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Thine be the G-Rory, as Stenson ends in bloodbath

ESPN staff
June 19, 2011
Henrik Stenson suffered a freak injury © Getty Images
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The first cut is the deepest
It was good to see another Swede, Henrik Stenson, return to some form at Congressional this week. But it came at a cost - Stenson snapping the shaft of his iron after a particularly unsatisfying approach shot over his final holes. From the recoil, he suffered a sizeable cut to his hand, sending the blood flowing as he dashed to get treatment. Fortunately his caddie, (Dr) Fanny Suneson, had the first aid kit in her bag to patch him up and help him see out the tournament. All part of the job - even if her charge did drop three shots over the final holes to fall away from a previously impressive finishing position.

Start as you mean to go on
Beginning the final round of a major can be a nervy experience, particularly if you blew it in similar circumstances a few months earlier. Not for Rory McIlroy, however, who coolly found the fairway, played his approach shot in to about ten feet and holed out for one of the most straightforward opening birdies you could ever hope to see. Easy game, golf - at least that's how Rory made it look.

Slam dunk tha funk
Sergio Garcia was once again let down by his putter in a major championship - although the flatstick wasn't as unruly as it has been in the past. On the 12th the Spaniard found a novel way of eliminating such troubles from the occasion, however - flying his chip from an almost-impossible spot straight into the cup for an unlikely birdie. Maybe he should try that trick more often.

Job done
Rory McIlroy broke or tied 12 different US Open records in his eight-shot victory. Enough said.

Smile like you mean it
Freddie Jacobsen was firmly in the hunt (well, for second) when he reached the 12th, a relatively innocuous par-three. With a tap-in for par facing him, it looked like the Swede would move on to the next with minimal fuss. Instead, he blocked the first putt right of the cup, managed the same with the return, and eventually holed out for a from-nowhere double-bogey. Jacobsen's response? A wide grin to the galleries - who responded with the heartiest cheer of the week not awarded to a man from Northern Ireland. Classy stuff all round.

Amateur hour
Patrick Cantlay will remember this week fondly, after playing his way to low amateur honours after a hard-fought battle with one of the other two unpaid players to make the cut, Russell Henley. The 19-year-old will have every reason to be delighted with his display - until he considers the fact that the winner of the overall prize is just three years older than him. Time waits for no man (or boy) these days.

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