Thompson’s Lake course
love goes unrequited
By Dave Shedloski
Thompson climbed to 52nd on the World Ranking after finishing T-2 in the U. S. Open.
DOM FURORE
When Michael Thomp- son shot an opening four-under-par 66 to seize the lead in the
112th U.S. Open—by three strokes—
he didn’t receive his guaranteed 15
minutes of fame, not when Tiger
Woods was among the pursuers. And,
of course, when Woods leaped to the
top of the leader board after 36 holes
while Thompson crumbled, his time
in the spotlight had expired.
Thanks for playing. Don’t let
Tiger’s gallery hit you on the way out.
By Sunday afternoon, however,
Woods was on the outs while Thompson was claiming the rest of his 15
minutes, not to mention earning
invitations to a few more majors.
A fifth-year pro without pedigree
but properly resolute, Thompson
ignored the usual U.S. Open script
that says he’s supposed to dissolve
like a cracker in the Pacific. He plot-
ted a strategy for the final day, stuck
to it, and submitted a nearly flawless
three-under 67, the low round again.
The Birmingham, Ala., resident got
into the clubhouse at two-over 282,
and only Webb Simpson could nose
ahead. Thompson ended up T- 2 with
Graeme McDowell.
BY THE NUMBERS
e The toughest hole of the
final round was also the
hardest for the week: The
par- 4 sixth. U.S. Open winner
Webb Simpson was one
of two players to make 3 on
the hole Sunday—Raphaël
Jacquelin was the other—
that had a scoring average
of 4.514. For the week No. 6
played to a score of 4.544. …
Third-round co-leader Jim
Furyk was one of four players who didn’t make a birdie
Sunday. Branden Grace,
Hiroyuki Fujita and Phil
Mickelson were the others.
