Rose takes U.S. Open as Mickelson comes close yet again

ARDMORE, Pa. — It was seemingly inevitable.

As Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan made their way through the last few holes of the U.S. Open, the marshals who kept spectators under control started losing a hold of the crowd.

First, fans were cutting across fairways in between holes. Next, they were standing on top of bunkers on adjacent holes to get a good view. By the time Mickelson took his second shot out of the rough on the 18th, the spectators followed behind him as he made his way up the green, chanting his name.

By that point, there was nothing the marshals could do. One of them said to another, “We tried.” It was out of the marshals’ hands.

In very much the same fashion, Mickelson attempted to fight off the nightmare of Open’s past, but inevitably succumbed to the same fate, finishing tied for second place at 3-over after two double bogeys early and a few poor shots late.

Englishman Justin Rose took home his first Major win, finishing 1-over on an incredible difficult Merion course.

This is the sixth time that Mickelson has finished the U.S. Open in second place, a mark that he can’t help but consider when thinking about what the Open means to him.

“For me, it’s very heartbreaking,” Mickelson said. “This could have been a really big turnaround for me in how I look at the U.S. Open.”

After playing three days of fantastic golf, Mickelson came into the contest with the odds in his favor. Not only did he have the outright lead, but Sunday was also Mickelson’s 43rd birthday, and the fans attempted to urge him to his first national championship by greeting him with a sung rendition of “Happy Birthday” at nearly every hole.

But if Mickelson has learned anything over his years at the Open, it is that signs are interpreted as positives only after a win.

Coming out on the losing end of things, it is not a birthday celebration, but simply a reminder that Mickelson is now 43 years old, and the opportunities that he will have at winning the elusive Open.

“I was playing very well here, really loving the golf course,” Mickelson said. “This week was my best opportunity, I felt, certainly heading into the final round.”

Rose ended up on the opposite end of destiny on this Father’s Day. As he finished off his final round, he took his golf ball out of the hole and pointed towards the heavens.

“The look up to the heavens was for my dad,” Rose said. “Father’s Day was not lost on me today. You don’t often get to dedicate a win to someone you love, and today was about him.

“I wanted to go out there and be the man my dad taught me to be.”

Rose’s father died of leukemia in 2002, and to win his first Major championship on Father’s Day overwhelmed Rose in the moment, his eyes filling with tears after Mickelson failed to birdie the 18th and force a playoff.

While some will blame Mickelson’s putter failing him on 16 after a great approach shot that put him eight feet from the green, Rose had the upperhand in driving accuracy the entire weekend, and on a course whose putts were playing as difficult as Merion’s, being able to put himself into the best position on the fairway proved to be the difference.

As for Mickelson, all he can hope for is a victory in a future Open, so that he can think back on his six second-place finishes in a positive light.

“If I had won today, or if I ultimately win it, I’ll look back on the other Opens as a positive play,” Mickelson said. “But if I never get the Open, then every time I look back at the Open, I’ll just feel heartbreak.”

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