By John Berry
The 2009 United States Open Golf Championship contested at Bethpage Black on Long Island is now in the record books. Although it lacked the drama of last year”s overtime win by Tiger Woods over Rocco Mediate at Torrey pines or the jaw dropping finality of Geoff Ogilvy”s ?06 win at Winged Foot when Phil Mickelson double bogeyed the last hole from a hospitality tent, there were still a lot of interesting themes at the 2009 People”s Open at the historic municipal golf course.
Like the 1964 Open at Congressional and the 1975 version at Medinah where excessive heat was the story, or the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach where gale force winds were the overriding issue. Mother Nature was the headline story for the 2009 National Open. Rain and the reslting mud along with eclectically creative tee times (starting round four on Sunday evening at 7:22 pm) were the prevailing stories. Most of Thursday was rained out. Some golfers played as many as 32 holes on Friday. The cut was finalized by midday Saturday with television viewers getting to watch contestants like Josh Brock conclude his second round at +22 over par alongside fellow amateur Drew Weaver as he reacted ala Tiger Woods to go to +2 over par with a final hole birdie.
The fact that grounds crew was able to ready the course following each dumping of serious precipitation was a major coup. The fact that the blue coats from the United States Golf Association made the contestants play the ball down instead of resorting to the PGA Tour standard of “lift, clean, and cheat,” opened the door to player complaints but also solidified the USGA”s newfound reputation as the final bastion of real golf.
Sharing center stage with the rain was 29 year old U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Glover didn”t exactly meet the USGA”s ordained quest to identify the best golfer nor did the Clemson grad win because everyone else around him lost. Instead, Glover won because it just so happened to be the week when the stars were all aligned for him, especially with regard to his favorite tee times. It could just as easily fall into place for hime during his four days at Bethpage Black. Long and accurate driving is crucial at a U.S. Open. Glover was ranked number one in total driving, a compilation stat combining driving distance with accuracy. He hit the ball 291 yards off the tee on the average, hit 71% of the fairways, and reached the putting surfaces 72% of the time. Combine that with 28 one-putt greens and you have the statistical formula to win the 2009 National Open by two strokes.
During the course of Sunday and Monday”s concluding rounds, it was easy to sense that 36 hole leader Ricky Barnes would not survive atop the leader board. Guys like Ricky Barnes don”t win United States Open championships. However, the same could not be said with regard to Lucas Glover. He is in his sixth full season on tour. He had won a PGA Tour event during his sophomore season of 2005 when he holed out a final hole sand shot to beat Tom Pernice at Disney World by one stroke. He got all the way to 21st on the money list in 2006 and was a member of the victorious American team in the 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal.
Although Glover didn”t necessarily have a golfer”s pedigree , he definitely had a strong strain of competitive genes in his background. The two time all-American began playing the game at age three, introduced to the sport by his grandfather, Dick Hendley. A business in South Carolina, Hendley was a legend in local sporting circles in his home state. Hendley lettered in football and baseball at Clemson, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 1950s, and like his grandson, is a member of the Clemson University Hall of Fame.
When Lucas reached the ripe old age of nine, his grandfather connected him with highly regarded teaching professional Dick Harmon, the son of Masters champ Claude Harmon. Glover thrived under Harmon”s tutelage. He was a three time Rolex high school all-American, broke through with a victory at the South Carolina State Amateur as an 18 year old and then proceeded to win two more consecutive State titles, won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur, and played on the 2001 Walker Cup team. He also played in the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, missing the 36 hole cut while being paired with John Maginnes and, believe it or not, Ricky Barnes.
Glover spent two seasons on the Nationwide Tour, winning the 2003 Gila River Classic and earning his PGA Tour card at the conclusion of that season. The 2004 rookie campaign was a mixed bag. Glover made 17 of 30 cuts, finished 134th on the money list, returned to Q School, and birdied the final hole of the 108th hole marathon to qualify for the 2005 PGA Tour on the number. He hasn”t been back to Q School since.
Glover is just 29 years old. He”s been successful at every level that he has competed at. He hits it far, he hits accurately, he hits a lot of greens in regulation, and putts it light-years better than Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas, all fellow 20-somethings. He also has one more major golf championship than the aforementioned three.
Finally, the USGA continues to distance itself from the 2004 debacle of Shinnecock Hills by making sound decisions, over and over again. Playing the ball down in the U.S. Open fit the USGA”s real golf profile. Repairing and then sending the golfers out again on Saturday and Sunday evening, even if if was only for one or two holes, was a valid gesture on the part of the bluecoats. The end result was a colorful top ten leader board featuring the game”s top players, Tiger and Phil, established linksters such as Sergio and Mike Weir, Euros such as Soren Hansen, Henrik Stenson, and phenom Rory McIlroy, and long shots like Ricky Barnes and David Duval. It also had a most noteworthy champion in Lucas Glover, who will be heard from again at future Grand Slam tournaments.
