US Open 2013 - Review

Justin Rose has won the US Open at Merion, finishing on +1 and two shots ahead of Australian Jason Day and now six times runner-up Phil Mickelson.

Rose came to the tee on the monster 500-plus yard par 4 18th with a one shot lead - unaware of Jason Day's putt for par up ahead. It was arguably the most important shot of Rose's life, where all his nerves would be tested. Rose put his drive down the centre of the fairway but still had a daunting second shot to play.

Justin Rose (Source)

Meanwhile, Day failed to get up and down from the left-hand bunker, and lipped out for par. He finished +3 and Mickelson sat on +2 with a birdie putt on 17.

Rose, not knowing that only about 20 percent of players had hit the 18th green in regulation in the final round, struck what I believe was his most crucial ever iron shot. It rolled onto the back fringe, but Rose was more than capable of chipping in for birdie and all but securing the victory. Remarkably, no one had birdied the 18th hole in rounds three and four.

Rose's hybrid chip shot ended up an inch from the hole. He tapped in for par and looked up to the heavens - presumably to give thanks to his late father xxx who died in 2002 - shook hands with fellow countrymen Luke Donald, and waited in anticipation for Mickelson to finish.

Mickelson has now finished runner-up at the US Open six times (Source)

Mickelson hit his tee shot on 18 into the left rough and tried desperately to chase a shot up onto the green. It came up short and he now faced a pitch shot to force a playoff.

You have to feel for Mickelson, he missed several makeable putts on what was coincidentally his birthday.

Even when he had a pitch shot on the last hole to force a playoff, I would not have been surprised if Mickelson had holed it. But he hit it long, and Rose became the champion.

It is the Englishman's first major victory, and he becomes the first English player to win a major since Nick Faldo in 1996 and the first to win the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970.

Many will argue that this moment is long over due for Rose.

As a 17-year-old amateur, Rose finished in a tie for fourth at the 1998 Open Championship. He seemed destined for greatness.

However, he struggled to make cuts in his early years on the European Tour and fell off the radar.

But since the late 2000s, Rose has had a renaissance of sorts. After being winless on the PGA Tour for several years, Rose has now picked up five PGA Tour victories since 2010.

Certainly helping his cause is his current coach  Sean Foley, who also mentors Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan among others.

Rose's two top-10s in majors last year will now be forgotten. he moves up to a career-high ranking of third in the world.

Tiger's frustration continues (Source)

As for the world's two best players, they both had weeks to forget. World number one Tiger Woods finished a disappointing +13 - his worst 72 hole score at the US Open as a professional. Woods, who won the Players Championship last month but had a terrible week at The Memorial two weeks ago, struggled early on and looked in some discomfort with a sore wrist. His chipping and putting is nowhere near as consistent as it used to be pre-2009. His wait for his first major since 2008 continues.


World number two Rory McIlroy finished a further shot back at +14. He is taking a long time to adjust to his Nike clubs, but I am wondering if it is more mental than anything else. After all, McIlroy is so talented it should not matter what brand of equipment he plays. All players have ups and downs throughout their careers, and I guess Rory is going through one at the moment. It should only be temporary.

American Billy Horschel, one of the in form players in the world this year, ended in 4th place and for the most part held his nerve over the weekend with the big guns. Look out for his name throughout the rest of the year.

Sergio Garcia during the first round (Source)

Sergio Garcia was able to withstand some heckling from the crowds after his "fried chicken" remark to make the cut and finish in a tie for 45th at +15. If anything, Garcia's true enemies this week were holes 14 and 15 - two brtual par 4s with tight fairway and out of bounds areas off the tee. Garcia played each of those holes four times (eight holes) for an accumulated a score of +16, even making a 10 on the 15th during his third round. His wait for his first major continues, unlike Rose's.


Master's winner Adam Scott could have kept his Grand Slam hopes alive with a win, got off to a good start on Thursday but faded away to finish on the same score as Sergio.

Kiwi Steve Alker is ranked 590th in the world but defied the odds to make the cut and finished alongside Scott and Garcia. Alker's final round was impressive, a 72, on a day when only six out of 73 players shot under par. Alker came within inches of getting a hole in one on the long 17th hole on Sunday. Alker climbs up to 528th in the world.

The best thing about the majors so far this year is the removal of two of the world's best players from the "Best Players To Have Never Won A Major" club. Adam Scott and Justin Rose have left the group, but Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald still top the list, followed closely by Ian Poulter, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker.

Next up in the majors is the Open Championship at Muirfield, Rose would love nothing more than to make it back to back in his homeland of Britain, even if Muirfield is in Scotland!