STROKE OF THE DAY

"A good golf course makes you want to play so badly that you hardly have the time to change your shoes. "

It’s been an exciting week at the 2008 U.S. Open, especially for many Southern California competitors with friends and family supporting them in the galleries.

With some Southland players still on the course, here’s how the rest of them fared on the South Course at Torrey Pines:

--Prior to the start of the U.S. Open Thursday, Anthony Kim was regarded by many as a dark-horse pick to contend at Torrey Pines, a course the Los Angeles native and part-time La Quinta resident knew well from his junior days.

The winner of May’s Wachovia Championship didn’t play up to his standards on the South Course, posting 7-over par through 36 holes to make the cut on the number. But Kim found a groove on the weekend, going 70-72 for an even-par second half and a chance to finish inside the top 25.

“It was a good week,” he said. “I didn’t play very well, but I hung in there.”

And returning to Southern California made the championship even more memorable for the 22-year-old, who was able to hang out with friends and family all week.

“Being around my friends every night, this was the most fun I’ve had at a golf tournament in a long time,” Kim said.

--Rickie Fowler, the 19-year-old amateur from Murrieta who found himself on the first page of the U.S. Open leaderboard after a 1-under-par 70 in Thursday’s opening round, was never quite able to re-capture the magic from that day.

“The first day I played fairly well. And then these last three [days] I just struggled with my ball-striking and missing a few putts here and there,” he said after completing his final round, which included birdies on the last two holes. “So, it’s a little unfortunate I wasn’t on my game. I mean, you can’t always be on your game – it’s golf. These are the times that you learn from when you’re not playing so well.”

Fowler concluded with rounds of 79-76-72 for a 13-over-par total of 297.

“Everything was kind of a little shaky and nothing was great,” he said of his week. “There wasn’t any part of my game that stood out as being great and nothing was completely terrible. Everything was just a bit off.”

The Oklahoma State student was one of three amateurs to make it to the weekend and finished five shots behind former University of Alabama standout Michael Thompson, who claimed top honors among non-professionals.

While Fowler clearly would have loved to take that title, he said he gained a lot from the experience: “It’s been an awesome week. It was great learning from the guys I got to play with and seeing how they’re able to score.”

--Neither Pat Perez nor John Mallinger found themselves in the hunt for the 2008 U.S. Open title when they woke up Sunday morning, but they both managed to save their lowest scores for the final round at Torrey Pines.

Perez didn’t break par in any of his first three rounds on the South Course, but he did so Sunday, making a birdie on the par-5 18^th to post a 1-under 70 and move inside the top 40 for the championship.

Still, he wasn’t particularly pleased with his final result.

“I’m disappointed in myself,” said Perez, who grew up in San Diego and had lots of friends and family members in the galleries throughout the week. “Everyone was rooting for me. I wish I could have played better, but everything else was phenomenal.”

The 32-year-old has played in three previous U.S. Opens, and he praised the USGA for the way they set up the layout.

“It’s definitely fair, last year [at Oakmont] it was a joke,” said Perez. “You can actually make birdies and make a run here.”

Mallinger, an Escondido native and graduate of Long Beach State, had an up-and-down day with four birdies, three bogeys and a double on the par-5 ninth. Inconsistency aside, his final tally was a 1-over-par 72, besting the 73 he posted in Thursday’s first round.