U.S. Open Day 5

11:21pm Monday: It's on! The previous four days of the U.S. Open I've been watching have started between 3am and 4am, due to them not covering the first part of the day.. But tonight I had a feeling they would be playing the entire final day and I was right. I think I'm about to pull an all-nighter, so here we go.

11:25pm: Duval already with a triple bogey! I predicted only hours ago that he would come back and win. Maybe I should stop making predictions. Alright, gotta check the leaderboard and see what I've missed. Tiger is already on the seventh hole.

11:29pm: Barnes is leading by one after three. I wonder how he slept last night. I can't imagine it is easy sleeping with that amount of pressure on your shoulders. Mickelson is tied for fourth. I hope he comes back and wins it.

11:35pm: I did sleep after round three from about 7am-11am and that's been about it for today. Had a good run and also a late afternoon walk. I tried sleeping from around 8-10 tonight but my body was not really falling asleep. Tomorrow I should sleep like a baby.

11:37pm: It looks like the rain is holding off for now. Mickelson is wearing brown today. I'm not the fashion police but he looked a bit better in the black. Then again, I'm sure these guys get paid very well to wear whatever color the sponsors say to wear.

11:42pm: Tiger is already at the turn and is still even par for the tournament. I don't expect him to make any noise today, but at least I get to watch him play another nine holes. I was reading some online chatter today. Australians were very annoyed by the Aussie commentator continually interrupting NBC's coverage. I was never annoyed, but really, when the best Australian golfer is +2 for the tournament, yeah who needs those updates?

11:46pm: Funny, they just updated me on the Aussies. The best one is now at +5. I'm debating having some coffee right now. It is 11:45 at night. Recently I've been drinking decaf so I can get that coffee taste, but the way I see it, I'm not going anywhere. Coffee it is.

11:51pm: Tiger is wearing red again! Think he washed that shirt? Nah, he is sporting the sleeveless black vest also. I'm retracting my previous statement about Mickelson. I think I want the unknown Barnes to win. Would be heartbreaking to see him lose after leading all this way.

11:56pm: Just witnessed about five bad shots. Glover, Mickelson, Barnes. As "fun" as this is sitting here, part of me wishes the Australians waited until 3am to broadcast. A small part. Afterall, I'm sure I have hundreds of people checking in to see what I have to say. Just kidding. Thanks to my parents and maybe my brother for reading.

12:00am Tuesday: Alright! I made it to Tuesday, 14 hours before most of you will. I do have friends on the west coast as well, so 16 hours for those of you! Our leaderboard has in the top five a Ricky (Barnes) and a Hunter (Mahan). Those sound like NASCAR names.

12:09am: Only a one shot lead now. 13 holes to play. How long does it take for professionals to play 13? I would think at least 20 minutes per hole. So if my math is correct there, then I should be back in bed by 6am. They should play Speed Golf. This is the most obscure movie reference ever, but the actor Sinbad played speed golf in the movie Houseguest. The actor who played Ferris Bueller's principal was also in that scene. Houseguest, yeah, not exactly an award winner, but it was funny.

12:20am: I was trying to find a good scene from House Guest for you. It actually was pretty good now that I think of it. Phil Hartman was also one of the main characters. Moving on, a commercial for Hungry Jacks just came on. That is the same thing as Burger King here. Same logo and everything, it's just called Hungry Jack's instead. I haven't had fast food in at least two months. I look forward to going to Wendy's upon my return. Will attempt to write something about golf in the next update.

12:28am: The scores are so close now. Five or six golfers within five strokes of each other with a lot of golf to play. This is really anybody's tournament. Too bad Tiger doesn't have more golf to play. He's six back, just needs to start sinking some putts. Mickelson still even par. Duval +1. Speaking of bad shots earlier, can you think of the worst shot you've ever made in golf? Whiffs don't count. I'll try and think of mine. There must be an embarrassing one to tell about.

12:32am: I totally forgot to mention that my Day 4 blog was cut short. If you check it out, after the third round ended, I sprinted to bed. But apparently, they started the fourth round that day. Oh well. I've missed only a portion of the tournament anyway, what's another few holes. Today though, I'm here no matter what. If there is a playoff, what on earth am I going to talk about for an entire 6th day?

12:36: In the past couple of minutes, Phil hit a beauty of a shot about 3 feet from the pin. Duval also sunk a put from way downtown. I think there is some serious drama yet to occur. Still trying to think of a good golf story for you. All these terrible tee shots are coming to mind, but not worth elaborating about.

12:44am: Mike Weir with an amazing shot. Not only is he left handed, he's Canadian! Not sure what that's supposed to mean. Tiger with a good birdie shot coming up. Barnes playing like an amateur with 3 straight bogeys and maybe one more on the way.

12:49am: I always forget how nice the final round of a tournament is. We only get to see the players who are in contention. It's exciting. Tiger just drained a short birdie putt. He's only 4 behind now. Could it be?

1:00am: MIckelson just made an incredible shot. I actually had to delete "Phil about to bogie" because now he should save par. Welcome to 1am Tuesday! Or 11am Monday for those of you on the East coast.

1:04: It is bingo night here in Gymea, New South Wales. Last Tuesday I won my fourth meat tray since arriving in Oz. My roommates are pretty good cooks, so once in awhile I'll trade them a pork chop or two if they help me prepare the thing. Hey I'm no dummy. But I have become a bit of a grill master. Still a lot to learn. I wonder if Tiger knows how to use a barbecue.

1:15: Tiger is running out of time. 4 behind with three to play. Others like Phil have time for a comeback. Maybe this Mahan guy will win it. He's hanging around - makes a birdie putt as I type this, now only 2 behind the leader. Lets see what the next commercial is. So you think you can Dance USA. It's interesting, after Australia does all their reality shows taken from the US, they play the US's version. We're currently going through the Biggest Loser USA also.

1:19: Tiger for birdie...boo...Not his day to shine. Man there's a guy named Fisher at -2 also. I don't think I've mentioned him once in four days. Weir, the Canuck, he's at -1. This is so unpredictable.

1:24: Ah, I thought of a good golf shot to tell you about. I was on the par 5 13th hole on Bretwood's south course in Surry, NH. I was a good 200 yards from the green and had to hit over a creek to get onto the next patch of fairway. I roped the ball, ya know, really hit it solid and nailed the foot bridge perfectly that golfers use to get over the creek. It hit so solid that it bounced back at least 20 or 30 yards behind where I orignially hit the ball. I think what was most memorable is that the ball almost took my head off as it went by me.

1:26: Sim, Scott, and Ogilvy +5, +8, +11 respectively. All Australians.

1:34: As I start my second cup of coffee, Bob Costas is telling me about the possibility of a playoff. He says that if there should be a playoff, there is enough time and light left in the day to get in the 18 holes. That means, for me, that if there were a playoff...I would sit here for the next 8-9 hours. At this point, I am rooting for NO playoff. Noooooo playoff please.

1:39: Phil just put his shot less than five feet from the hole, will be putting for eagle and for tie of the lead. Wow. This is getting good. Tiger can't make a putt, finishes at even par for the tournament.

1:46: I found out about a road race today that I want to run in on July 26. It's called Sutherland to Surf and is an 11 kilometer race. It's free and just for fun, just like a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. If you're a regular reader, I'll update you in the upcoming weeks about it. Back to golf, Phil just tied things up. Woah!

1:52: I like this Mahan guy. Hard to read. It is an overcast day but he has on a big pair of sunglasses. He's like one of those pro poker players. He doesn't seem to have an attitude or anything. I like him.

1:56: Fisher just made eagle and is one shot back. Yeah, there's a lot of golf to go, but I'm sensing playoff. I already jinxed myself about 20 minutes ago.

2:07am: Only 5 more holes to go! I'm crossing my fingers for an epic finish. Hopefully something will happen where people will ask if you remember where you were when it happened. That would be best case scenario. I'm Skyping with my brother every now and then this morning. He just reminded me about the playoff...

2:13: Phil with another birdie putt..misses, but he is just one great shot away from taking the lead. Come on Phil...Take the lead. I wonder if any of the gallery members have been fired for missing work today.

2:22: I'm rooting against Glover. I just have no interest in him. Never heard of him. Phil, Mahan, Fisher, Duval, Barnes. I'd rather any of them win.

2:30: The problem with my coffee here is it doesn't stay hot long enough, so I drink it in about 10 minutes. If it were a Dunkin' Donuts medium black, I would sip on that thing for an hour. I haven't had a donut in months. My first order at the airport will be a medium black with an old fashioned and chocolate glazed.

2:39: As Wooderson would say, Alright, Alright, Alright. After losing his share of the lead, Mickelson is now tied again with Glover after Glover bogied. But Phil is back in trouble again with his tee shot. A little Wooderson for you:

2:43: "Duval is a very cerebrial kind of guy." The commentator just said that. I have no idea what that means. Anyway, Duval sinks a birdie putt, tied for the lead. No playoff please.

2:46: How cool would it be if these five guys under par somehow choked and all ended up even? Then we'd have an 8 player playoff. I could go for that.

2:47: Mickelson misses again, loses the lead...again. He's consistently inconsistent.

2:52: Glover is leading with two to go! Just happy to have one leader.

2:56: Everybody is missing putts. Things are looking good for Glover. Looking for a Glover who won't blow my cover, she's so hard to find.

3:00am:

Phil finishes at -2. Let's hope Glover can choke, otherwise it will be another runner up performance.

3:06: Barnes and Glover head to 18. Glover with a two stroke lead. Will I witness a major choke? Or will I be sleeping 20 minutes from now?

3:12: I'm exhausted. Just a few more shots and this thing is over. Please.

3:17: Glover is a Yankees fan. Ugh. He just needs to three putt to win. His wife is kind of cute at least. She's no Elin Woods.

3:20: Barnes pars the 18th. Just waiting for a tap in by Glover now. Barnes with a 76 final round. Ouch. Poor guy. And there it is! It's over...

I'm pretty positive this won't be read by too many people, but it was a fun weekend staying up late and getting up early. If you're reading this, thanks for taking the time to follow what I have to say. Even though this isn't the most riveting material, for me, it has been great writing practice. I think I'll take a few days off from the blog. Six posts in five days should hold the average reader for awhile. Just think, I'll be asleep by the time 3:30 rolls around.

Bye for now. - Ryan