When U.S. Opens Attack

In the primal battle between golfer and U.S. Open, the Open nearly always wins

AS THE CURTAINS DROPPED ON PHIL Mickelson's 72nd hole tragicomedy at Winged Foot last year, the stunned protagonist squatted like a catcher on the 18th green, closed his eyes and burrowed his head in his hands. The moment, caught by dozens of flashing cameras, became an indelible symbol of how suddenly the U.S. Open can make a grown man literally buckle at the knees. Mickelson, of course, was not its first victim, but one in a long succession of wounded left humbled by the Open's unholy trinity of slick greens, thick rough and heart-stopping pressure. Don't take our word for it: these pictures tell the story far better.

By Alan Bastable

Credit: Don Emmert/Getty Images