Rickie Fowler

England's Justin Rose rallied from a four-shot deficit to win the Memorial yesterday with a flawless final round for his first victory in 7 years on the PGA Tour. It was the second straight year the Memorial winner came from four shots behind. Tiger Woods did it a year ago, and the 29-year-old Rose was equally impressive. He played bogey-free at Muirfield Village, in Dublin, Ohio, for a 6-under 66 and a three-shot victory over Rickie Fowler. Rose tapped in for par, thrust his fist in the air and slammed it down, a moment long overdue.

Rickie Fowler, the new kid in golf, gave himself a chance yesterday to be the next kid to win on the PGA Tour. The 21-year-old Fowler ran off three straight birdies late in his round for a 6-under-par 66 to tie the 36-hole record at the Memorial Tournament and take a three-shot lead over Justin Rose into the weekend at soggy Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Fowler was at 13-under 131. That tied the tournament record set by Scott Hoch in 1987. "Just being in contention the few times I have over the last 8 months, this is by far the best I've felt," Fowler said.

Hunter Mahan won the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale for his second PGA Tour title, coming from four strokes back to beat Rickie Fowler by a shot in a 1-2 finish for former Oklahoma State players. Mahan, 27, had an eagle and a pair of birdies in a late four-hole span yesterday to finish at 16-under 268. Mahan closed with consecutive bogey-free 6-under 65s. Also the 2007 Travelers Championship winner, he is the eighth U.S.-born player still in his 20s to win more than one tournament.

Lee Westwood of England became Europe's No. 1 golfer yesterday after winning the Dubai World Championship in the United Arab Emirates, by six strokes. Westwood shot a course-record 8-under 64 in the final round at the Earth Course to finish at 23-under 265. He earned $1.25 million with the 31st victory of his career to overtake Rory McIlroy on the season-long money list and win the European Tour's first Race to Dubai since it changed from the European Order of Merit. Ross McGowan of England was second after a 68, and McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, shot a 67 to finish third on 273. The 36-year-old Westwood's $1.5 million bonus for finishing atop the money list took his total European Tour earnings to $6,376,984.

Recovering from a late collapse, Troy Matteson birdied the second playoff hole to beat Jamie Lovemark and Rickie Fowler in the Frys.com Open yesterday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Matteson bogeyed the final two holes of regulation to fall into the playoff with Lovemark and Fowler, who are both seeking PGA Tour cards. After all three players parred the first playoff hole, Matteson hit his approach within 3 feet on the 464-yard, par-4 17th hole. With shadows stretching onto the green, he rolled in the putt for his second PGA Tour win. On the first playoff hole - the 515-yard, par-4 18th - Matteson and Fowler each reached the green in two and made easy par putts.

Rickie Fowler could have kicked off the next stage of his golf life months ago, but there was one goal remaining before he could conclude a brilliant amateur career. And he couldn't have done it any better, standing in the middle of the first fairway at Merion Golf Club with his teammates as the sun set behind the club's stately trees, and taking part in celebrating his second Walker Cup. With the 20-year-old Fowler going 4-0 in his matches, the United States dominated from Saturday morning to late yesterday afternoon and gained a 16 1/2-9 1/2 victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the 42d matches.

Rickie Fowler has closely watched Peter Uihlein as a teammate, first at Oklahoma State for one season and then on the U.S. Walker Cup team over the last week. So when asked yesterday what impresses him most about Uihlein's game, Fowler was succinct. "He hits it long and he makes putts," Fowler said. Uihlein was one of three U.S. players to win both their matches yesterday as the United States took an 8-4 lead over Great Britain and Ireland after the first day of the 42d international amateur competition at Merion Golf Club.

There was a point yesterday in the Walker Cup when the team representing the United States appeared determined to end the matches a little early, as in three rounds instead of four. The host squad was leading in seven of the eight matches, and all square in one. Perhaps by the time the day ended, it would have a mathematical shot to secure the Cup this morning, and play without pressure in the afternoon. But the members of the Great Britain and Ireland team didn't want to go out this way at Merion Golf Club, and they clawed their way back.

Pressure? What Pressure? Just because you're the captain of the United States Walker Cup team, and the matches are being played on your home course? Nothing to it, right? "I think we have high expectations," said Buddy Marucci, whose 10-man American contingent will try to hold on to the trophy against Great Britain and Ireland beginning tomorrow at Ardmore's Merion Golf Club. "But we won the last two matches by a point. So I don't really feel like we have a homecourt advantage, or we're the favorites, though I know a lot of others think that.

On one side, there is Merion Golf Club, beautiful yet diabolical, never reluctant to penalize the player who lands his ball in its thick rough or in the wrong spot on its speedy undulating greens. On the other side, there is the U.S. Walker Cup team, with nine college-age players among its 10 members, eager to blast their tee shots as far as they can, confident they can escape trouble from anywhere. And in the middle, there is Buddy Marucci, the 57-year-old U.S. Walker Cup captain and a Merion member who has played the course hundreds of times and knows the proper strategies, yet must persuade his fearless guys to follow them by the time they hook up next week against Great Britain and Ireland.