Lucas Glover shook off four bogeys, never letting his stumbles crack his concentration, and saved the only birdie of his round for the best possible time: a 7-foot putt on No. 16 that put him free of the field. His final-round 73 gave him a two-shot victory and sent Mickelson to his fifth runner-up finish in the Open, a skein of misery that seemed on the verge of ending when Mickelson rocked the course with an eagle to tie for the lead on No. 13.

It kept Duval from a breakthrough victory after eight years of a career collapse that had dropped him off the golf map. Ricky Barnes, the third-round leader, shot 76 and finished in the three-way tie for second. “That was a test of patience,” Glover said. “We got the full value of the course.”

Mickelson and Duval had the crowds trying to lift them, but Glover seemed to find a pocket of peace on the course. At 29, he had one previous PGA Tour victory, and his best finish in six previous major championships was a tie for 20th at the 2007 Masters.

Another heartbreak

Battling the tournament he had come so close to winning four times, Mickelson mounted the most exciting fourth-round charge, with two perfect, booming shots, crafting an eagle on No. 13 to tie Glover for the lead at minus-4. But heartbreak struck again. Glover’s birdie on No. 16 earned him the lead for good.

What happened ahead of him, though, was Mickelson faltering with bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17. Duval’s charge included four straight birdies, but he missed the green with his tee shot on the par-3 No. 17 and bogeyed to squelch his chances. Barnes unraveled early in the day and the rest of pack near the lead found endless ways to complicate their rounds.

... contd.