Date: June 23, 2009
Author: PA Sport

Glover holds nerve for Open win

Phil Mickelson came up short in a US Open for the fifth time in his career as Lucas Glover held his nerve to claim a two-shot victory on a dramatic final day at the 109th US Open. Glover had started the day with a five-shot lead over the field at seven-under-par alongside co-leader Ricky Barnes as the rain-delayed championship moved into a fifth day at Bethpage Black. Barnes disintegrated with six bogeys in seven holes and Glover was caught by Mickelson and David Duval at four-under and three-under, while England&aposs Ross Fisher also challenged. A bogey at 15 stopped Tiger Woods&apos momentum and he came home in par for a 69 to finish at level par, Soren Hansen of Denmark posting the same score having birdied the last, also to close the week at even. Fisher sent in a great approach shot at 12 but missed the par putt from inside two feet to fall back to one under. Then Mickelson moved in the other direction, with his iron approach finishing three feet from the hole to enable him to make the first eagle of the tournament on par-five 13th and move into a share of the lead with Glover at four-under. Fisher swiftly added the second eagle there to bounce back in style at three-under, one off the lead with five to play. Barnes fell further away, recording bogeys at the 11th and the 12th, which was his sixth in the last seven holes but then rejoined Mahan in a tie for fourth at two-under with a bogey at the 13th with Weir at one-under. Woods and Duval were together at level par, the former world No.1 having played 13 holes in the same group as Fisher. On an ever-changing leaderboard, Mickelson bogeyed the 15th to drop to three-under and Fisher followed suit there to fall to two-under while Duval shot a rare birdie on the tough uphill hole to get to the same mark. Then Glover bogeyed 15 and fell into a joint lead with Mickelson at three-under who sank a par putt ahead at 16 at exactly the same moment. Duval then made it a three-way lead with a third birdie in a row at the 16th while Mickelson bogeyed the par-three 17th after finding rough short of the green off the tee and Mahan also bogeyed there to fall out of the reckoning at level par. At that point Glover managed to score his first birdie of the day, at the 16th, and the 29-year-old was back in front at four-under with two to play, one ahead of Duval a group in front with Fisher, Mickelson on 18 and Barnes. Australian rookie Michael Sim completed his first major with a closing two-over 72 to finish at four-over for the tournament and in a share of 18th place. Adam Scott could only manage a five-over 75 in the final round for an eight-over total, while Geoff Ogilvy was tied for 47th at +12.