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Glover Coronated At Bethpage

GolfBargainOffers.com / 06/24

Glover triumphs at US Open

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Glover, who had won the US PGA Tour in 2005 under his belt when he came to Bethpage, 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.

Barnes disintegrated with six bogeys in seven holes and Glover was caught by Mickelson and a resurgent David Duval at four under and three under, while England's Ross Fisher also challenged.

But each of his rivals fell away at the most crucial time of all, all bogeying either the 15th or 17th holes or both as 29-year-old Glover stayed calm to win at the 109th US Open.

"I didn't expect this on Thursday, to say the least," Glover said. "But I was playing well coming in and I knew if I put four (rounds) together I might have a chance.

"It feels pretty good...obviously I'm very excited and just happy I hung in there."

Glover won his first major with a one-birdie, four-bogey final-round, three-over 73, good enough to hold off Mickelson (70), Duval (71) and Barnes (76) by two strokes.

Mickelson, who moves ahead of four-time runners-up Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones Jr and Sam Snead, will now step away from the game to be with his wife Amy, who begins treatment for breast cancer on July 1.

Fisher, the highest placed European, claimed fifth, his best majors finish, a further shot behind following a 72 with 2008 winner Tiger Woods tied for sixth at level par alongside fellow American Hunter Mahan and Denmark's Soren Hansen.

Rory McIlroy finished in a tie for 10th on his US Open debut.

The tournament had been blown wide open by a final-round collapse from third-round leader Barnes.

The Californian, without a victory in six years as a professional, saw his final round implode as play resumed at the par-70 course.

When play started today, the first time since 1983 a US Open had needed an extra day to complete 72 holes, Barnes found the second green out of the rough to make par.

Fisher, runner-up behind Paul Casey at last month's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, rolled in a three-foot birdie putt at the par-five fourth to get back to three under - four shots behind Barnes - with Glover bogeying the third to slip to six under.

World number two Mickelson bogeyed the sixth and Duval, in the wilderness since his 2001 Open victory at Lytham, was quickly in trouble with a triple bogey at the par-three third.

However, he sunk a birdie at the par-five fourth to get back to level par - and would stick around for the rest of the day and get back to 2-under.

Everything changed when Barnes began to slide back towards the field. He and Glover bogeyed the fifth hole but Barnes would bogey three more in succession to fall to three under after eight as Glover assumed the lead at five under.

Then Glover bogeyed the ninth and was leading at four under after 10 the tournament was thrown wide open.

Fisher had bogeyed the fifth and the seventh to drop to one under but a super iron shot to inside two feet led to a birdie and after nine holes he was within two shots of the lead at two under.

Mickelson had also been in trouble, bogeying the sixth and the eighth to fall to level par but he birdied the ninth as Barnes fell apart - then the four-time runner-up got to two under with a birdie at the 12th.

Fisher sent in another great approach shot at 12 but missed the par putt from inside two feet to fall back to one under.

Mickelson next struck with the first eagle of the tournament on the par-five 13th to join Glover in a share of the lead 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 as Barnes went further backwards at the 12th with his sixth bogey in seven holes.

On an ever-changing leaderboard, Mickelson then bogeyed the 15th to drop to out of the lead to three under and Fisher followed to fall to two under while Duval shot a rare birdie to get to the same mark.

Glover bogeyed 15 and fell into a joint lead with Mickelson at three under after the World No 2 sank a par putt at 16 at exactly the same moment.

Duval made it a three-way lead with a third successive birdie at the 16th - but he and Mickelson each bogeyed the par-three 17th.

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, two shots to the good for a lead he would not relinquish.

Defending champion Woods got to one under but a bogey at the difficult par-four 15th ended hopes of a fifth US Open title and 15th major victory.

McIlroy's 68 left the Northern Irishman at two over, while Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter were part of a tie for 18th place at four over. Lee Westwood and Oliver Wilson ended on five over in a tie for 23rd.