(REUTERS) – Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell won the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach to end Europe’s 40-year drought in America’s premier championship France’s Gregory Havret pushed the Portrush native all the way, but when the Frenchman missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last, the way was clear for McDowell to par the 72nd hole for a winning total of level par 284.
McDowell’s outstanding display of grit and determination saw him hold off both Havret and Ernie Els, while the challenges of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods fell by the wayside as the world’s top players never managed to mount a serious challenge.
The 30-year-old produced superb, steady golf over the opening stretch, playing his opening eight holes in one under par.
Dropped shots at the 9th and 10th saw a lead that had stretched to three shots cut back, but with the entire field struggling with a stiff breeze and bumpy greens, bogeys were unavoidable.
Even two late bogeys at the 14th and 17th were not enough to derail McDowell, who held firm to become the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the US Open – and the first British player to win any of the Majors since Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999.
Havret played beautiful golf throughout the day to thoroughly earn his second place, but his lack of birdies on the back nine cost him a chance of victory.
After the first eight holes Els seemed likely to present the stiffest challenge, but four dropped shots in three holes from the ninth cost the South African dear, and when he failed to birdie the last his chance was gone despite a creditable two-over-par aggregate.
Overnight leader Dustin Johnson’s challenge disintegrated almost as soon as it began. Starting the day three shots clear, he drew a terrible lie with his approach to the second and was forced to hack out left-handed before completely fluffing his second chip.
A treble-bogey seven ensued, which he followed with a double-bogey six on the third after he lost a ball following a wild tee shot.
His woes continued on the next as he sliced his iron shot on to the beach, yet despite saving a bogey after his penalty drop his momentum was totally gone.
Five further bogeys followed without a single birdie to offset them as he completed a round of 82.
Woods, similarly, never looked like winning after starting his round with an inauspicious three-putt bogey.
Further dropped shots followed on the 4th and 6th, the easiest two holes on the course throughout the week, and though the world number one found birdies on the 7th and 14th, another three dropped shots around the turn had left him with too much to do.
World number two Mickelson, by contrast, seemed to be off and running after holing a curling 25-footer from off the front of the first green.
Yet it would prove to be the left-hander’s last birdie of the day. His iron shots never got him into position to take a run at the hole, and his hopes of overtaking Woods at the top of the world rankings will have to wait at least until St Andrews next month.
Davis Love III made an early run with a birdie and an eagle in his first six holes, but bogeys at 12, 14 and a double bogey at 17 ended his hopes of an unlikely victory – even if his final-round 68 tied the best of the day.