Simpson remembers the thrill of winning, wild scene of bird man, at US Open

ARDMORE, Pa. — Webb Simpson felt the true weight this week of winning a U.S. Open championship.

He's been stopped by strangers, been interviewed with his trophy by his side, and quizzed about the bird man who interrupted his celebration.

But it was registering for this year's Open at Merion Golf Club when the feat really hit him.

"It brought back so many good memories of winning the tournament last year," he said Tuesday.

Simpson emerged from a fog-filled final round at Olympic Club in San Francisco with a 1-over 281 to win in only his fifth time at a major.

He hasn't won a tournament since, but it hasn't softened the impact the championship had on his career.

"There hasn't been a day that went by that I haven't thought about winning the U.S. Open, being the U.S. Open champion, being announced on the first tee as U.S. Open champion," he said. "That hasn't gotten old. I don't want that to change. So it's been a great year. It's been a fast year."

"Usually that's the first question, tell me about bird man," Simpson said. "People thought that it took away from the ceremony. I thought it added to it. Everybody wants to talk about it. I got an official 'Bird Man' hat now. I don't think we'll be seeing him this week."

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MUD BALLS: Merion is wet. The course is soft. And the balls are caked in mud.

That's a problem.

Players don't think it's fair that a round can potentially become affected by the ball landing in the slop. The PGA Tour will use a lift-clean-and-place rule in certain tournaments. The USGA, however, is unlikely to bend for the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.

The U.S. Open could come down to fewest mud balls as much as birdies and bogies.

"I think mud balls are a problem. I think they're unfair," McDowell said. "I think golf is designed to be played from a closely mown fairway. If you hit it in that fairway you deserve a great line and a great opportunity to attack the green surface. That's the reward you get for hitting the fairway."

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WICKER SHOCK: Resting atop the flag sticks, wicker baskets are the official symbol of Merion.

They're officially the biggest headache for caddies.

So also is the maker of the baskets. The club guards the secret so tightly that few know who crafts them.

"We'll never play anything like this," defending U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson said. "It's a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. It's just part of the tradition of Merion, part of the tradition of the club. When I was here in September they told me they were going to keep the wicker baskets and I was pretty excited about it."

While the baskets color up the course, they also stay as stationary as the sticks. Which way is the wind blowing? Might to have to try the ol' tested way of licking a finger to measure wind strength and direction. Wicker doesn't budge.

"It makes their job harder," Simpson said. "They might be a little on edge to keep their job this week. We like it because it's different. I honestly think it will make us make decisions quicker. We're sitting there a lot of times and we see one flag over here blowing that way and a flag over here blowing that way, we get confused and second guess."

It could still be tricky for Open contenders.

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HAD HIS PHIL: Phil Mickelson always knew he would be home in San Diego the day before the U.S. Open at Merion. Wet weather put him home a little early.

His daughter, Amanda, is graduating from the eighth grade on Wednesday and is a featured speaker. Mickelson left early due to rain at Merion, giving him a few days of practice in pristine weather.

He will fly back after the ceremony, in time for him to tee off at 7:11 a.m. at Merion.

Amanda is his oldest daughter. She was born the day after the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where Mickelson carried a beeper and pledged to withdraw if his wife had gone into labor. That was the first of his record five runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open.

SAY UNCLE: Tiger Woods broke into a wide smile at first sight of the reporter who had a question for him.

This was no ordinary writer with a press pass.

She was Woods' niece.

Cheyenne Woods, a ringer for the day, made Woods laugh when she took a turn with the microphone.

"The U.S. Open is usually one of the most grueling weeks of golf," she said. "So what would you do off the course in order to be at ease and relax?"

"Didn't expect that," he said. "Well, off the course, we have a great crew at the house and we're going to have fun. Tomorrow, make sure you're — is it 6:30 dinner? Is that all right? OK. Perfect."

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LOVE, PHILLY: Tiger Woods obviously hasn't been booed in Philly.

Woods played in the AT&T National in suburban Philadelphia in 2010 and returned the next year to promote the tournament even though he couldn't play because of an injury.

Area golf fans who hadn't seen important golf in Philly for decades flocked to Woods and made him feel as loved as Julius Erving or Bob Clarke.