Congrats, Lucas!

The USGA release puts it like this:

Lucas Glover is the 2009 U.S. Open champion, overcoming a week of challenging weather and outlasting a host of contenders in a thrilling Monday finish at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. Glover shot a final-round 73 to finish at 4-under-par 276, two strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ricky Barnes.

The 29-year-old native of Greenville, S.C., played collegiate golf at Clemson and turned professional after competing in the 2001 U.S. Amateur. He has one victory in five seasons on the PGA Tour victory, the 2005 Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, and played on the 2001 Walker Cup and 2007 Presidents Cup teams. Glover, who had not made the cut in three previous U.S. Opens (2002, 2006, 2007), earned a place in the final field of the 2009 U.S. Open through sectional qualifying.

Note well that last sentence ... People around the country are saying "Lucas WHO?"

Bethpage Black is a bear of a course (my father played it once and stopped even keeping track of his score; he said he often couldn't even reach the fairway) and the weekend's weather was more than just "challenging". Having to play the final round on Monday - that doesn't happen very often. (A Monday final round and Tiger out of it: you know the tv people were cursing...) For Glover to overcome all that is a triumph indeed.