Back for PGA Championship, Lucas Glover recalls U.S. Open win at Bethpage Black in 2009

As Lucas Glover began to speak in the media center on Monday, a pitty-pat of raindrops caught his attention.

“Weather was just like this, actually, for most of it,” he said.

It was 10 years ago that Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in a tournament impacted heavily by rain and requiring a Monday finish. It also required a superb finish by Glover, who had to hold off the giants of the game —Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duval.

“A great week, at a great place, great course, and I had a lot of fun doing it, minus the weird schedule,” said Glover, recalling what was, and has been, the pinnacle of his career.

Now returning to the Black for the PGA Championship this week, Glover’s career didn’t exactly skyrocket after his Open victory. Injuries and some personal difficulties took their toll. Last year he found himself playing in the Web.Com finals to improve his position on the Tour entry list.

“I mean, to be honest, I don't think there's been anybody to play this game that hasn't been fried at one point or another,” said Glover. “Last year was just kind of was what it was. I had some family stuff, I had an injury, and I played the Web finals as my rehab start, so it was a way to get better position to play my medical [exemption]. I didn't have to go do that, I chose to go do that, just to see how my knee held up. It was the second time in the last few years I've played in those and accomplished the goal. To be fair, those four events in the late summer propelled me to have the fall I had. So I played well, and finally could tell myself I was healthy and what I was working on was the right stuff.”

The U.S. Open was the second of Glover’s three PGA Tour victories over a career going back to 2002. There have been some tough years.  “I had a great year in ’17,” said Glover. “But leading up to that, it was pretty up and down and some lean times, but again, I don't know of anybody that's played this game for a long time that hasn't gone through some ups and downs.”

After the U.S. Open in 2018 he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to clean out a body surfing injury he suffered in 2012, hence the need to go to the web.Com finals. This season he has a tie for fourth and two ties for seventh and has been in striking distance of another win.

“Like Brian Dawkins said in his [Pro Football] Hall of Fame speech, you're going through something so you're going to come out on the other end,” said Glover. “So that's the way I'm looking at the last few years is I've come out the other side. I haven't won, I haven't accomplished any of my goals, but I've come through it.”

But he can look back and draw on the experience of winning a major championship on the Black, executing down the stretch with the best players in the game nipping at his spikes.

“I'm in every way a different person than 10 years ago, but I can still lean on all of that,” said Glover. “My golf swing is different, my putting stroke is different, my brain is different, everything is different. But at the same time, I still get comfortable when I walk into the clubhouse or drive through the gate or whatever. It's just that calming feeling.”

And he has returned to winning grounds.