Top-ranked Luke Donald welcomes a break after a tough U.S. Open

Reporting from Bethesda, Md. â€”  Luke Donald has two letters on his mind: R and R.

“My wife [Diane] and I will take a little vacation in Italy for six days,� he said Sunday after a disappointing performance at the U.S. Open. “I’ll put my feet up.�

Donald has been grinding since mid-May, tying for fourth at the Players championship in Florida, finishing as the runner-up in the Volvo Match Play in Spain, winning the BMW PGA Championship in England and tying for seventh at the Memorial in Ohio. Four tournaments in four weeks.

On the Monday after the Memorial, he played a 7 a.m. practice round at Congressional and then traveled to Manhattan, where he mingled with fans for two hours at Bloomingdale’s to promote Polo Golf. Then he went home to Chicago to practice before returning to Bethesda for the Open.

“The last six, seven weeks have taken a lot out of me,� he said. “I’ve been in contention a lot, played a lot in different countries, different time zones, and I probably haven’t got my energy levels up. But no excuses, I just didn’t play well enough.�

The world’s No. 1-ranked player never contended at Congressional, finishing at five over par, tied for 45th place. In eight U.S. Opens, he has never finished better than a tie for 12th.

The fine print

There are 19 ways to qualify for the Masters. Americans Robert Garrigus and Kevin Chappell punched their tickets with No. 12: the top eight finishers (plus ties) from the U.S. Open.

“I don’t know what the requirements are,� Chappell said, “but I’ve heard mutters that I might have done that, which is great.�

Garrigus, who turned pro in 1997, knew the deal: “One of the coolest things I’ll ever get to say is I am playing at Augusta next year.�

They also qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

“I don’t think the USGA is letting anybody know how upset they were about the scores� at Congressional, Garrigus said. “Next year at Olympic, I think the winning score is probably going to be about eight over.�

Stars and stripes

The quest to attend the 2012 Ryder Cup begins at 6 a.m. PDT Monday, when fans can register for a chance to purchase tickets at rydercup.com. Entries will be accepted through Sept. 30.

Medinah Country Club outside Chicago will play host to the 39th Ryder Cup from Sept. 28-30, 2012. Attendance will be limited to about 40,000 spectators per day, and a one-day grounds ticket will cost $115 for matches and $35 to $80 for practice rounds. Among the five ticket options is a six-day “season ticket� that costs $460.

Watery bookends

Phil Mickelson’s U.S. Open ended Sunday more or less where it began — in the lake that guards Congressional’s 10th and 18th greens.

Starting his first round at the par-three 10th, Mickelson’s first drive splashed down on the way to an opening double bogey. On Sunday, Mickelson’s blast from a greenside bunker at No.18 soared over the green. Glub.

“That bunker is not an easy spot to be today,� Mickelson said, “and I hit a poor shot on top of it.�

That double bogey left Mickelson with a 71 and a not-so-perfect bookend to his week. He finished seven over par for the week and tied for 54th.

Asked if he thought the window was starting to close on his chances to add to his portfolio of four major titles, the 41-year-old pro said no.

“It just gets me more geared up to look forward to the British [Open] and the PGA,� he said. “I’ll have the next two weeks to try and get my game ready, then head over to Europe.�

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