While Graeme McDowell was celebrating his U.S. Open victory, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson were left to think about one that got away from each of them.
Did Tiger Woods throw his caddie, Steve Williams, under the bus Sunday night after his disappointing tie for fourth?
Talking about the mistakes that cost him, Woods pointed to a bogey he made at the 10th hole as a critical error.
"Steve said take dead aim right at it and, in my heart, I said no," Woods said. "There was no chance. I have a sand wedge in my hand and I can't play at that flag...
"I went against my own...I know things and hit the ball to the right and then hit the wrong club at 12...I made just an awful swing."
In a television interview, Woods said three mental errors "cost us the Open." The third was a 3-wood tee shot that ran over the edge of a cliff at No. 6.
He might make technical mistakes with his swing but Woods rarely makes mental errors. A forced driver at the third hole in the final round of the Masters a few years ago comes to mind but it's one of the few.
Maybe it was frustration boiling over. Maybe Woods was angry with Williams. But, as Tiger knows, it's the player who makes the final judgment call and I can't imagine a better guy on the bag than Williams.
What Woods can take away from Pebble Beach is how close he is to being back in full competitive form. He's finished tied for fourth in both majors this year. He will be the favorite at the British Open at St. Andrews next month and I expect he'll win there.
Els melted when it mattered Sunday. It was right there for him to win and he blew a driver down a cliff on the 10th hole to make a double bogey then he added on another bogey at 11 to back away from the lead. Needing to make a handful of key putts down the stretch, Els couldn't make enough of them. Sadly, it didn't come as a big surprise.
Mickelson had another great chance to win an Open but couldn't do it. He was ragged at the wrong time. On a course as severe as Pebble Beach was Sunday, there's no room for ragged. It exposed everyone but it was a chance for Mickelson grab the Open and he didn't do it.
As for Dustin Johnson's 82, you wonder what it does to him long-term. Maybe nothing but that's tough to believe. As good as he'd been for three days, he was almost unbelievably bad Sunday. It broke his spirit and the Open's good at that. It felt almost uncomfortable to watch him trying to finish.
That one's going to leave a mark -- on several players.