Woods matches worst US Open round as a pro

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Tiger Woods shot a third-round 76 that began with a birdie but included no others.(Getty Images)


 PGA.COM June 15, 2013 8:18 PM


ARDMORE, Pa. -- Tiger Woods matched his worst round as a pro at the U.S. Open, and this one cost him Saturday at Merion.

Woods had a 6-over 76. That sent him tumbling down the leaderboard and out of contention. Unlike the other three times Woods shot a 76 in the U.S. Open, this came at the wrong time. He was only four shots behind going into the final round and started with a birdie. That was the only one he made.

He also shot a 76 in the final round at Shinnecock Hills in 2004, and he shot two rounds of 76 at Winged Foot in 2006 when he missed the cut.

Woods had a 77 at Oakland Hills in 1996 when he was a 19-year-old amateur.

US Open turns into major block party for locals

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As big as the crowds are inside Merion, they're even more boisterous just outside.(Getty Images)


 PGA.COM June 15, 2013 8:36 PM

By Dan Gelston, Associated Press

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Garry Van Arkel got a taste of what was in store when the U.S. Golf Association commandeered part of his property for parking and turned his tennis court into a security tent worthy of Philadelphia International Airport.

Folks like Van Arkel, who live in the stately homes lining the perimeter of Merion Golf Club, suddenly have 25,000 new best friends for drinks and nibbles and hanging out in genteel surroundings.

Who knew the block party of the summer could be found onGolf House Road.

Then again, there was little choice.

To pull off the U.S. Open, which hadn't been played at Merion since 1981, club officials needed help from members, many of whom live on properties practically flush against the course. Back then, there may have been a few tents sprinkled here and there. Now, they're everywhere, for merchandise, sponsors and sprawling hospitality villages.

So when the call went out for tennis courts front yards, and driveways, the neighbors didn't need much time to say yes.

"Hey, it's all part of the deal," said Van Arkel, who works in investment services. "If you want to have the U.S. Open after 32 years, this is what you've got to do."

You've got to look away when your yard starts looking like a Monster Truck rally tore through.

You've got to get used to those giant white tents.

You've got to turn a deaf ear to the air conditioning units and generators now a whisker away from your flower beds.

Van Arkel, a club member, has lost his backyard tennis court for about a month. The oversized "Welcome to the 113th U.S. Open" entrance tent for media and volunteers was plopped on the court, complete with baggage scanners and ID checks.

His yard was fenced in about a month ago and he was recently told he'd probably have to live with it another month before it's removed.

The USGA rented a vacant property near his house and cleared a path for carts to whisk VIPs away.

He refused to disclose how much he was paid for use of his land in one of the priciest areas in suburban Philadelphia. But Van Arkel called estimates of six-figure rent checks absurd.

Not far down the road, Bob and Joanie Hall's driveway just off the 16th tee morphed into Party Central. And every party needs a few good rumors.

The juiciest: Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy would take over one of the sprawling tent compounds and hang out there.


Nope. Just dozens of fans swigging beers, smoking cigars and eschewing high-def TV for the real deal just across the street.

And in any case, it's been a bit of a nuisance trying to drive anywhere so residents were issued ID badges so they could move freely around their own neighborhood.

Championship Director Hank Thompson said they could expect inconveniences for about another 45 days.

The USGA called Merion a "boutique Open" and the charm is apparent everywhere.

The first hole tee box is next to the clubhouse patio, where the tinkling of glasses rings through the air before the first drive of the day. Wicker baskets, the official symbol of Merion, have replaced flags on greens.

And forget lockers and podiums for post-round interviews. Most are held in the backyard of a home with a pool and a slide as a backdrop.

When the interviews are over, players hop a short shuttle ride to local businessman Tom Gravina's compound, which is now their hospitality area.

"We'll see in the end if everybody would do it again," Van Arkel said. "We would, and I'm guessing the majority of the neighbors would."

Hold on. Not everyone.

Suzanne Goodwin, who has lived on Golf House Road since 1975, can't wait for the circus to leave town.

Reached by telephone when a security guard (provided by the golf club) wouldn't allow a reporter to knock on the door, she said, ""Wait one second! I want to tell you the other side."

She complained of construction noise in the middle of the night and traffic turning her road into the "New Jersey Turnpike."

Goodwin said she didn't mind living through the 1981 Open because the takeover simply involved a few tents and beefed up security.

Now, it's life under the big top.

Goodwin is not a Merion Golf Club member, and claimed that's why the USGA didn't bite on her offer to rent her house.

Officials erected a 6-foot high fence in front of her property -- cutting a hole for her mailbox -- and Goodwin has a 24-hour security detail at the end of her driveway.

"We're basically prisoners in here," she said. "They just have all this nonsense. It's different when you actually live here.

"Now, if they were paying me for that," she conceded, "I wouldn't be so annoyed."

Phil Mickelson: U.S. Open has "the makings to be something special"

 Eric Adelson June 15, 2013 9:33 PMYahoo Sports





ARDMORE, Pa. – Phil Mickelson is all alone now.

All alone in the lead, all alone within reach of his greatest professional dream.

He is one shot clear of every other golfer still standing at the 113th U.S. Open. He is the only player still under par for the tournament, at minus-1.

Sunday is a day he will remember for the rest of his life – win or lose.

Sunday is Father's Day.

Sunday is his 43rd birthday.

"It's going to be a fun day tomorrow," Mickelson said Saturday evening with that knowing grin. "It's got the makings to be something special, but I still have to go out and perform and play some of my best golf."

Tiger Woods is out of it. Rory McIlroy is out of it. Every other major winner is out of it, except for Charles Schwartzel, one stroke behind. 

Very few viewers will tune in Sunday to watch Schwartzel. Sunday will be all about Mickelson – every shot, every expression. Five times he's almost won the U.S. Open. Five times he's finished second. That's a record, though not one to be proud of without a victory.

So it sets up like this: On Sunday evening, Mickelson will either feel like a world hero or the loneliest man on Earth. It will either all come together for him, or it will all fall apart.



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Phil Mickelson shakes hands with fans after Round Three of the 113th U.S. Open. (Getty Images)


It's been a different Mickelson all week here at Merion Golf Club. Absent is not only his driver, but his swashbuckling bravado. He's been Fairway Phil, hitting eight straight to close his even-par third round. Even when the course dangled temptation in front of him, he resisted.

On 10, with the tees moved up Saturday to the front box and the pin set close to the front of the green, the Par 4 played only 280 yards. Mickelson has the distance to drive the green. (For context, he had 274 yards to the pin on his final approach at 18 and slammed it to the far back rough.) So there it was: a chance to putt for eagle on a course where birdies are rare. Hell, it was a chance for a double-eagle with the hole looming there like an open purse in front of a pickpocket. Even the USGA release announcing the course set up called it "an opportunity to drive the green."

And what did Mickelson do?

He laid up and made birdie.

That's been the game plan all week for Mickelson. "Be patient," he said, "and not force the issue." On Tuesday night, a bunch of PGA Tour caddies were out at a bar decompressing with some of the Merion Golf Club staff. Chandler Withington, a long-time pro here, heard Mickelson's caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay, say his boss' cross-country flights home to see his daughter, Amanda, didn't worry him at all.

"We're going to be fine," Mackay said. "We've picked our lines."

It was really as simple as that. The pair had a plan for each fairway, they would stick to it, and they would not overthink on a course that all but begs a golfer to overthink. The man they call Lefty had an advantage going in, as the course favors southpaws. Several holes force righties to fade the ball into tight fairways, where Mickelson can play a much more comfortable draw. So he and Bones knew birdie chances would come if par chances didn't deteriorate into bogeys or worse.

It's worked. Mickelson's best holes have come from playing it safe and getting pleasant surprises. The 17th, a ridiculously long par 3 at 254 yards Saturday, was so damn-near-impossible to birdie that most players used woods off the tee and Ernie Els hooked his drive into the grandstand. 

"I'm thinking three," Mickelson said. "Hit the green and make par."

Not exactly a gambler's mentality, which Mickelson is known to incorporate.

So what happened? Mickelson pulled a 4-iron, gave it a rip, and was shocked to see the ball roll into birdie range.

"It was one of the best shots I've ever hit," he said.

The crowd, who had spent all day wincing and groaning and occasionally snickering at an array of misfires that must have looked like lawn darts tossed by a drunkard, detonated in cheers when Mickelson drained the putt to go to 2-under.

Then, Mickelson stepped to the 18th tee and used a four-wood to send his final drive just to the top of the hill in the distance. The crowd erupted again.

Even after all that, with every reason to get to bed on the night before the biggest day of his professional life, he stood in the darkness of the Pennsylvania evening to sign autographs for sunbaked fans.

It was the best of old Phil, and the best of new Phil. We've seen that for three straight rounds now. If we see that on Sunday, on his birthday, on Father's Day, we'll finally see old Phil and new Phil, alone with his long-sought U.S. Open trophy.