By Bob Markus

Golf is unique among major sports in two ways. First, it's the only sport--except perhaps bowling--where the week-end warrior can, for one hole or one shot, compete with the pros.

I could stand at home plate from now until the Cubs win a world series and not get a hit off the softest tossing pitcher in the major leagues. I could run the football with Bronko Nagurski leading the way and never gain a yard against the NFL's most porous defense. Did someone mention the Detroit Lions? I could play quarterback behind the Seven Blocks of Granite and never complete a pass, even if the opposition was the Four Pillars of Salt. I could never score a basket against Michael Jordan or even Barack Obama and I doubt I could even get a shot off against most NBA players. As for hockey, I can't even skate let alone try to stop a Bobby Hull slap shot or score a goal against the worst net minder in the NFL.

I am, if not the world's worse golfer, at least somewhere in the bottom ten. Yet, one year playing in a sports writer's orientation round at Crooked Stick near Indianapolis, I played in the foursome right behind one headed by Nick Price, the previous year's PGA champion. On a par three hole, perhaps 150 yards over a small creek, I watched Price put his tee shot 12 feet from the pin. I don't know what club he used, probably an eight or nine iron. But when the green cleared, I pulled out a four wood and put it within eight feet. One shot in a lifetime of shanks and topped drives and total misses. But on that one shot I was better than the PGA champion.

The second thing that makes golf unique among sports is that most golf fans will never root for the underdog. How many fans were rooting for Ricky Barnes or Lucas Glover to win the U.S. Open? About as many as wanted Goliath to swat away that pebble and crush the little twerp who slung it.

It's always been that way. Outside of the state of Iowa did anyone want to see Davenport club pro Jack Fleck beat Ben Hogan in their 1955 playoff?

Did anyone who didn't attend Clemson want to see Lucas Glover beat Tiger Woods? Or even Phil Mickelson? Outside of a few thousand crazed New Yorkers how many golf fans would rather see Mickelson win his first U.S. Open than watch Tiger Woods win his fourth? Even counting the sympathy vote inspired by Amy Mickelson's bout with cancer, I'd wager that Tiger would be the people's choice.

I'm as guilty as the next guy. I've been a Tiger Woods fan ever since he won his first Masters by demolishing the field. Why? Because he's the closest thing to perfection the golf world has ever seen and every golfer yearns for perfection, even if it's just one hole or one swing. With Tiger you know that the perfect swing, the perfect hole, the perfect round are right around the dogleg and heading your way.

Even when he was 11 shots behind the leaders entering the fourth round late Sunday night, Tiger fans did not give up hope. Not until he missed birdie putts on the last two holes Monday did most of us count him out. As it was, he fell only four shots shy of forcing a playoff, with a chance to join the short list of four-time Open winners. Bobby Jones. Ben Hogan. Jack Nicklaus. And, inevitably, Tiger Woods.

Woods actually lost the tournament in the first round when he was even par after 14 holes and went four over on the four closing holes. For the rest of the tournament he played Glover dead even. He may even have lost the tournament before it started when he drew an early morning tee time for the first round. He played his first six holes in weather so miserable anyone tuning in would think he was watching a re-run of an old British Open. Most of the field, including Mickelson, Glover and Barnes, did not start play until Friday, a day made for scoring.

After Woods finished his 72d hole and it was clear that only the total collapse of the half dozen or so golfers ahead of him would get him into a playoff, the attention turned to Mickelson. If Tiger couldn't win, let it be Phil. And Phil had his chance. A brilliant eagle on the 13th jumped him to the top of the leader board. As it happened, all he had to do to force a playoff was to par out. But, as usual, he flubbed his big chance, missing makeable par putts on 16 and 17.

With Phil out of it, the focus went to David Duval, once the world's No. 1 player, but ranked No. 882 in the world heading into the Open. Who's No. 883? Your uncle Maury? How the high and mighty Duval fell so far and so fast following his 2001 U.S. Open win is a mystery deeper than why John Daly continues to be so popular after continually throwing an amazing talent into the nearest garbage bin.

Duval bounced into the picture with a run of three consecutive birdies on holes 14 through 16, then immediately bounced right out with a bogey at the par 3 17th. That left Glover, who had only one birdie all day, albeit a timely one at 16, with a two-shot lead going into the final hole. There was no one left except Glover's playing partner, Barnes, who had distinguished himself by falling off the face of the earth after starting the day at seven under and tied for the lead. But wait! What if Barnes, two shots behind, but surging a little, should birdie the 18th while Glover bogeyed? That would force a playoff and wouldn't that make a good story?

Yes it would, but it didn't happen, and so we are left with Lucas Glover, an almost unknown pro with one previous tour victory who has somehow, including the $1,350,000 he earned by winning the Open on Monday, mined about $10,000,000 out of golf's mother load in the last five years. So that's your story. Live with it.