WHEN Lucas Glover holed the victorious putt on the home hole at Bethpage in the US Open, the American's reaction was refreshingly understated, more in keeping with winning the monthly medal than one of the four biggest prizes in golf.
If Glover kept a lid on his emotions once the moment of truth arrived – he later confessed he was too exhausted to start a party – it was no more than the champion had already pulled off during the closing holes of an unwieldy major tournament.
W
hile more headline-grabbing potential champions such as Phil Mickelson and David Duval fluffed their lines with missed short putts on the 17th, Glover took command with a birdie on the 16th before closing out his rivals with an unremarkable two-putt par on what must surely rank as one of the most nondescript 18th holes in championship golf.
When Paul Lawrie won a controversial Open at Carnoustie, Davis Love III (who later denied making the comment) was credited with saying the championship got the winner it deserved. The same thing could certainly be claimed about the 109th staging of the US Open where the USGA's passion for locating fairways and greens in regulation figures identified the most obscure major winner since Ben Curtis emerged at Royal St George's.
Just because someone is little known, of course, doesn't mean they're undeserving. Bearing in mind he signed for 64 in the second round and didn't falter under pressure near the end, Glover was the kind of stalwart journeyman who made the most of being on the right side of the draw and avoiding the worst of the weather.
At 29, with just one previous win on the US PGA Tour, a hitherto forgotten end-of-season success in the Funai Classic at Disney World, Glover impressed in New York by displaying patience on the course and modesty off it. He might not have been the most exciting story to emerge in a tournament where Mickelson, runner-up for the fifth time, the rejuvenated Duval and England's Ross Fisher all fell by the wayside, but his success was a welcome reminder of the egalitarian nature of open championships.
No longer one of the paupers of the professional game – winning a major will change his life – it remains to be seen if Glover has the talent to become one of the princes. Intriguingly, his initial reaction to joining the elite club of champions which includes Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus was to question whether he belonged in such illustrious company. "I dreamed about it as a kid and now I've pulled it off. Here I stand," he said. "I get to be beside them. It's an honour to be on the trophy with names such as these. I hope I don't downgrade it or anything with my name on there."
Like most young men, as they learn to take the rough with the smooth in life, Glover didn't think he could have become US Open champion but for a change in attitude. Asked if he was a patient person by instinct, he replied: "Absolutely not. But I've had to learn that in the last few years. My attitude's better. If something bad happens, let it go."
Once selected by Jack Nicklaus for the US Presidents Cup team, Glover took two months off last winter after failing to win a spot at the Ryder Cup. A successful amateur from South Carolina who played on the 2001 US Walker Cup side at Sea Island, it's fair to say few would have tipped Glover to win a major before Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty and Graham McDowell, who all featured on the GB&I side that week. "My expectations were high for myself," he confessed. "But there's nothing guaranteed in this game. We all know that. I haven't won many golf tournaments, but I've played well. Maybe this will be the springboard."
The full article contains 657 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
