This Open Revealed Their Sunday Worst

Sunday at the U.S. Open was ugly. Almost too ugly to watch on television, especially when the swing path of the guy they showed the most looked like something a second-grader might draw with an Etch-a-Sketch.

For the first three rounds, Olympia Fields Country Club more closely resembled a juiced-up pitch-and-putt than it did the site of a major championship, but in the final round, the U.S. Open finally looked like a U.S. Open.

It made muscles tighten over four-foot putts. It made heads shake in disbelief as balls rolled 15 and 20 feet past holes. It made backs hurt from hacking out of deep, thick rough.

And that was just watching it on television.

Imagine Vijay Singh shooting 78 in the final round, two days after a record-tying 63. Or Fred Couples, who averaged 71.7 in the first three rounds, shooting 80. Mark O’Meara went 72-68-67-78. Mark Calcavecchia shot 76 in the final round, Lee Janzen shot 77 and Nick Price and Justin Leonard shot 75.

These are all former major champions and many of them were within striking distance of Jim Furyk when the day began. But none made a serious charge and Furyk finished at least eight shots in front of all of them despite shooting two-over 72 in the final round. Only five players broke par the final day after 75 rounds under par during the first three days.

Nineteen players began the final round under par for the tournament. Four finished under par.

“It never looked like a USGA event because of how soft the conditions were until [Sunday],” said Tiger Woods, who shot 72 in the final round. “If it was dried out the way it was [Sunday] I think you would have seen the USGA happy with the way things were.”

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About 50 dozen of the new Nike One balls Woods used at the U.S. Open disappeared on their way to the next tournament.

Woods used the balls on the practice range at Olympia Fields and they were supposed to go from there to Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y., where Woods is playing the Buick Classic this week.

They never made it.

“We don’t know if Olympia Fields or the USGA or some other third party was at fault,” Nike Golf spokesman Dean Stoyer said. “But we found out that they never left Olympia Fields.”

Stoyer said the balls were not practice balls, but competition-ready balls with “Tiger” stamped on them. All of the balls are numbered with a “1” because that’s all Woods uses. Stoyer speculated that because the balls are just hitting retail shops this week, some late-night shenanigans by range attendants may have had something to do with the disappearing act.

“Probably somebody backed up their truck to the range,” Stoyer said. “So if we see these balls stamped with Tiger’s name pop up on Ebay, we’ll know where they came from.”

In the meantime, Nike shipped 25 dozen balls to New York in time for Woods to practice.

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With Furyk’s victory at the U.S. Open, the dreaded list of “best players not to have won a major” got pretty lonely for a certain left-hander.

Some might argue that Phil Mickelson is the only one on the list, but Padraig Harrington of Ireland is a sure bet to replace Furyk as the second-best player not to have won a major.

Since turning professional in 1995, Harrington has played in 18 majors. He has six top-10 finishes and 10 top-20 finishes and has missed the cut twice. His best finishes were fifths at the 2002 Masters and British Open, the 2000 U.S. Open and the 1997 British Open.

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After a snafu cost her a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open, Pepperdine All-American Lindsey Wright made her Futures Tour debut last week in Decatur, Ill.

Wright made the semifinals of the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur and therefore had an exemption from local qualifying for the U.S. Open, but she was pulled off the course after one hole of a sectional qualifier June 10 at Lake Merced Country Club in San Francisco after tournament officials determined Wright had forfeited her exemption by turning professional.

A few days earlier, Wright had won the Washington Open and accepted prize money. The U.S. Open qualifier exemption was good only if she remained an amateur.

“It never occurred to me and nobody said anything to indicate that I couldn’t play the sectional as a pro,” said Wright, an Australian who graduated from Pepperdine last month. “It’s my fault, but this is disappointing because it was a huge goal for me to make the Open this year.”

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Green fees will increase no more than $1 at the 13 courses run by the City of Los Angeles after the city council did not include a $5 green-fee increase in its budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Mayor James K. Hahn drew the ire of local golfers when he included a $5 increase in his proposed budget, but the city council rejected the increase, citing a Public Links Golf Assn. report that the increase wouldn’t necessarily generate sufficient additional revenue.

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The TPC at Valencia, the 33rd PGA Tour-owned golf course worldwide, will have its grand opening June 26.

O’Meara, a consultant on the course’s design, will speak about the course at 11 a.m. and will hit an inaugural tee shot off the first tee. A 1 p.m. shotgun tournament will follow. The tournament is sold out.

The par-72, semi-private course is 7,260 yards from the back tees and is designed with the idea that a Champions Tour or PGA Tour event will be played there. Green fees will be between $100 and $130 and tee times are accepted seven days in advance.

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July is Junior Golf appreciation month at the 17 L.A. County courses. Juniors can play for $1 if accompanied by a full-paying adult or senior. ... Billy Whalen of Rancho Palos Verdes, Eric Riehle of Hemet, Torey Edwards of Long Beach, Eric Wang of Cypress and Scott Henderson of Dove Canyon earned the five available berths for next month’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship during sectional qualifying Wednesday at Los Serranos Country Club.... The Mount Carmel High Alumni Foundation tournament is June 30 at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills. Cost is $250. Details: (818) 846-6014 or e-mail so446@aol.com.