The Week: Heroes and Zeroes

An overdue truce between ruling bodies unifies the rules -- in 2008

By Alan Shipnuck

Phil lost the Open but won over the fans.  Al Tielemans GOLF PLUS EXTRA Big Play: T.J. Tomasi Teeing Off: Muirfield Is a Lock TRUST ME Bruce Fleisher made the right choice by skipping the U.S. Open, despite the free pass that came with his win at the Senior Open. His shrillest critic, Hale Irwin, went 82-81 on the Black, proving the old guys did not belong on such a brutal course. Who looks silly now, Hale? NEXT UP PGA: Canon Greater Hartford Open Senior: Greater Baltimore Classic LPGA: Wegmans Rochester International European: Great North Open INSTANT POLL Which 2003 major was the best? The Masters The U.S. Open The British Open The PGA View Results

Tiger Woods may have cruised to another major championship, and Felix Casas may have shot the worst score (a 92 on Friday), but there were plenty of other winners and losers at the U.S. Open. Here's our tally.

LOSERS

Golf fans. After a thrilling Saturday, the final round was a dud, as none of the would-be challengers could make a serious run. In his last six major triumphs Woods's average margin of victory has been more than five strokes. Yawn.

Sergio García. He sounded like a whiny conspiracy theorist on Friday, then came undone on Open Sunday for a second straight year, this time because of jittery putting. And don't even mention those infernal waggles, which hint at a deeper internal struggle.

C olin Montgomerie. Despite the manufactured goodwill campaign, he missed a U.S. Open cut for the first time in his career. Be Gone with Monty?

Tom Meeks. The USGA's senior director for rules and competitions launched weeks of pretournament hand-wringing by describing the Black's greens as flat. So how come they had so much break?

Scott Hoch's fashion sense. It's one thing to wear the flag on your sleeve, but a whole shirt is a bit much. However, that 70-69 weekend was pretty sharp.

David Duval. Another major, another missed cut.

Bethpage regulars. As if it wasn't already hard enough to get on, now the whole world is going to want to play this $31-a-round jewel. Is anybody out there prepared to spend two nights in a car to snag a tee time?

WINNERS

USGA. The blue coats deserve criticism for the over-the-top carries required on the 10th and 12th  holes, but they did have the vision to bring the Open to Bethpage. Expect the Black to take its place in the rotation, even at the expense of another New York-area course.

Nooo Yawk fans. The teeming masses brought an unprecedented energy to the staid U.S. Open but were restrained and respectful on Sunday.

The Millers. Johnny was at his excitable best on Saturday, drafting on the crowd's energy, while son Andy made the cut and scored an ace to boot.

Nick Faldo. Nasty Nick not only justified his special exemption by tying for fifth, but he also turned into a jolly fan favorite, complete with an I LOVE NY hat.

The British Open. The biggest tournament in the world just got bigger, with a Grand Slam in the offing for the first time in 30 years.

Girlfriends. Martina and Elin got nearly as much airtime as their famous squeezes.

Jeff Maggert. He reemerged after three years in the abyss. Bonus points for recovering from a shank on the 3rd hole on Sunday.

Short-sleeved rain jackets. The newest trend in golf apparel received prime-time exposure during a stormy second round.

Phil Mickelson. Yes, Lefty came up short (again), but just as at this year's Masters, he avoided the big blowup, confirming his overdue maturation. Throw in the adoring crowds serenading him with Father's Day greetings and birthday wishes -- Mickelson turned 32 on Sunday -- and sometimes even a loser can feel like a winner.

O.B.