Wichita Eagle: Golf

Justin Rose finds a coach and a friend

DOUG FERGUSON — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:03 CDT

Next week marks four years that Justin Rose first began working on his swing with Sean Foley. But in the moments after winning the U.S. Open for his first major championship, Rose referred to him as more than just a swing coach.

He gave credit to Foley for improvements each year, particularly being able to hit the ball a little longer and a little straighter. Rose also mentioned a text that Foley sent him Sunday morning before he closed with an even-par 70 for his two-shot win.

"He said something along the lines of just go out there and be the man that your dad taught you to be and be the man that your kids can look up to," Rose said Sunday. "Really, that was my goal. Today was about winning the U.S. Open, but it was also about honoring great men that have come before us. A lot of us have that sort of situation with their fathers."

Mickelson has silver market cornered in US Open

DOUG FERGUSON — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:08 CDT

The U.S. Golf Association is not opposed to inflicting cruel and unusual punishment at its premier championship, so here's something it might want to consider.

Award the "Phil Mickelson Medal" to the runner-up in the U.S. Open.

There is precedent. The U.S. Open champion has received a gold medal ever since this brute of a tournament began in 1895, and yet the USGA tinkered with 117 years of tradition by last year changing the name to the "Jack Nicklaus Medal."

Nobody asked me, but ...

Drew Markol, Sports Network — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:55 CDT

Tennis, anyone?

Because we sure don't know much about what's going to happen with golf.

Shortly after the U.S. Open ended on Sunday, after Englishman Justin Rose jumped from a tie for fifth after three rounds to win the whole thing over Phil Mickelson and Jason Day, United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis was asked about the Merion East golf course in suburban Philadelphia.

Golf Tidbits: Rose proves that he is Philly tough

Kevin Currie, Sports Network — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:30 CDT

In a four-year span, Justin Rose has conquered two of the hardest courses in the Philadelphia area. If Pine Valley, the top-ranked course in the country, were to host a PGA Tour event in the coming years, my money would be on Rose.

The AT&T National was contested at Aronimink Golf Club in 2010 and '11, and in his eight rounds there, Rose broke par in five of them. He won the 2010 playing of that tournament and endeared himself to the locals.

Fast forward to 2013 and Rose returned to the Philadelphia suburbs to take on the East Course at Merion Golf Club. The club was hosting the U.S. Open, which generally is played under firm and fast conditions with thick rough.

England's Rose blooms after 17-year wait for major

STEVE DOUGLAS — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:15 CDT

Ever since Greg Norman's final-round implosion allowed Nick Faldo win the Masters in 1996, a generation of fine English talent has come up short in golf's four major championships.

With his seven top-3 finishes, Lee Westwood's near misses are a thing of golfing folklore. Luke Donald has been ranked No. 1 but never come that close down the stretch in a major. Ian Poulter saves his best for the Ryder Cup, while Paul Casey's star has fallen since his breakthrough year in 2009.

Finally, after a 17-year wait, England has a major winner in U.S. Open champion Justin Rose.

Bill Dwyre: Why do so many love to hate Phil Mickelson?

BILL DWYRE — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:10 CDT

The only thing more baffling than Phil Mickelson's inability to finish the deal in a U.S. Open is the delight so many people seem to take in that.

From my vantage point, he appears to be the most unpopular popular person in sports. I don't get it. Never have.

This week at the Merion Golf Club, where he finished second for an unimaginable sixth time in a U.S. Open, he was prominent for lots of obvious reasons. First, he was at or near the lead the entire tournament. Second, he did the unusual, flying to San Diego the day before the tournament for his daughter's eighth-grade graduation and flying back just in time for his Thursday 7 a.m. tee time.

Mike Kern: Merion shows it is an above-par site for a major

MIKE KERN — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:35 CDT

Former USGA executive director David Fay, one of the people primarily responsible for bringing the U.S. Open back to Merion's East Course after a 32-year absence, probably put it best a few months back, when asked whether this would necessarily be the last national championship held in Ardmore. Pa.

"Assuming the club wants it, and we always have to ask them because it might be too much of a hardship to go through, but if it plays out the way those of us who are fans of the club and the course think, hopefully there could be another one," he insisted. "But that goes back to, if you didn't have that attitude, then you shouldn't be there in the first place. That doesn't make sense."

Everyone knew there were going to be many more logistical issues than usual. So sacrifices had to be made, in large part because you're dealing with a place that's built on a little more than 100 acres.

Bob Ford: Merion's toughness was a victory for Philly

BOB FORD — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:25 CDT

Somewhere in the late afternoon of the U.S. Open's third round on Saturday, as Tiger Woods stalked after yet another errant tee shot, a proud local pierced through the perfunctory smatter of misplaced applause and yelled, "Merion's got teeth, Tiger."

This was not news to Woods, nor to any of the 156 golfers who tested it during the Open, none of whom would manage par for the course, which certainly isn't for them.

The United States Golf Association took what Merion had already done in toughening the layout, and used deep cuts of rough and persnickety pin placements to keep the golfers humble, and all of them left saying very respectful things about the course. What they said in private about the humorless bent of the USGA is another matter.

This Week in Golf -- June 20-23

Last year, Sports Network — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:05 CDT

Leishman, who earned his first title on the PGA Tour, finished the tournament at 14-under-par 266. The Australian had twice finished as the runner-up, and tied for third at the Byron Nelson Championship that May.

U.S. Open winner Justin Rose is in the field this week after securing his first major championship title at Merion Golf Club.

Golf Channel will have coverage for the opening two rounds before handing over to CBS for the weekend.

Few changes in women's world rankings

Sports Network — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:25 CDT

With the LPGA and Ladies European Tours off last weekend, there was little movement in the latest women's world rankings.

Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, Suzann Pettersen and Na Yeon Choi remained the top four players in the world. So Yeon Ryu and Yani Tseng exchanged places with Ryu inching up one to fifth. Shanshan Feng stayed put in seventh.

Karrie Webb inched up one to eighth and that bumped Jiyai Shin down one to ninth. Shin was trailed by Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Catriona Matthew, Paula Creamer, I.K. Kim, Mika Miyazato, Ariya Jutanugarn and Amy Yang, who remained 10th through 17th.

Solheim Cup to donate to firefighters

EDDIE PELLS — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:35 CDT

Never afraid to let a tear or two drop, U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon did, indeed, get choked up when asked about the fundraising effort the tournament is organizing for firefighters battling blazes close to the golf course.

She wasn't nearly as warm and fuzzy while discussing how she'll choose the last two members of her team.

With the Solheim Cup only two months away, Mallon said she sent an email to the top 30 players in contention for the 12 spots on the team that will compete against Europe at Colorado Golf Club from Aug. 16-18. Ten of those spots will be earned based on rankings; Mallon will make the last two picks.

Travelers says Rose plans to play in Connecticut

PAT EATON-ROBB — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:15 CDT

U.S. Open champion Justin Rose has no plans to take any time off after winning his first major championship.

Nathan Grube, the tournament director at the Travelers Championship, said Rose's wife, Kate, called shortly after he won his first major title, to confirm they would be in Connecticut for this week's tournament.

"She called last night at about 9:30 and I looked down at the phone and said, 'This is either going to be a really good call or a really bad call,'" Grube said Monday. "It was fine. She said, 'We're coming, we're just trying to rearrange our schedule a little bit because of all the media (commitments).'"

Rose win at Merion gives England the missing piece

DOUG FERGUSON — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:41 CDT

The most recent golden era of golf in England had everything but the one prize that brings credibility.

A major championship.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald reached No. 1 in the world. Ian Poulter turned into a rock star in the Ryder Cup. There was a strong supporting cast that included Paul Casey. Always lurking, and finally delivering, was Justin Rose.

Woods thinks Merion should get another U.S. Open

MARK WOGENRICH AND TEDDY GREENSTEIN — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:10 CDT

ARDMORE, Pa. - Even though he recorded his highest score at a major since turning professional, Tiger Woods said he would like to see the U.S. Open return to Merion. He's not sure if the USGA feels the same.

"Certainly as a golf course, it could definitely host another major championship," Woods said after a final-round 74 that left him 13 over for the week. "But I don't know if the USGA wants to; they make a lot of money on other venues."

Because of limited space for spectators and corporate hospitality suites, this U.S. Open likely will produce a revenue loss, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis has said. Davis, however, insisted the loss was a fair price for returning to a course he has called "magical."

Teddy Greenstein: Donald just one of the casualties at Merion

TEDDY GREENSTEIN — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:10 CDT

Here's what Luke Donald has:

A beautiful family, his own wine label, the painting skill to produce auction-worthy abstracts, multimillion-dollar homes in Florida and Illinois, good looks, a refined English accent, a Polo-filled wardrobe, a Northwestern degree, a close friendship with Michael Jordan, an endless supply of perfectly marbled Miyazaki steaks, a caddie (John McLaren) who can apply the grill marks, stability in the form of the same coach (Pat Goss) since 1997 and the pull to get a FedEx Cup event at his home course, Conway Farms.

Here's what he doesn't have: a U.S. Open trophy.

Mark Whicker: Phil Mickelson bedeviled again

MARK WHICKER — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:40 CDT

Merion's 17th green and 18th tee lie in the most peaceful dungeon in the whole golf world.

It was a rock quarry originally, and in the old days they called it the "Infernal Abyss." Late Sunday afternoon, when Phil Mickelson brought his hopes there, a quick but heavy shower had passed through, and the whole bowl glowed, golden and fresh.

Commuter trains whined quietly, just on the other side of the fence. Sparrows hopped around and left footprints in the traps. Perhaps 5,000 fans sat above that green, in giant, British-Open style grandstands.

Bill Dwyre: Merion stage delivers drama at every turn

BILL DWYRE — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:05 CDT

It is hard to know whether this year's U.S. Open golf tournament will be remembered for Justin Rose's victory or Phil Mickelson's defeat.

Rose is 32 years old, an Englishman born in South Africa, who was a prodigy as early as 17 with his tie for fourth place as an amateur in the 1998 British Open. Recently, he has been seen as somebody who hasn't won a major but certainly should.

Now he has, making birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 and holding on for a one-shot victory with his closing 70, an even-par finale that left him at an unusual 72-hole winning total of one-over 281.

Column: Merion, the little course that could, did.

JIM LITKE — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:05 CDT

Merion Golf Club did more than just hold its own.

Called too short, too cramped and too much of a pushover when the U.S. Open teed off, it nearly stole the show by the end.

It crowned a worthy champion in Justin Rose, slid a banana peel beneath Phil Mickelson and sent Tiger Woods packing with his tail tucked between his legs.

Sam Donnellon: For Mickelson, it's the same old story

SAM DONNELLON — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:26 CDT

It was a story line that would not have been dared by Disney. A Father's Day U.S. Open played on his birthday, 14 years after his first near-miss at this event was followed by a frantic trip to witness the birth of his first child, and just a few days after he raised some eyebrows here by crossing the country to see that child's eighth-grade graduation.

There's always a story line with Phil Mickelson. It's why he is loved by the galleries and scorned by the game's cynics, because no one outside of episodic television is supposed to have this much drama in their lives. One year it's a wife battling breast cancer. Another it's a mother with the same fight. And then there are those six second-place finishes at this event, including some epic collapses, his quest for this elusive major providing perhaps the greatest story line of them all.

"For me, it's very heart-breaking," he said Sunday after a 4-over 74 left him tied for second, two shots behind U.S. Open winner Justin Rose. "This could have been a really big turnaround for me on how I look at the U.S. Open ... This week was my best opportunity, I felt, heading in, certainly the final round, the way I was playing and the position I was in."

Justin Rose to the occasion

MIKE KERN — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:15 CDT

When he was a 17-year-old amateur, Justin Rose grabbed the hearts of the British galleries by holing out a dramatic shot from the rough for a birdie to finish tied for fourth in the 1998 Open championship at Royal Birkdale.

He turned pro the next day. Then he went through a period where he literally couldn't make a cut. That's golf.

So it has been a long, bumpy climb. But Sunday on the East Course at Merion Golf Club, all that promise and potential finally brought him to the top of his world. And as many before him have happily discovered, it will never be the same.