Lucas Glover turned the leaderboard on its head today with a come-from-behind victory to snatch the US Open at Bethpage from Phil Mickelson and Ricky Barnes.

Glover had an inconsistent tournament that included a second day 64 to bring him -7, before a worrying +3 on the final day of play just carried him through to win by 2 strokes.

Unfortunately for Mickelson – whose wife Amy begins treatment for breast cancer next month – his steady form just wasn’t enough to see him to the winner’s podium, and he recorded a record fifth US Open runner-up finish. After eagling the 13th, Mickelson was tied for the lead, but two late bogeys at 15 and 17 pushed him back to a second-place tie with David Duval and
Ricky Barnes.

While Mickelson may not be ecstatic about another US Open gone begging, he should be proud of his consistency over the past four days. If anyone is to be disappointed it should be Ricky Barnes. Barnes was sitting on -8 after the third day of play, but he never recovered from a bogey at the 1st on Monday and slipped to a frustrating 76, +6 for the day.

I really feel for Mickelson and even, to an extent, Tiger Woods – who was always playing catch-up after a bad first round. But Barnes’s win just goes to show that majors are extremely tough tournaments to call.

Woods missed the chance to add to his 14 major titles and seems doomed to wait at least another few years if he wants to overtake Jack Nicklaus’s world record of 18.

Rain was certainly a factor throughout the tournament. Some players, like Woods, just couldn’t refocus after the wet conditions of the first two days – Woods only hit 38 of 56 fairways and 48 of 72 greens in regulation. Others, however, thrived after the rain subsided and took advantage of some sloppy play and bogey-riddled rounds.

Congratulations should go to Lucas Glover, and commiserations to Mickelson. Maybe next year, Phil.

Be sure to keep your eye on the PGA Tour over the next few weeks. The Travelers Championship, AT&T National, and John Deere Classic will all be great tournaments to watch for signs of who is on form to win the British Open on July 16-19. BetUS has already posted Future odds for several players in the running to take out the championship.