THE 5 GREATEST U.S.OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS ( 12)
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 22 JUNE 6, 2011
1
Front
Runner
Adams Has
Right Idea ( 6)
Thanks For The
Memories ( 8)
Swede Noren
Wales Winner ( 28)
Outgoing
Northern Ireland’s popular Graeme
McDowell staged a frustrating and
unsuccessful title defense in Wales last
week. But he will have no shortage of
supporters, on both sides of the Atlantic,
rooting for him to fare better in a couple
of weeks at Congressional Country Club
when he guns for two straight U.S. Opens.
One of the players now on the short list
of favorites to unhorse McDowell will be
Steve Stricker, who conducted a front-nine clinic at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament
in Ohio. For the week, Stricker strafed
the outward half at Muirfield Village in
20 under par and hung on for a one-shot
victory. The win jumped Stricker, now the
top-ranked American, all the way up to
world No. 4.
Back in Wales, Sweden’s Alexander
Noren took up where McDowell couldn’t
leave off and held on to triumph at Celtic
Manor. Also in Wales, Scotland’s no-longer-suspended Elliot Saltman made
two aces. A pair of bullets in the hole may
be a wonderful thing in Texas Hold ’em
poker. But it is infinitely rarer and more
remarkable in golf.
And finally, there is word circulating
that veteran caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan is
working on a book. We’ll believe it when
we see it. And we’ll actually look forward
to it. But even if it dies aborning, you have
to love the current working title: “Another
Bad Read.”
E-MAIL BRIAN
