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ARDMORE, Pa. -- Justin Rose could see all the pieces coming together in this U.S. Open. The sun was breaking through the clouds Sunday evening at Merion as he stood in the 18th fairway with a one-shot lead. That famous Ben Hogan plaque was in front of him, a road marker bronze that one pure swing and two putts might be all that stood between Rose and his first major championship. That and Phil Mickelson in the final group behind him. Rose followed his script to perfection with a par. So did Mickelson, who cant seem to win a U.S. Open no matter how hard he tries. Rose drilled a 4-iron just through the green and used a 3-wood to bunt the ball to an inch of the cup for par. Mickelson, who made two careless bogeys on the back nine, needed a birdie on an 18th hole that didnt yield a single one all weekend at Merion. "What a piece of silverware to be sitting to my right," Rose said, gazing at the shiny trophy after closing with an even-par 70. "Its just an incredible experience and a childhood dream come true at this point." It was a recurring nightmare for Mickelson, extending his record collection of silver medals in the major he covets. "Heartbreak," Mickelson said on his 43rd birthday. "This is tough to swallow after coming so close. This was my best chance of all. I had a golf course I really liked. I felt this was as good as opportunity as you could ask for. It really hurts." With remarkable poise and three pure swings under pressure, Rose became the first Englishman in 43 years to win Americas national championship. Mickelson extended his U.S. Open record with his sixth runner-up finish, and this one stung. It was the first time he had the outright lead going into the final round. He holed a wedge out of deep rough for an eagle to take back the lead as he headed to the back nine. But he flew the green with a wedge on the par-3 13th hole and made bogey on the easiest hole at Merion. He tried to hit wedge off the green on the 15th hole to give him a good shot at par, only he hit it so hard he made another bogey. And he never caught up. He wonders if hell ever get another chance. "At 43 and coming so close five times, it would have changed the way I look at this tournament altogether and the way I would have looked at my record," Mickelson said, dreaming one last time of winning. "Except that I just keep feeling heartbreak." Rose was pacing in the scoring area, waiting for Mickelson to finish, wondering if he could catch him. At one point, he looked above the TV to that famous photo of Hogan hitting 1-iron into the 18th green in the 1950 U.S. Open to set up a playoff that he won the next day. "When I walked over the hill and saw my drive sitting perfectly in the middle of the fairway, with the sun coming out, it was kind of almost fitting," Rose said. "And I just felt like at that point it was a good iron shot onto the green, two putts -- like Hogan did -- and possibly win this championship. So I felt like I did myself justice, and probably put enough of a good swing where Ben Hogan might have thought it was a decent shot, too." As usual, someones big moment in the U.S. Open came at Mickelsons expense. All the stars were aligned. None of the putts fell in. Lefty somehow blasted out of the rough to 8 feet on the 16th hole, but he missed the putt. His tee shot on the par-3 17th was just short enough that it didnt catch the funnel toward the hole, and he missed a long birdie putt. From the rough left of the 18th fairway, he couldnt quite reach the green and to chip in from about 40 yards. With his caddie tending the flag, Mickelsons chip raced by the cup, and Rose was the U.S. Open champion. Mickelson wound up with a bogey on the 18th for a 74 and tied for second with Jason Day, who closed with a 71. Day appeared to salvage his round by chipping in for bogey on the 11th hole, and he was still in the picture when he made a 12-foot par putt on the 17th to stay one shot behind. But he put his approach into the bunker left of the 18th green, blasted out to about 7 feet and missed the putt. The back nine was a four-way battle that included Hunter Mahan, who played in the last group with Mickelson. He was one shot out of the lead until he three-putted the 15th hole for a double bogey, and then closed with back-to-back bogeys when his hopes were gone. Mahan had a 75 and tied for fourth with Billy Horschel (74), Ernie Els (69) and Jason Dufner, who had a 67 despite making triple bogey on the 15th hole. David Hearn (71) of Brantford, Ont., finished in a tie for 21st at 11 over, while Mike Weir (69) of Brights Grove, Ont., tied for 28th at 12 over. Rose finished at 1-over 281, eight shots higher than David Grahams winning score in 1981 when the U.S. Open was last held at Merion. The shortest course for a major championship in nearly a decade held up just fine. It was the third time in the last four years that no one broke par in the toughest test of golf. The last Englishman to win the U.S. Open was Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine in 1970, though Rose added to recent dominance of the Union Jack at the U.S. Open as the third winner in four years. The others were Graeme McDowell (2010) and Rory McIlroy (2011) of Northern Ireland. Walking off the 18th green, he looked through the patchy clouds and pointed to the sky, a nod to his late father, Ken, who died of leukemia in September 2002. "I couldnt help but look up at the heavens and think my old man Ken had something to do with it," Rose said. It seems like more than 15 years ago when Rose first starred on the major scene as a 17-year-old amateur who chipped in on the final hole at Royal Birkdale in the 1998 British Open and tied for fourth. He turned pro the next week, and then missed the cut in his first 21 tournaments. But he stayed the course and slowly picked off big tournaments -- including the AT&T National in 2010 just down the road at Aronimink. The U.S. Open takes him to another level and moves him to No. 3 in the world. Tiger Woods turned out to be nothing more than an afterthought. He hit out-of-bounds on his second hole and made triple bogey, and closed with a 74 to finish at 13-over 293, his worst score as a pro in the U.S. Open, and matching his worst score in any major. The score wasnt nearly that bad considering the golf course, with its tricky contours on the greens and punishing rough. Mickelson wore all black when he arrived for the final round, and in a brief TV interview he said, "The best for me is to play well and have fun." Sunday at the U.S. Open is rarely fun. Just ask Donald, who was only two shots behind starting the final round. It all crumbled when he pulled his tee shot on the par-3 third hole -- so long and hard that Donald hit a driver -- and struck a standard-bearer. She was on the ground for several minutes, and Donald appeared visibly shaken. He shot 42 on the back nine. Steve Stricker took his lumps on one hole, and it was ugly. One shot behind, he pushed his tee shot on the par-5 second hole out-of-bounds. After hitting the next tee shot into the fairway, he tried to lay up with a 4-iron and hit a shank out-of-bounds. Stricker had to make a 7-foot putt to escape with a triple-bogey 8. Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, trying to give South Africa a major for the fourth straight year, opened with a birdie and a tie for the lead. That became a distant memory, however, when he dropped seven shots over the seven holes and closed out his front nine with a 42. Horschel wore pants with octopus prints, and he putted like he had eight arms. Out in 39, he opened the back nine with a pair of three-putts. For a short time, it looked as though Mickelson might join this parade of pretenders when he three-putted for double bogey twice in three holes on the front nine. And then came his shot out of the rough on the 10th, and he was on his way -- but not for long. Rose made his share of mistakes, too, like the three-putt bogey on the 11th and a horrible shot out of the bunker on the 14th. The difference was his approach into the 12th to 3 feet, followed by a 20-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole. With Mickelson watching so many putts graze the lip, that cushion was all that Rose needed. "This is definitely a tough defeat for Phil," Rose said. "I love the way he plays the game. He plays fearless golf. He keeps everybody guessing." But not at a U.S. Open, where it never ends well for him.Fake NHL Jerseys . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. NHL Jerseys Sale . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla.Did you overdo it in Kickoff Week, and now you have to mow the lawn or play with the kids? Well, have yourself a nice little Saturday (without college football), were here for you.Well, you might have missed some of the Saturday action, but its your lucky game day. Heres everything you need to know.Play of the year of the dayCentral Michigan shocked Oklahoma State with a combination Hail Mary/hook and lateral.Quote of the dayNick Saban on his sideline discussion (dont call it an argument!) with Lane Kiffin: There are no arguments. Those are called ass chewings.Watt records first sackWisconsins T.J. Watt, younger brother of NFL superstar J.J., records his first sack for the Badgers.Venmo Money, Venmo ProblemsWhen one fan showed up in Bristol, Tennessee, for College GameDay, he probably didnt imagine how profitable his day would become -- all thanks to a sign and the power of the internet.Heres everything you need to know about one of the best signs in recent GameDay memory.Peyton takes in Battle at BristolWhat do you do after an 18-year NFL career ends with a Super Bowl win? You watch your alma mater play a football game at a racetrack. Former Tennessee Volunteer Peyton Manning heard it from the Vols fans when he was introduced to the massive crowd at Bristol Motor Speedway.Noon game awardsNoon Heisman: Central Michigans Cooper Rush. He was 30-of-42 for 361 yards and four TDs, and that play that will be talked about all weekend.The runner-up: In a losing effort to Pitt, Penn States Saquon Barkley accounted for 130 total yards and five TDs.Lets pause for some stats* Courtesy of ESPN Stats & InfoCentral Michigans win over Oklahoma State was the Chippewas first win over an AP-ranked opponent since 1991.Texas A&Ms 67-0 win over Prairie View A&M was its largest shutout victory since 1993 when it beat Missouri 73-0.Clemson has scored 13 or fewer points in the first half in each of its first two games this year. The Tigers had two such games all off last season.ddddddddddddYou were so closeClemsons Ray-Ray McCloud thought he was cruising for a 74-yard punt return TD before nonchalantly dropping the ball. One problem. ... He had not crossed the goal line. Troy recovered the fumble. The gaffe kept the game close at halftime.From ESPN Stats & Info: Clemson has scored 13 or fewer points in the first half in each of its first two games this year. The Tigers had two such games all of last season.McCloud also joined an impressive, if infamous, fraternity of premature fumblers.Just dont kick it anymoreIt wasnt a good day for UCFs special teams. Michigan blocked two punts and a field goal in the first quarter.From ESPN Stats & Info: Michigan is the third FBS team in the last 10 years to block three kicks in one quarter, joining Washington State in 2012 and North Carolina in 2008.Smokey makes an appearanceFire at will!At West Point, cadets can study the history of military art. Hopefully theres a chapter where you learn about this awesome T-shirt tank!We welcome our robot hound and HokieBird overlordsIt wont be long before Skynet comes online. Dont be fooled by these friendly looking robots.The scene at BristolThe Battle at Bristol looks to be the most unique college football game in history. And it had over 150,000 fans in attendance. Heres some of the best from Bristol:Gallery: Building the Battle at BristolDavid M. Hale: Beer, a converted garbage truck and the wild scene at BristolRyan McGee: The intersection of NASCAR and college footballHey! What are you wearing?A little history lesson: The U.S. Air Forces shark-tooth design first appeared on fighter planes in World War II. It has been part of different war planes ever since. In honor of that, the Air Force Academy wore its Legacy Series helmet with the shark on either side. Heres the best of Week 2s uniforms. ' ' '