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Ferrie buried by bogeys: Playing in the final twosome in the U.S. Open with Phil Mickelson is enough to make anyone nervous. Not Englishman Kenneth Ferrie. He had no angst at all, even though he was participating in his first major tournament in America and was teamed with the guy almost everyone wanted to win. As he stepped onto the tee on No. 1, Ferrie thought he was going to be the one to walk away from Winged Foot with the top prize. "I kind of had a bit of a serene feeling," he said. "I can't explain it, I don't know why. I kind of had a sneaking suspicion maybe today was meant to me my day. Lots of players say when it's their week, things go their way and they feel a certain way. I felt that way this week." Ferrie maintained that winning feeling after parring the first six holes. But his putter didn't maintain that positive vibe, and he bogeyed four of the next five holes to fall out of contention. He finished with a 76 for an 8-over 288 total, good for a sixth-place tie. "I couldn't buy a putt today. That was the problem. Lots of fairways, lots of greens, lot of putts," he said. "It was just one of those days. The birdies that went in the first three rounds didn't go in today, and I didn't make too many saves either. Six bogeys and 12 pars was about as bad as it could have been."
Pink panther: Ian Poulter wasn't content with merely proving that he's an excellent golfer. He also made a fashion statement. The 30-year-old Englishman wore a pink shirt, pink pants and had his caddie tote a pink bag that listed Poulter's Web site (ianpoulter.com). "I like the color pink. I thought it would be appropriate for Sunday," said Poulter, who has won six tournaments on the European tour.
Rookie laments: A quirky putter deprived J.B. Holmes from deriving maximum satisfaction out of playing the final round. Holmes, a strong candidate for PGA Tour rookie of the year honors, shot a second straight 75 to tied for 48th at 17-over 297. "I should have shot a 65 today, I putted that bad," he said. "I had 35 putts yesterday and 36 today. C'mon. Even if you putt bad, you should have 31, 32 putts. I feel like I can compete in a major. I'm a good enough ball-striker. I've just got to learn how to putt." Holmes last played in the U.S. Open as an amateur in 2003 and failed to make the cut. He entered this Open with far more confidence, because he's already got one win (FBR Open) and two top-10 finishes.
I walk alone: Tim Herron decided against playing the final 18 holes with a partner, so he walked the course alone Sunday after starting the round as the lone player at 18 over. As he walked up the 18th fairway, Herron was a solitary figure while his caddie struggled to keep pace. If nothing else, Herron's decision to walk alone made for a quick work day. He started at 9:50 a.m. and plunked in a par putt on 18 at 12:32 p.m.
Given the option of taking a partner or doing it alone on Saturday, John Cook took on club pro Andrew Svoboda and carded a 74. Herron went the other way and shot a 77 to finish 63rd at 25 over.
Associated Press
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