Dan O'Neill

The recently-completed U.S. Open will go down as one of the most forgettable in history. For the first time in 26 years, and only the third time in its 109-year history, the 72-hole championship was extended to a Monday finish. So it had that going for it, which was not exactly nice.

In between the downpours and delays, the tournament lacked continuity and charisma. The final round on Monday produced the only sustained suspense, with Ricky Barnes falling on his driver and with Phil Mickelson, David Duval and even Tiger Woods chasing the lead. The end result produced a credible if somewhat colorless, winner in Lucas Glover.

What is more compelling about Bethpage is the stories it raised going forward. As the season move past the halfway house and turns toward the next significant marker — the British Open at Turnberry — several interesting sidebars sprouted from the rain on Long Island.

Foremost among the intriguing headlines was the emergence of Duval. Ranked 882nd in the world before the tournament, Duval is now ranked 142nd, a jump of 740 spots. His unexpected play held up through five days and several hiccups, including a final-round triple bogey, and he came within a horseshoe putt of really making things interesting.

Duval, 37, was the No. 1 player in the world a decade ago, and the British Open winner in 2001. Since then, he has undergone a number of changes on and off the course. At the Open, he seemed both capable and comfortable in his own skin.

“It's what I want,” Duval said. “It may be arrogance, but it's where I feel I belong. I was glad to come up here and hit the golf ball and control myself like I've been saying I've been doing. I've been talking about how I know I'm playing better than my results are showing.”

The golf world will be anxious to see if Bethpage was an aberration, or if Duval is back for real. His next surfacing figures to be the John Deere Classic. If Duval is back, the timing is excellent because the world's No. 2 player, Phil Mickelson, will be out of the picture indefinitely.

Under the circumstances in which Mickelson played, with his wife about to undergo breast cancer treatment, his Open performance was remarkable. It was the first time “Lefty” has been a factor in a major since Winged Foot in 2006 and it spoke volumes about his talent and resolve.

Slideshow   Past champions Take a look at the men who have hoisted the U.S. Open trophy. more photos

But Mickelson, who has won three majors, has now finished third or better on 12 other occasions. Certainly he deserves a pass at Bethpage, but at the same time, it raised more questions about his inability to finish. One wonders if it doesn't carry residual frustration.

With Amy Mickelson set to begin treatment this week, Mickelson isn't sure when he will return. When he does, what kind of player will he be? How will he be affected by what is happening away from golf, or what happened at Bethpage?

“I don't really know where to go with it,” Mickelson said. “Right now, there are more important things going on.”

By the same token, what does the future hold for Barnes? The 28-year old former Arizona standout soared to 11-under par in the championship and a six-stroke lead with less than two rounds remaining. But by the end of the third round, Barnes was swinging a golf club the way Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams used to throw a fastball — falling down. Watching the meltdown on Monday was painful.

The Barnes' start was what observers envisioned he might do after he won the 2002 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills. The second half raised more questions about the validity of his game. The weeks ahead will tell us which half was more accurate. His tie for 59th at the Travelers was inconclusive.

The 29-year old Glover also bears watching. Although well-respected since he came out of Clemson, Glover had just one PGA Tour win before the Open. Less than a year ago, he became so disenchanted with his game, he took three months off.

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He came back this season refreshed and re-focused. “My expectations were high for myself,” he said. “But there's nothing guaranteed in this game. We all know that. Maybe this will be the springboard, maybe it will be it. Who knows?”

Or, maybe Glover will join other one-hit wonders in the majors. To this point, recent winners such as Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Campbell, Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton and Trevor Immelman have failed to duplicate the achievement.

But enough about what lies ahead. Let's deal with the present and to take some questions:

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