Graeme McDowell Has It All in Open Win

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Northern Ireland's scruffy-faced Graeme McDowell, the man who on Sunday won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach to become the tournament's first European champion in 40 years, had everything needed to alter history. On his side were a hot putter (third in the field), a steady and dependable swing (12th in greens hit in regulation) and plenty of help (the only real final-day pressure applied came from the 391st ranked player in the world, Gregory Havret, a Frenchman.)

"I couldn't believe it," the winner said. "No one was going crazy."

That depends. McDowell, no doubt, was expressing his surprise that not a single golfer with a marquee name and promising final-round position had managed to mount a charge because there were certainly more than a few who went home less than mentally stable.

The voices in their heads that Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson will be hearing long into the future are all saying pretty much the same thing: "One that got away."

That's because McDowell, the first Euro winner since Tony Jacklin took the title in 1970, won with a final-round 3-over 74, the highest last-day score by a U.S. Open winner in 25 years -- Andy North in 1985.

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•How Do Pros Prepare for Pebble? "It's a surreal feeling right now," McDowell said. "It really is surreal. I really played good today. I played my game today. It requires luck though to win a golf tournament -- there's so many top players around, Tiger and Phil. I didn't expect Gregory to be the man who would be taking me to the line, it's great to see European golfers playing well."

When the day was finally over, McDowell's winning tally was even-par, one shot better than Havret, who shot a closing 1-over 72. Els, even-par when the day started and 3-under after eight holes, finished third at 2 over. Mickelson (73), even-par at the turn, and Woods (75) both finished plus-3 and tied for fourth.

And then there was Johnson.

Fresh off a third-round 66 and owning a three-shot 54-hole lead when he went to the first tee, Johnson didn't just come back to the field, he reversed directions like a bungee cord was hooked to his belt loop -- triple bogeying the second hole, double-bogeying the third and bogeying the fourth to begin a tumble that did not stop until the count hit 82.

Johnson's misery unfolded like a slow-motion freeway pileup, the hard-swinging, full-bore attack that had paid early dividends, suddenly costing him any chance.

The downturn started at No. 2 with an ill-advised attempt at a left-handed chip from the edge of a bunker, followed by a wedge from the rough that basically slid so cleanly under the ball that it barely moved. Once on the green, he three-putted from 15 feet, the final miss from inside three feet.

A wild tee shot to the left and lost-ball penalty followed at No. 3 and his drive at No. 4 went over a cliff on the right.

"There's not too many bad golfers on this trophy. And to join an elite list of names, I mean, careers are defined by major championships and my career's off and running today."
-- Graeme McDowell He wasn't alone.

Conventional wisdom going into the day suggested that if the third-round leader, a winner at Pebble Beach in the PGA Tour's last two AT&T Pro-Ams, could not stand up to the final-round pressure, the battle-tested Woods would likely be the biggest beneficiary.

As it turned out, he went backward also. With expectation fueled by Saturday's 66, Woods came out of the blocks with bogeys at Nos. 1, 4 and 6 and never was a serious contender.

"It's disappointing because I started off so poorly again and left myself above the hole," Woods said. "Every putt I missed was from above the hole. Yesterday I made everything because it was all below the hole. These greens are bumpy enough where putts above the holes it's just pot luck."

Mickelson and Els were only slightly better, mustering early promise but both fading over the back nine.

"Well, obviously Graeme played some incredible golf," Mickelson said. "I didn't see it I was in front trying to catch him, but I think what happened -- Dustin Johnson's one of the best players in the game, and this course he had a tough time with today and it happens.

"It just happens as part of this tournament. But to play steady and to withstand some tough holes the way Graeme did and to come out on top, he played some great golf. I think there were a number of guys, though, that as soon as Dustin made a triple, a number of guys, it was a wide open tournament. Many guys had a chance. And it made for kind of an exciting U.S. Open, I thought."

Especially if you happen to be McDowell, who claimed his fifth career European Tour title a few weeks ago, and now has his first U.S. win. The 30-year-old who played college golf at the University of Alabama at Birmingham labored his way home with a back-nine 3-over 39 that speaks volumes for the day's degree of difficulty, but it was just enough when Havret bogeyed the par-3 17th hole.

"It's my fourth major, first U.S. Open," said Havret, who earned his way into the field by holing a 50-foot putt in a qualifying tournament playoff. "Of course I'm a bit disappointed now because I've been so close to heaven. But, anyway, it's great for me, for sure."

With a one-shot lead to take to the final hole, McDowell reached the par-5 green in regulation, and safely two putted from 20 feet for the victory.



ShareA few minutes later, he returned to the green for the winner's presentation where he applauded the crowd, and kissed the trophy while cuddling it like a new puppy.

"There's not too many bad golfers on this trophy," he said. "And to join an elite list of names, I mean, careers are defined by major championships and my career's off and running today. It's been a special few weeks. To win in Wales and to come here and win, I mean I can't describe how I feel.

"I'm playing the golf of my life right now. And to pick up this trophy, I don't know ... I'm not sure how much partying I'm going to do over the next three months. Probably I should sober up pre-Ryder Cup at some point, but I'm looking forward to celebrating this one and it's a cool feeling."