This year's US Open did not belong to the United States. It shouldn't have belonged to any of the 83 considering the performances on Sunday. Our championship shifted from a challenge of who could play the best to who could play the least badly.
Take for example, the scores entering the final day.
Johnson -6
McDowell -3
Woods -1
Havret E
Els E
Mickelson +1
Most expected Dustin Johnson to play well, as he had all weekend and every time he has played at Pebble Beach, and hold off the rest of the field. It became evident that would not be likely after the first few holes. This opened up chances for the rest of the field, but most failed to take advantage. One by one, the rest of the field began to fizzle and fade as players could not handle the winds, terrain, and renovated course.
Now, the scores following the final round:
Mcdowell E
Havret +1
Els +2
Mickelson +3
Woods +3
Kuchar +4
So, for the US Open, it was not a strong showing by the US. The top three (McDowell, Havret, and Els) were from Ireland, France, and South Africa. The top US contenders played less than par in a non-golf sense. Johnson limped in at +11. Mickelson and Woods did their best to not win by shooting +2 and +4 respectively. McDowell gave Havret plenty of chances to take the lead, but Havret threw them away each time.
Well, I guess I should congratulate Mcdowell (the first Irishman to win a US Open), but I think I'll congratulate him for surviving a disaster of a final round by all.
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