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SPORTS Wednesday 20 June 2018
U.S. Open being remembered for the wrong reasons

By DOUG FERGUSON eryone still plays the same
AP Golf Writer course, and Koepka shot
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) 72 that day. That's why he
— If the aim of the U.S. was in position to win.
Open is to identify the best If not for Mickelson making
player, then the last three a spectacle of himself and
got it right. the moment, odds are it
The problem is a tendency would be forgotten sooner.
to remember what went Tom Meeks, the predeces-
wrong. sor to Davis in setting up
The lasting image from the U.S. Open, used to rel-
Shinnecock Hills was Phil ish such moments. He said
Mickelson, now 0 for 27 in in a 2009 interview that the
the U.S. Open, hitting his U.S. Open had to be harder
putt too hard on the 13th than anything else, but still
hole Saturday. He moved fair, and that was a hard
as swiftly as his 48-year-old line to find. "If I had any
legs would allow and swat- doubt, I would go the more
ted the ball back toward difficult way," Meeks said.
the hole while it was still roll- He also predicted that
ing. It was a shocking scene Davis, if he were to follow
to everyone but Mickelson, the U.S. Open philosophy,
who said he meant no dis- would made mistakes at
respect to the game by in- some point.
tentionally violating a rule In this June 17, 2018, file photo, Phil Mickelson reacts after sinking a putt on the 13th hole during "It doesn't happen by de-
to either save shots or save the final round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship, in Southampton, N.Y. sign," Meeks said. "It hap-
a long walk to wherever his Associated Press pens because of the U.S.
ball might have stopped. Open."
Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, play from thick, shin-high There was Koepka posing 2016. There was a discus- The USGA doesn't always
delivered a classic U.S. grass. with the trophy, the large sion on the fifth green on get it wrong. Its finest mo-
Open performance with He became the first re- leaderboard behind him whether Johnson caused ment was Pinehurst No. 2 in
discipline, grit and clutch peat U.S. Open champion filled with more red num- his ball to move a fraction 2014, when the U.S. Open
putting. He effectively won in 29 years, and it's a won- bers than had ever been of an inch. Equally vivid delivered a proper test for
by getting up-and-down der anyone remembers he seen at a U.S. Open. He was was the image of two offi- the men and women in
three times in a four-hole won last year. the third player to win at cials telling Johnson on the consecutive weeks. The first
stretch, one of them for bo- Just the mention of Erin Hills double digits under par (16 12th tee that he might be year two years Davis was in
gey, the last one a par on brings back memories of under). The other two were penalized one shot. Or he charge, the winning score
the 14th hole when he first wide fairways and record Tiger Woods, who won by might not. at Winged Foot and Oak-
had to get his ball back in scoring. 15 shots at Pebble Beach, Overlooked is that tough mont was 5-over par, and
and Rory McIlroy, who won par save from behind the no one complained.
by eight at Congressional. 16th green, and Johnson Lately, however, the U.S.
Koepka won by four shots, hitting 6-iron to 5 feet on Open has become more
one of seven players to fin- the 18th hole for a birdie to about the USGA than the
ish at 10 under or better. make the penalty a moot player who gets the trophy.
The ultimate test was find- point. That doesn't happen at the
ing enough red numbers to The sign that a U.S. Open other majors. With few ex-
put on all the boards. is not running smoothly is ceptions, it's about the win-
"Everyone said Erin Hills was when Mike Davis, the chief ner, not the golf course.q
set up for me," Koepka said. executive of the USGA, is
"It was set up for a lot of on TV as much as some of
guys that bomb that ball. the players. The ideal week
I just happened to play a is when Davis is out of sight
little bit better." until the trophy presenta-
No one was better on the tion. But he had some ex-
back nine when he ran off plaining to do, such as how
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning his singles tennis three straight birdies, and the wind was stronger than
match against John Millman of Australia at the Queen's Club the middle one was exqui- expected on Saturday to
tennis tournament in London, Tuesday, June 19, 2018.
Associated Press site — a chip 8-iron from the point that he felt good
155 yards to a back pin. Ko- shots were not rewarded,
QUEENS CLUB from right elbow surgery in epka called it the best shot and in some cases pun-
Continued from Page 18 January has been gather- he hit all week. ished. He also explained
Djokovic, entered as a wild ing pace after reaching Remember that one? why the rules did not pro-
card, will play second- the Rome semifinals and Probably not, and that's vide for Mickelson to be
seeded Grigor Dimitrov in French Open quarterfinals. OK. It's easy to lose track of disqualified.
the second round. He leads Dimitrov 6-1 in ca- birdies on a course that al- The severity of Shinnecock
Also, Milos Raonic, runner- reer matchups. lowed a record 140 rounds in the third round should
up to Roger Federer last Dimitrov, the 2014 Queen's under par. not take away from this U.S.
week in Stuttgart, won his champion, struggled past Dustin Johnson spent more Open. It's supposed to be
opener when Indian qualifi- Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-7 (4), time talking to rules officials hard. It has a history of be-
er Yuki Bhambri retired hurt 6-3. Dimitrov saved six of than to Lee Westwood, his ing the toughest test, and
while trailing 6-1, 3-1. eight break points. playing partner, during the living on the edge often
Djokovic's comeback q final round at Oakmont in means crossing the line. Ev-