Phil Mickelson's quest for his first U.S. Open title was the Sunday story golf fans had their eyes on, but it turned there were fewer eyes than last year when the Open was played on the West Coast and finished during prime time on East Coast markets.

NBC and Golf Channel announced the ratings from Sunday's broadcast, and the final tally is a 7.5 percent drop from the 6.6 rating on Sunday in 2012, when Webb Simpson emerged as the winner on a hazy day at Olympic Golf Club outside San Francisco. The 2013 numbers were still strong for an East Coast venue. Here's the statement:

Golf Channel on NBC's Final Round coverage of the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club scored a best overnight (6.1) for an East Coast U.S. Open since 2007 at Oakmont Country Club (7.0).

Coverage peaked in the metered-market overnights at a 9.4 US Household Overnight Rating from 7-7:30 PM EST.

Golf Channel on NBC's Final Round coverage was up 20% from Rory McIlroy's win in 2011 at Congressional Country Club (5.1), which was the last East Coast U.S. Open.

Was Lefty in the right?

It’s just another meaty question for us to chew on as we parse Phil Mickelson’s comments about the USGA’s set-up of Merion’s third hole.

As seen above, Mickelson was none too pleased after making a double bogey Sunday on the stout par-three, which played 274 yards. Into the wind.

“274? That’s terrible. Can’t even reach it,” he groused as he walked off the fourth tee.

His gripe was directed at USGA executive director Mike Davis, who was standing nearby, but NBC microphones picked up the complaint, which quickly became part of the post-mortem of yet another Open that landed Mickelson in second place -- his sixth runner-up finish in the event. Davis talked about Mickelson's comment in the media center Sunday evening.

Q. Phil expressed his displeasure about the third hole setup. How do you feel with the way the wind was coming and did you feel like you got that one right?

MIKE DAVIS: Well, let me start out by Phil is a class act. He was nothing but complimentary week from the standpoint of he embraced this golf course, which is great. He saw all the architecture when he played the third hole today. We set the golf course up today for a south wind. So you saw us move tee markers up. For instance, if you're playing the 18th hole, you're dead into what would be a south wind. So that's how we set it up. That's why we didn't go to the back tees. When we got to the third hole, we were really getting a westerly even a northwesterly wind. So it played long. It played longer than we would have ‑‑ but having said that, it was a back hole location that was the most receptive on the green, we felt that it could handle 3‑wood shots, if need be. So anyway, I mean, he mentioned that he thought it was too long. That's fine. We wouldn't have put the tee markers back where we did had we known we were going to get that wind. But he was terrific and to be a six‑time runner‑up in the National Open Championship is‑‑ well, it's not only a record, but it's a, he's a very classy about it.

A reporter asked Mickelson about his comment after his round and Mickelson had a more measured response than the one picked up by NBC.

Q. After the third hole it looked like you said something to Mike Davis after the double bogey and after the fourth tee shot. Did you think the setup was fair today?

PHIL MICKELSON: I thought it was a great setup all week. I thought that the golf course was fabulous. We had weather and we had some conditions with Sunday pins, it was difficult. But I thought that it was really well done and, you know, it was‑‑ I loved having the hard holes be really hard. And I loved having chances on the birdie holes.

Fair or unfair course, setups are the same for everyone. Mickelson played the third three over for the week. Justin Rose played it one over. A two-shot differential The same margin as his winning spread.

Woulda coulda shoulda anyone? Here's Phil's Sunday press conference:

Rory McIlroy has a tough week at the U.S. Open, and his wedge paid the price.

McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, has been in a slump for much of the season. En route to a 14-over finish for the tournament Sunday, McIlroy lost his second shot into the creek that protects the 11th green at Merion Golf Club. After the water ball, McIlroy's psyche wasn't the only thing bent out of shape.

President Obama is in Northern Ireland this week for the G8 summit and like any golfer visiting the linksland, he wishes he could have brought his sticks, according to the USA Today.

"I am unhappy that I will not get a few rounds in while I'm here," Obama said.

Northern Ireland is home to Royal County Down and Royal Portrush, both among the top 20 golf courses in the world, according to Golf Magazine. In addition to hosting world-class courses, Northern Ireland also breeds world-class golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke. Obama, who took a weekend golf trip with Tiger Woods earlier this year, has a standing invitation for a lesson with McIlroy, he said in Belfast.

"I did meet Rory McIlroy last year, and Rory offered to get my swing 'sorted' -- which was a polite way of saying, 'Mr. President, you need help.'"

Photo: President Obama plays golf at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in May (Getty Images).

In case you’d forgotten, Lindsey Vonn is an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most accomplished athletes of her generation.

“Some people seem to forget that I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend,” Vonn told the New York Times. “I’m actually a successful athlete. I’m Lindsey. I have my own career and my own life.”

Vonn has become a regular at golf tournaments since she and Woods announced their relationship on Facebook in March, and she has time to travel with Woods while she rehabs the right knee she injured in a scary ski crash in February. At Merion last week for the U.S. Open, Vonn talked with the Times about how her life has changed since she started dating Woods.

“I’m at a golf tournament, aren’t I?” she said with a laugh. “When was I ever at golf tournaments before? I kind of like him; can you tell?”

She said that she and Woods talk about golf and skiing, though they don’t give each other advice in their sports. But while Vonn understands what Woods goes through as an athlete, she wasn’t prepared for what he goes through as a mega celebrity.

“I can be normal by myself; no one notices me,” she said. “But wherever he’s around, we’re living in a fishbowl. I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into. It’s weird. But it’s just something I have to deal with. He has his job, and I have mine. I just have to get used to it.”

Photo: Lindsey Vonn watches Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open on Friday (Getty Images).

In his first meeting with the media during the week of the U.S. Open, Ernie Els said this:

"I see a very close race with a lot of players in contention this year, unlike other U.S. Opens.  It's going to be bunched. It's going to be under par, you'll be seeing quite a few numbers in the red."

In his last meeting with the media during the week of the U.S. Open, Ernie Els said this:

Q. You said at the beginning early at the practice stages that you expected a bunched up ‑‑

ELS:  I didn't say that. Let's get this straight. Somebody else said it. And I didn't agree with it. So let's just get the stuff straight here.

Q. You said a bunch of guys would be bunched up right at the end?

ELS: Am I wrong or right? I'm out of here. 

You be the judge. But I think he's wrong.

(Photo: Morry Gash/AP)

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Like a child who outgrows his first pair of expensive tennis shoes, Snedeker thinks the U.S. Open has gotten too big for vintage Merion.

"As great as this week was, I think the U.S. Open has kind of moved past one of these venues," said Snedeker, who finished at 10-over par, good for 17th place. "It's been great to be part of it. I love the history here, but there's so much more that goes in a U.S. Open than just golf. I don't think it is unless something happens drastically in the next ten years where they're able to move some stuff around or redo the routing around here. We had some problems here."

Snedeker, seventh overall in the World Ranking, was a rare exception in the otherwise overwhelming support among pros for a return trip to Merion. Snedeker added that the golfers had help for handling the logistics. It was the fans who suffered from the smaller venue.

"Only letting 15,000 people experience this championship is probably on the low end," Snedeker said. "It would be great to see 40,000 or 50,000 fans out there to enjoy it. I thought they did the best with what they had. It was just from an infrastructure standpoint, it's just lacking a few things. And they did the best with what they could, and they used homes. They did what they could to make this the best way possible and it ran great."

Snedeker re-emphasized that none of the players complained about the setup, but the tournament had outgrown venues like Merion.

"Just from an infrastructure standpoint, from a fan standpoint, from a global marketing standpoint, I feel like this tournament needs more space to put on a championship in the right way," Snedeker said.

(Photo: Robert Beck / Sports Illustrated)

Golf.com is live blogging the final round of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.

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ARDMORE, Pa. -- In case you haven't noticed, Sergio Garcia isn't having a swell week here at Merion.

Garcia has apologized in press conferences, and he's left Tiger Woods a note and shaken his hand, but fans are not yet ready to let the Spaniard live down the offensive fried-chicken remark he directed at Woods at a dinner on May 21. On Saturday afternoon, the 33-year-old was heckled with "fried chicken" on his opening tee shot at the par-4 11th. You can see that one here:

He took the catcall in stride and plodded along, making a couple of bogeys in his first four holes, when disaster struck at the par-4 15th. That hole is tricky -- there's out-of-bounds just left of the fairway, along with a narrow path for spectators to line up along the ropes and get a good long look at the players. Garcia made a quadruple-bogey 8 there on Thursday. On Saturday, he snapped three straight tee shots O.B. and made a big, ugly 10.

This week the fans haven't been quite as rough as those who attended the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, when Garcia was fighting a bad case of the waggles and the crowd let him have it. I caught up with the member of the local police force who's tagging along with Garcia inside the ropes this week. It was reported Thursday that Garcia was given the chance to have hecklers ejected from the course, but Garcia declined. On Saturday afternoon, after the latest chicken-insult and the 10 that brought some more grief, I found the officer and asked if any fans had been booted for taunting Sergio. "No," he said flatly. It was a nice talk.

Things didn't get much easier for Garcia. After the 10, he appeared to mope for a bit, but two holes later he was smiling and chatting with his playing partners, Rickie Fowler and Robert Karlsson. On Merion's famed 18th hole, the one with Ben Hogan's plaque in the center of the fairway, fans can line the ropes from tee to green, and there's a big, bright concession stand just a few steps away. This week they're selling Budweiser for $6.50. (For the refined fan, there's Beringer wine for one extra dollar.) As Sergio trudged up the fairway, one fan clutching a cup of beer hollered, "Sergio! Como estas?" A few moments later, another cracked, "Sergio! You're nothing!" That guy had a beer in his hand, too. Sergio didn't break stride.

As Garcia lined up a long birdie putt on the 18th green, just a short chip shot away Phil Mickelson teed off on No. 1 in front a boisterous crowd that roared its adoration and support. Garcia glanced in Mickelson's direction before missing his putt. The throng of happy Mickelson fans were out of earshot by the time Garcia tapped in for par, dropped his head and marched on to his next shot.

Zach Johnson during a practice round at Merion on Wednesday (Getty Images).

After shooting 11-over in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open and missing the cut, Zach Johnson told the Golf Channel that the USGA’s Merion set-up was unfair.

The accurate, smooth-putting Zach Johnson was a popular dark horse at the U.S. Open at cozy Merion this week, but went home Saturday after shooting 77. His playing partners Graeme McDowell (13-over) and Jim Furyk (16-over) -- two other Open favorites – missed the cut as well.

“I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated,” Johnson told the Golf Channel. And there’s no question who’s to blame, he added. “It just enhances my disdain for the USGA and how it manipulates golf courses,” he said.

But Merion members should not take offense. Johnson said he still loves the course. “I think Merion is a great golf course, if you let Merion be, but that is not the agenda.”

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Some cupcake.

As the final groups snuck in their last holes Friday, the projected cut line at the U.S. Open had jumped to 7-over. Dustin Johnson (ranked 19th in the world) and Brandt Snedeker (7th) went to bed outside that mark, but after the sun rose on Merion, the cut settled at 8-over, so Sneds and DJ got to hang around for the weekend. 

Several other top players didn't wake up to similar news, but they might be glad not to see Merion's red wicker baskets anytime soon. The historic course didn't treat many of the world's top players too kindly.

The biggest disappointment might be Graeme McDowell [right]. Tabbed by analysts to be in the final groups on Sunday, the No. 8-ranked player in the world had more double-bogeys (7) than birdies (5) and only hit 60.8 percent of fairways in his two rounds of 76 and 77.

"This place is very hard," said McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open champ. “I'll shake it off and I'll get ready for The Open Championship in a few weeks time. That's my next target.”

Short-hitter Zach Johnson was a popular sleeper pick to compete at Merion's course where driver distance would be neutralized. Not the case. He hit 22 of 28 fairways, but finished with rounds of 74 and 77 for a total of 11-over. The 2007 Masters champ didn't mince words after his round, according to the Golf Channel. 

“I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated,” Johnson said. “It just enhances my disdain for the USGA and how it manipulates golf courses."

The leader in fairways hit, Jordan Hicks, who hit 13 of 14 each round, didn't translate that success to the course as he finished 76-73. Another short knocker, Tim Clark, finished 70-79.

Keegan Bradley could only watch as playing partners Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker hung around the top of the leaderboard Friday afternoon while Bradley languished behind. His 77-75 sent him packing for the weekend.

On the 10th anniversary of his 2003 U.S. Open victory at Olympia Fields, Jim Furyk exited stage left after a 77-79 in his home state. Furyk has struggled at other Open venues, but seemed legitimately sad at this being his last competitive round at Merion.

"And then to come back here is a bummer," Furyk lamented. "Later in my career at 43, there's not going to be another tournament here at Merion through my career, at least not maybe until the Champions Tour."

He sounds like the only player who isn't going to have nightmares featuring wicker baskets and mud balls for weeks.

Photo: Graeme McDowell at Merion on Wednesday (Getty Images).

Golf.com is live blogging the third round of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.

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ARDMORE, Pa. -- We should've guessed that Punxsutawney Phil is a fan of Phil Mickelson.

The left-hander was preparing to hit his second shot into the green on the sixth hole on Friday afternoon, when a large -- one might even say plump -- groundhog sauntered across the fairway and into the crowd. We're unsure if the groundhog saw his own shadow, or what that would even signify when it happens in June, but Mickelson went on to par the hole and shoot 72 for the round.

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Merion is playing tough -- and that's without your ball becoming a moving target in your backswing. 

While on the fifth hole Friday morning, Carl Pettersson was about to hit his approach into the 504-yard par-4 when a ball came bounding across the fairway directly towards him. When Pettersson took his club back, his ball was there. But before he entered his downswing, it was gone. The intruding ball had knocked Pettersson's ball between his legs.  

The culprit? Brandon Crick, former college standout at Nebraska who made it into the U.S. Open field by way of local qualifying. With the most precise timing and aim, Crick managed to move Pettersson's ball right out from under him. Crick played his ball from where it stopped, while Pettersson was allowed to move his ball back to its original location without penalty.

Was this a once-in-a-blue-moon accident? Maybe. Or could it be the first domino to fall in Mike Davis's plan to sabotage golfers who use belly putters? (Like our unsuspecting victim, Pettersson)

Pettersson went on to make a bogey. Crick managed a birdie.

Step one of Davis' plan is complete. Watch out Tim Clark. 

ARDMORE, Pa. -- As Lee Westwood can attest, fans attending the U.S. Open at Merion might be wise to consider bringing along one extra piece of sports equipment: a baseball glove.

Westwood air-mailed his approach shot to the sixth green in his opening round where a bleacher-dwelling fan snagged it out of the air with his bare hands. Westwood flipped him the ball after finishing the hole. It was a nice scene:

Westwood's adventures were far from over. On the 12th hole he was tied for the lead with Phil Mickelson when his approach shot caromed off the wicker basket mounted atop the pin and rolled off the front of the green. Westwood went on to make a double-bogey six, and he hasn't had a piece of the lead since.