. It seems like his name comes up near the top of the leaderboard about once a year.

[DAllen15]

Phil's at -3 right now, one shot behind the leaders.

[GoMuskies]

Weir's actually at -5 now.

[DAllen15]

Weir sank his 3-footer about 4 seconds after I posted, so, yes, I was behind the curve on that breaking news.

[XUglow]

Duval came up through qualifying, so he must be playing pretty well. It seems like his name comes up near the top of the leaderboard about once a year.

He started par, bogey, bogey, and now he is -2 after 15. It wouldn't surprise me if he won or missed the cut.

[GoMuskies]

Winning would surprise me. An 80 for him this afternoon and missing the cut would not.

[XUglow]

I followed him for 3 holes at Southwind last week. He didn't make the cut, but he hit the ball beautifully when I saw him.

Another WTF? Todd Hamilton is at -2. This is The US Open and not The Open, correct?

[GoMuskies]

Damn, Duval is the clubhouse leader. A good round this afternoon and we are looking at one helluva story this weekend.

[GoMuskies]

I think I'm more impressed with Duval's second round 70 than I was his first-round 67. To quickly go 4 over and have it be slipping away and somehow get it back to even par at the US Open is pretty damned amazing.

[Stonebreaker]

Espn's round the clock coverage of the US Open is nice..if you like golf. Did they forget other sports are going on?

[Nigel Tufnel]

Ricky Barnes, huh....wow. Didn't think anyone would sniff double figures under par. Still a lot of golf to be played, but wow. -11.

Just got back from Chicago...had a nice weekend. A little bit of culture shock for this Southwestern Ohio kid. I'll be the first to say that I don't have a homophobic bone in my body, but I didn't realize that my wife's sister and her boyfriend live right smack in the middle of Boystown. Whoa....now that was an eye opener. Their apartment is about 50 yards from "Gaymart." There was a bondage store right around the corner called "RAM: A Gay Treasure." There were fisters in the display window. I'd say the ratio of gay to straight walking down the street was about 20:1, but the neighborhood was very safe. I asked my sister in law's boyfriend if he had ever been to the bar on the corner of his street called "Little Jim's." He informed me that he hadn't....didn't like the idea of going into a bar with the windows blacked out. I later learned that the reason the windows were blacked out is because they show a lot of gay porn on the tv's in the bar. Again, whoa....

Had great seats and a great time @ Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon. That is definitely a must experience event for a sports lover. And the talent @ Wrigley Field on a sunny Saturday afternoon...well, impressive is a good adjective.

Chicago is a great city....I'm just glad I'm not a cigarette smoker. A pack of cigarettes in Chicago is $9.50!!!! Deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's was also wonderful.

I'm just glad that my wife and I didn't plan this trip for next weekend. Its the gay pride parade/weekend in Boystown. Based on my experiences over this weekend, I've got to imagine being there next weekend would go well, well beyond over the top.

[thefortyniner]

Even after a rough 3rd and beginning of the 4th rounds for him, I can't say enough about fellow Niner Trevor Murphy. Graduated last year, birdied out 16, 17, and 18 for a -1 69 2nd.

This from a kid who started playing competitively when he walked on at Charlotte. Rising star, anybody?

[XUglow]

Even after a rough 3rd and beginning of the 4th rounds for him, I can't say enough about fellow Niner Trevor Murphy. Graduated last year, birdied out 16, 17, and 18 for a -1 69 2nd.

This from a kid who started playing competitively when he walked on at Charlotte. Rising star, anybody?

The guy obviously has talent to make the US Open and make the cut, but 60th out of 60 isn't exactly star quality.

[GoMuskies]

Hunter Mahan seems to be the odds on favorite right now. Mickelson, Woods and Duval have all been no-shows today, and Barnes and Glover are doing what you would expect Barnes and Glover to do on this stage.

[chico]

Here comes Phil. 4 back after 9 and only 1 away from Mahan. The problem is he's shown zero consistency this week. It's either him or, as Go said, Mahan, but Weir is still lurking.

[GoMuskies]

All of a sudden Tiger is back in it.

[chico]

How in the world is David Duval still at even? He's had tow of the worst holes you could have and he actually has a birdie putt coming up.

Tiger's going to go 1 under, so you're right, he's back in the thick of things. This could be shaping up to be a pretty damn good finish.

[DAllen15]

Tiger's got a 15-footer to save par at the 15th, so he's running out of holes, and if he bogeys this, he's pretty much dead in the water.

Those last 4 holes in his first round really took him out of things. He's going to be kicking himself for not making more of a charge with the field coming back to him.

[GoMuskies]

Woods needs a lot of help after that bogey at 15. I'm liking Mickelson's chances, though. And Glover might hang in there.

[DAllen15]

Tiger's going to have to birdie out, and then hope the leaders stumble a bit.

Phil's got more holes to play with, but he's going to have to stop treading water and get going.

[Michigan Muskie]

I don't think I've ever seen Tiger miss as many putts as he has this tourney.

[DAllen15]

He's just not hitting the midrange putts that we've come to expect him to hit. He needs a miracle at this point.

[GoMuskies]

Man, the Barnes swing has totally come apart under pressure. Some of those swings make him look like the average weekend hacker. He's almost falling down after some of these swings.

[XUglow]

If Tiger puts up -2, he will be looking good for at least a play-off. He is harder to kill off than that dude from Halloween.

[GoMuskies]

Missed another short one. He's done.

Mickelson?!? What a story that could be.

[XUglow]

Phil! What an effing putt!

[GoMuskies]

Start putting Phil's name on the trophy.

[chico]

Lefty 6 footer for eagle! If he makes it he's tied.

[XUglow]

Lefty 6 footer for eagle! If he makes it he's tied.

It may end up being Phil vs. Mahan down the stretch. It's hard enough for Glover to be in the last group. Being in the last group with Barnes imploding is extra hard.

[Michigan Muskie]

I'm pulling for a Mickelson - Duvall playoff. I want more golf and I want two stories.

[GoMuskies]

I'm pulling for a Mickelson - Duvall playoff. I want more golf and I want two stories.

Throw Glover in too as the mascot.

[GoMuskies]

Duval tied with two to play! UNREAL!

[Michigan Muskie]

I love working from home. I love golf in HD. I still have beer in my keg. This is not good.

[GoMuskies]

How about that clutch iron from Glover? Not ready to give up yet.

[Michigan Muskie]

I hope Duval wins only to make Rick Reilly and his goofy smile eat crow.

[Masterofreality]

Lefty has had this tournament in his pocket, but let it get away again. He is a great short game player, but sure makes some bad plays when it gets down to it in the Open.

Duval has had a great tournament, but missed another short putt.

This is Glover's tourney to lose. The US Open is the home of unlikely winners.

[Jumpy]

Man, I was pulling for Mick hard. Sad thing is, people will end up calling him a choke artist instead of focusing on the fact that he played extremely well considering the circumstances of his personal life.

[GoMuskies]

I thought Glover was a huge Cinderella story, but he's actually been pretty damned good this year. He already had a 2nd and a 3rd on Tour this year, and even before today he had $1.2 million in earnings this year and was 26th in FedEx Cup points. Not the longshot I thought he was.

[Michigan Muskie]

I thought Glover was a huge Cinderella story, but he's actually been pretty damned good this year. He already had a 2nd and a 3rd on Tour this year, and even before today he had $1.2 million in earnings this year and was 26th in FedEx Cup points. Not the longshot I thought he was.

I kinda want to diddle his wife. Is that wrong?

[XUglow]

I thought Glover was a huge Cinderella story, but he's actually been pretty damned good this year. He already had a 2nd and a 3rd on Tour this year, and even before today he had $1.2 million in earnings this year and was 26th in FedEx Cup points. Not the longshot I thought he was.

He just missed out on the Ryder Cup last year. If you can sniff that team, you are legit.

[PMI]

He just missed out on the Ryder Cup last year. If you can sniff that team, you are legit.

Yea, but his only previous Tour win came after a 40 foot putt on the 71st followed by a long chip in on the 72nd and that was 4 years ago, so he wasn't exactly a predictable champ.

[DAllen15]

On XM, the announcers just mentioned that, prior to this week, Glover was 0-3 in making the cut at the U.S. Open, going a combined +34 in those three tournaments.

And while Glover wasn't exactly a Cinderella story coming into the Open, he did fly under the radar. His '08 winnings were down almost $700,000 from '07, and he had 10 top 25's in '08 versus 16 in '07 and 26 in '06. Plus, he hadn't won a tourney since 2005.

This year, he now has 10 top 25's in 15 starts, which ranks among his best years, so he may be back on track.

[Fred Garvin]

Man, I was pulling for Mick hard. Sad thing is, people will end up calling him a choke artist instead of focusing on the fact that he played extremely well considering the circumstances of his personal life.

Except Phil's choke rep long precedes the recent issues in his personal life. Under pressure he misses makeable putts. I mean it isn't by accident that he has so many runners up in the Open. It's unfortunate cause you were hoping he'd put this to rest.

But kudos to Phil for continuing to put himself in these situtations. I'd invoke the Man in the Arena quote but CCQ would ball it "cliched."