Graeme McDowell wins U.S. Open
Graeme McDowell hung on to win the 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Here's how it happened:
First hole: 380 yards, par 4
Phil Mickelson comes up short with his approach, but putting from off the green, opens with a birdie to get back to even par.
Tiger's going with a black sweater today, but he has his traditional Sunday-red shirt on underneath.
From 145 yards out of the first cut of rough on the left, Tiger's approach goes well past the pin. He leaves his first putt surprisingly short, misses a 4-foot curler for par and bogeys to fall back to even par.
In the final group, Graeme McDowell hits a hybrid into the fairway and Dustin Johnson is in the right first cut off the tee. Both hit the green with their approaches. Johnson and McDowell make par to round out the first hole.
Second hole, 502 yards, par 4
Els and Mickelson are both inside 10 feet on their approaches. Phil just misses his birdie effort and Ernie makes birdie to get to -1.
Tiger’s partner, little-known Frenchman Gregory Havret, just misses his second straight birdie.
Tiger has about a 15-footer for birdie, but he misses the big right-to-left swinger.
McDowell nearly hits the pin with his approach, but the ball runs well past the flag. He two-putts for par.
Johnson, from 165 yards, finds deep grass around a bunker. His first shot goes only a few feet, and his next one is worse. He’s finally on in 5, but he misses a short putt and makes triple. He’s now tied for the lead with McDowell.
Third hole, 404 yards, par 4
Phil’s drive finds a bunker. From 112 yards, he knocks his approach inside 10 feet. Typical “Phil the Thrill” shot. He can’t convert the birdie putt, though.
Tiger snap-hooks one off the tee. He hacks out a shot short of the green. His next shot leaves him a 15-footer for par, which he makes.
Johnson is way left off the tee. They’re looking for his ball. He’s in BIG trouble. It’s a lost ball; he’s returning to the tee. His third shot finds a bunker.
Now we learn that Johnson’s first ball was found, but not within the five-minute time limit. Johnson’s bogey effort catches the lip. In golf, triple-double is not a good thing.
McDowell cozies in a 4-footer for par to take the lead by himself at 3-under.
Fourth hole, 331 yards, par 4
Ernie’s drive finds a bunker. He hits a pretty sand shot to 5 feet and converts the birdie putt to get to -2.
Phil drives the green, but his eagle putt slides 4 1/2 feet past and he misses the birdie effort, too. That’s the other side of “Phil the Thrill.”
Tiger catches a fairway bunker off the tee. He’s short of the green in two and putts 5 feet past. His par effort just catches the left edge and spins out. Bogey.
Johnson wisely goes with a fairway wood off the tee, but loses it right – right over a cliff. He finally gets it together, hitting a pretty pitch close. But his par putt lips out. He cannot buy a break right now.
Fifth hole, 195 yards, par 3
Out of the back bunker, Ernie blasts to 6 feet and saves par.
Phil misses the green, but chips close and saves par.
Tiger’s on, but not close. His birdie effort leaves him 4 feet for par. And he makes.
McDowell hits a beautiful iron, leaving himself a good chance for birdie. And he makes it to get to -4, back in the lead alone.
Johnson misses another green, but not too badly. He should be able to save par — and he does.
Sixth hole, 523 yards, par 5
Ernie hits a gorgeous 200-yard approach, leaving him about 8 feet for eagle. He leaves the putt short, makes the birdie and ties for the lead.
Tiger’s drive looks good — until it finds the hazard on the right. After a penalty drop, his third shot finds the greenside rough. He misses an 8-footer for par and makes his third bogey of the day to drop to +2.
Havret two-putts for birdie to get to -2, one shot behind.
Johnson’s just short of the green in the rough in two. So is McDowell. Neither one gets close with his chip. Neither makes birdie, either.
Seventh hole, 109 yards, par 3
Ernie’s wedge goes to the back fringe. He chips close and saves par.
Phil spins his shot back to the middle of the green. He two-putts for par.
Just when you’re about to write him off, Tiger runs in a 25-footer for birdie to get back to +1. He’s five shots back.
Johnson hits the green, but powers his first putt past the hole and misses the 5-foot comebacker. What a nightmare.
McDowell pars to maintain a two-shot edge over Els, who’s in trouble at the 10th.
Eighth hole, 428 yards, par 4
Ernie’s well short of the green in two after his approach rolls back down the hill. Phil’s just off the front. He two-putts for par.
Good par save from 6 feet for Ernie.
From 197, Tiger’s approach comes up short and rolls back down the hill. Putting from well off the green, he comes up well short, misses the next putt and makes another bogey. Back to +2.
Havret makes his first bogey of the day.
Out of a greenside bunker, McDowell blasts to 6 feet. He makes it and has a three-shot lead on Havret.
Ninth hole, 505 yards, par 4
Ernie’s VERY short of the green with his approach. He runs his third up to about 18 feet and two-putts for bogey.
Gary Koch tells us McDowell hasn’t missed a fairway today — so naturally he does. But just barely. But then he leaves his approach in the front bunker. The resulting bogey drops him to 3 under.
Tenth hole, 495 yards, par 4
Ernie’s drive is headed for the Pacific. While beach-walkers watch, he’s on the steep slope trying to find his ball.
He has to take a drop, then hits his third into the gunch short of the green. He finds it and gets it onto the green, but misses his bogey putt. The double bogey drops him back to even.
Phil misses a 4-footer for par to drop to +1.
(Davis Love III hanging around at +1 through 11.)
Commentary on Tiger’s 124-yard approach: “This is no good at all. Terrible.” Looking at the result of the shot, that might have been too kind. The ball is in the hay. He finds it and hits a decent pitch to the green, but pushes the putt and makes another bogey.
Havret three-putts for bogey, falling back to even.
McDowell follows his bogey by splitting the fairway with a driver. Style note: Gotta love him going old school with a cardigan sweater. His second runs to the frog hair at the back of the green. This will not be an easy par. His chip runs way past the hole and he makes bogey. His lead is down to two over Els and Havret.
A par for Dustin Johnson. Despite shooting 42 on the front, he’s only four shots back.
11th hole, 390 yards, par 4
Ernie’s bunkered, and can’t get the explosion close. He just misses a 12-footer for par and falls five shots back.
Havret comes up short of the green on his second shot. He hits a beautiful putt for a tap-in par.
Tiger’s approach is inside 10 feet, but he can’t make the putt.
McDowell scares the cup with his birdie bid, but settles for par.
12th hole, 202 yards, par 3
Ernie hits a terrific 5-iron inside 3 feet. Let’s not bury him just yet. The bird gets him back to even.
Phil – remember him? – rolls in a medium-length birdie to get to +1.
Tiger misses the green left, tries a flop shot. He’s no Phil. His 25-footer for par won’t drop.
McDowell’s in the front bunker off the tee. Gorgeous splash-out to 2 feet. Even with his hiccups, he’s looking solid.
13th hole, 445 yards, par 4
Pars for both Ernie and Phil.
McDowell note: No matter what happens from here on in, he’ll likely continue this trend. This is his 5th U.S. Open and he has improved his finishing position each year: 80th in ’05, 48th in ’06, 30th in 07 and 18th in ’09.
Johnny Miller notes that McDowell hasn’t hit this green all week – so naturally he knocks it close.
Tiger misses a birdie putt from inside 15 feet. Jack’s breathing easier.
14th hole, 550 yards, par 5
Ernie and Phil both fail to get their approaches far enough onto the green and watch them roll back down the hill. What is this – the ninth at Augusta? It’s bogey city for both.
Havret’s ball runs back off the front of the green, too, but he hits the flagstick with his fourth and saves par
Tiger’s in the front bunker, but stiffs a sweet bunker shot for a tap-in bird.
McDowell is bunkered off the tee. He lays up, then hits his third over the green. He putts up from the collection area, but the ball goes well past the cup.
15th hole, 397 yards, par 4
Ernie and Phil both close to the hole – but Ernie’s there in two and Phil in three after curiously not taking a drop from a TV cable and coming up short on his second.
Ernie rams the short birdie bid well past the cup – unless McDowell implodes, that could be the killer. He’s three back.
Havret, out of the right rough, hits a greenside bunker to the left of the green. Nice bunker shot, though, and a par save. He’s hanging tough.
McDowell thinks he’s got a birdie, but the ball burns the right edge.
16th hole, 403 yards, par 4
Ernie on in two, but not close. Phil misses in bunion-deep rough. Ernie burns the cup with a great birdie bid. Phil can’t get his chip close and bogeys.
Havret scares the cup with a long birdie bid.
NBC is now getting excited about Tiger saving pars.
17th hole, 208 yards, par 3
Ernie finds the bunker off the tee. Phil misses way right but hits one of his patented amazing pitch shots to get close and save par. Ernie can’t save par. He’s three shots back at +2.
Havret finds a greenside bunker, but he has a good lie. His bunker shot is decent, but goes past the pin and he makes bogey, giving McDowell a two-shot edge.
McDowell in the left-hand bunker off the tee. He’ll have a long bunker shot. He blasts it 12 feet past and can’t make the par putt.
18th hole, 543 yards, par 5
Ernie’s in the front greenside bunker in two. Phil, too. Better than where he was earlier in the week. Ernie comes close to holing it for an eagle, but the ball goes 6 feet past the cup. Phil can’t spin his shot and it runs into the rough. Ernie misses the putt – he’s toast. This is a round he won’t want to mentally replay.
Havret nicely off the tee at the last. He steps away from his second – nerves? Despite his entreaties, his approach won’t turn over and finds the bunker. His blast leaves him 8 feet for birdie. But he yanks his putt left and finishes with a par. Now McDowell just has to par to win.
Tiger in the right rough off the tee and just short of the green in two. Leaves himself 8 feet for bird. Misses and makes par for a disappointing 75.
McDowell, with a one-shot lead on Havret, with a nice driver off the tee. He’s in the short rough to the right, past the trees. He lays up.
Johnson, the forgotten man, is on in two after a monster drive and 184-yard approach.
From 99 yards, McDowell hits a wedge 25 feet past the hole. He has two putts to win.
Johnson lips out his 3-foot birdie try. For most of the day, Pebble Beach was a cat and he was a ball of yarn. Would have been nice to see him finish on a positive note.
McDowell lags his first putt to 2 feet. He taps in for the title. Congratulations to the U.S. Open champion.