June 17, 2013
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
Sunday was shaping up to be a very special day for Phil Mickelson. It was Father’s Day, he was turning forty-three, and—best of all—he was leading heading into the Final Day of the US Open. Mickelson, who has four major wins, has never won the US Open. But instead of commemorating his birthday with the landmark win, the veteran golfer watched history repeat itself. Mickelson double-bogeyed two of his first five holes Sunday, and ended the day four-over par 74, two shots behind first place.
Englishman Justin Rose, who finished with a putter on the eighteenth hole for par, earned his first major title, while Mickelson had just one word to describe the feeling of coming in second for a record sixth time: “Heartbreaking”. Thirty-two-year-old Rose, who credited his win partially to his late father, congratulated Mickelson on his performance. “Obviously, Phil Mickelson, rightly so, is a fan favorite, the way he carries himself,” Rose said. “I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Phil.”
But despite the kind words, that fan favorite understands it was a blown opportunity, and possibly one he will not be afforded again. “I felt like this was as good an opportunity as you could ask for,” Mickelson said afterwards. “And to not do it, it hurts.”
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals may be headed back to Miami, but right now all the focus is on San Antonio. With the series tied 2-2, the Spurs came out swinging in Game 5. Coach Gregg Popovich gave Manu Ginóbili his first start of the season, and the veteran shooting guard did not disappoint. While Ginóbili has seen limited play time this season due to age and injury, neither were a factor Sunday night. He had twenty-four points and ten assists as the Spurs beat the Heat 114-104 to take a 3-2 series lead.
Tony Parker put twenty-six on the board, while Tim Duncan, another one of the team’s vets, added seventeen. Danny Green, who has been a key factor to the Spurs’ postseason success, hit six three-pointers, breaking the record for most threes in the finals (twenty-five). Ray Allen’s record of twenty-two was set in 2008 when he was with Boston.
LeBron James and Dwayne Wade each scored twenty-five for the Heat, but it was not enough to compensate for an otherwise lackluster team performance. After trailing by seventeen points in the first half, the Heat were able to pull within one in the third quarter. But sloppy defense coupled with a red-hot Green and vintage Manu Ginóbili led San Antonio on a 19-1 run Miami could not overcome.
The defending champions now find themselves in a must-win Game 6 situation. “This is the position we’re in and the most important game is Game 6,” James said in the post-game conference. “We can’t worry about a Game 7, we have to worry about Game 6.” The last time a Game 7 was forced in the finals was in 2010 when the Lakers beat the Celtics.
