Monday, June 18, 2012

McDowell and Westwood blow it as homer Simpson claims US Open glory


Twenty five years ago it was Scott Simpson who won the United States Open at Olympic. This time it’s Webb Simpson.

After a crazy weekend on the funkiest venue in major championship golf, filled with ‘D'oh!’ moments, it seemed only appropriate that we ended up congratulating another member of the Simpsons.

Credit the young American, who just lost out to Luke Donald in the race for the US Tour money list last year, he showed his class at the weekend with two wonderful closing rounds of 68.

But it was hard not to feel for Jim Furyk, the pacemaker for almost the entire last 36 holes before he was worn down in the end. Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart and now Furyk and his fellow co-third round leader McDowell. This is the glittering cast list of players who were out in front with a round to play of a US Open at Olympic, only to fall short in the final analysis and see an unheralded player lift the trophy.

McDowell lost his swing in the middle of the round, missing eight consecutive fairways at one point but he fell back on that admirable mental fortitude that has served him so well in recent years. When a long birdie putt at the 17th found the bottom of the hole he found himself alongside Furyk, with both men needing a birdie at the last to tie Simpson.

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