Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The rain delays hit the headlines as much as the golf, the tournament went in to a fifth day and the challengers came and went, but the man who held his nerve and indeed the putts better than the rest was American, Lucas Glover.
A gripping final round which began with joint leaders Ricky Barnes and Glover, neither household names to say the least, five clear of a chasing pack full of proven champions proved to be worth the wait.
Glover was never out of the lead from the moment Barnes dropped a shot on the opening hole on Sunday night, and a closing round of 73 was enough for a two shot victory as fierce challenges from Phil Mickelson and former world number one David Duval wilted under the pressure on the back nine.
In true US Open style only five players beat par with the winning score being 4 under. Even the great man Tiger was only able to finish level par with an errant putter to blame for his 'poor' fifth place finish.
I, for one, was delighted to see Duval back at the top of the leaderboard again after an absence of about eight years.
This was by far his best performance since claiming the Claret Jug as Open Champion in 2001 at Royal Lytham. He announced his comeback with a fantastic runner-up finish, tied with Mickelson and Barnes, defying the lowly status that his ranking of 882nd coming in to the tournament suggested.
Golf is a cruel game sometimes and this was a remarkable change of fortune for a man whose career has been in freefall since he became a major champion. He had won 11 times in 18 months on the PGA Tour until April 1999 and was ranked number one in the world, briefly displacing Tiger during that period. A final round of 59 at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic confirmed him at the top of the sport.
Illness, injury and a loss of confidence have all been to blame, but this result will give him the confidence to go on and climb back to the top. Duval's Bethpage heroics have catapulted him an incredible 740 places up the rankings to 142nd and in with a great chance of retaining his Tour Card. All the best DD.
While his victory came as a surprise to most, Lucas Glover's performance brought him the biggest win of his career and one that was fully deserved. It is a week that will change his life.
Being US Open champion will bring money and fame. It also brings him the belief that he can go on and win more major championships. He has a year ahead of him now where he will be the US Open champion - and that's something you can never take away from him. He'll go around the world and be recognised for his achievements and that's everything to a professional golfer.
Now a new career starts for him with everyone knowing who Lucas Glover is. From a ranking of 71 pre-US Open, he is now in the top 20 and many new doors will open. Good luck to him, a deserved champion and one that we will probably see a lot more of in the future. Onwards to Turnberry!
