Amid McDowell's U.S. Open triumph, winners and losers abound

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - On the first tee late Sunday afternoon, Graeme McDowell made it a point to approach both Dustin Johnson and Johnson's caddie, looking each in the eye, shaking their hands, addressing the caddie by his first name and Johnson by his nickname "D.J." and telling each, "Have a great day."

He was sincere about it, too. As it turned out, no one had a greater day than McDowell at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He won the 110th U.S. Open, breaking a European drought in that event that began 40 years ago, 10 years before McDowell was born.

In retrospect, the pre-round gesture indicated that it was a winning day for sportsmanship as well as the solid European Tour player from Northern Ireland.

Every major has more than one winner and an array of losers. Here's a survey on which was which at this Open:

Winner: McDowell's perspective. He recouped from his news conference gaffe on Friday, during which he said he couldn't name any of the previous Open champions at Pebble Beach other than Tiger Woods. He explained that he isn't much of a golf historian. By Sunday evening, though, he had respectfully done his homework. In his victory news conference, he said: "To win at Pebble Beach, to join the names, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods, me . . . wow. I'm not quite sure if I belong in that list, but, hey, I'm there now."

Loser: Dustin Johnson. The South Carolina strongman had seemed totally unfazed by his three-stroke lead Saturday and basically vowed to be calm. And he almost immediately fell apart, flailing with a lefty swing and not doing much better righthanded on No. 2. His final-round 82 was the worst score by a 54-hole Open leader since 1911. Worse yet, he didn't have the composure afterward to meet the media. Made a person recall how Dallas Green used to say that not being able to face the media means you can't really look in the mirror.

Loser: Tiger Woods. He was encouraged by his classic charge late Saturday. But he fell on his face Sunday, when it looked like he could step on the gas again. Of the 156 players in the field, he was the loudest complainer. His game clearly is getting better, but he just doesn't look seem to be enjoying life much.

Winner: St. Andrews. Venerable site of next month's British Open has the prologue all written. Woods always wins there and he looks ready to win there again.

Winner: European Tour. McDowell said he will play more in America but asserted that the European Tour is and always will be his home. "I think the great thing about golfers in Europe is we play all over the world, and I think we're better players and better people because of that," he said. And how about Gregory Havret of France, the Open qualifier who was second by a shot? "It's been a great week. I holed a 50-footer to [get in] a playoff and qualify for here. And then all of a sudden I'm here playing on the last hole."

Loser: The 40-year-old generation. Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els came up just short, making you wonder how many more shots they'll get - especially Els.

Winner: Pebble Beach. The place is so striking that McDowell said he helped deal with the pressure just by taking in the scenery.

Loser: Poa annua. It's a leafy grass (to paraphrase Walt Whitman) that can get unruly and cause greens to get uneven.

Winners: Local caddies. Bobby Brown, a veteran looper at Pebble Beach, helped Johnson win two pro tournaments there and have a shot at a third. Erick Justesen, who estimates he has carried 800 bags at Pebble, played in this Open and made the cut. "For as much as I know these greens, I was not very happy with my reads this week," he said, but added, "it's been an awesome week."

Winner: West Coast golf. The USGA likes the prime time Open show. Speculation is that the 2018 Open will go to Torrey Pines in San Diego, not Shinnecock Hills.

Loser: The concept of golf being fun. The Open is the biggest tournament in golf, which is not a completely good thing. With its labyrinthine corporate villages, long lines and interminable bus rides, the Open has become an unwieldy spectacle and an ordeal.