It's Not Over...But It's Close

The temptation is to say Phil Mickelson won the U.S. Open Saturday afternoon with two back-nine birdies that turned a dull tournament into a potential piece of history.

Temptations get you in trouble, though.

Still, I think Mickelson wins the Open today, hugs the trophy he's nearly won three times before and goes to the British Open chasing his own Slam.

It wasn't long ago we were wondering how Mickelson might mess up another chance to win a major. Now we're wondering if anyone can beat him.

Mickelson is the best player in the world right now, regardless of what the world rankings say. He's in control of his game, has a clear plan for playing Winged Foot and it's tough to imagine Kenneth Ferrie beating him today.

But Jack Fleck beat Ben Hogan and Andy North won two U.S. Opens.

If Mickelson doesn't win, don't be surprised if Geoff Ogilvy does. Steadily, Ogilvy has elevated himself among the game's best players. He's not as familiar as Sergio Garcia or Ernie Els but he's more dangerous right now.

This seemed like a perfect Open for Jim Furyk, but he began fading from the chase Saturday afternoon, falling four strokes behind. Plus, Furyk doesn't have a top-10 finish in his last five majors, a surprising stat for such a good player.