The 107th U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club broke new ground in making the course more accessible to the elderly and the physically disabled. Scooters and buggies were provided by the USGA to help people get around the course, and 75 volunteers were on the course to assist as well.

The experience at Oakmont will be used as a benchmark when the Open moves to Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., outside San Diego next summer, and for future tournaments, according to Joan W. Stein, president of Accessibility Development Associates Inc. of Pittsburgh.

"The USGA philosophy is to make sure everyone can enjoy the experience. They're committed to making the Open a welcoming event, an open event," she said. "With our demographics showing a high percentage of seniors, we especially wanted to accommodate them on the course."

The on-course coordinator was Frank Bussey, director of operations for the USGA.

"That's been one of our big successes this week," said Mickey Pohl, general chairman of the tournament. "One indication of a good community is how it treats the handicapped and disabled."

If you had told me ...

Because of the odd number of players in the field, Kevin Sutherland played by himself in the final round and shot 75 in 2 hours, 57 minutes.

Sutherland had the chance to play with a marker, but declined the opportunity. He said he did not know the marker was Oakmont professional Bob Ford, who has played in three U.S. Open and 10 PGA championships.

Ford, 53, is the most recent host pro to make the cut in a U.S. Open, doing so in 1983 when he finished tied for 26th.

"I didn't know who it was going to be," Sutherland said. "[The USGA] just said it was the local pro."

Some help from above

Pohl said tournament officials did more than cross their fingers when it came to meteorology. He heard that St. Scholastica, namesake of a Catholic church in Aspinwall, was the patron saint of weather, a fact that was confirmed by the Rev. Robert Duch.

"Do you need any tickets?" Pohl asked the priest.

"Yes, and I have the weather thing covered for you," Duch answered.

Although there was a downpour Wednesday evening and temperatures yesterday were a bit sweltering, the weather for tournament week was a blessing.

"Father Duch made a believer out of me," Pohl said, laughing.

How low can you go

Pressure? What pressure.

"I had nothing to lose today. I'm almost dead last, so just fire at some pins and hopefully it works out," said Anthony Kim of Dallas, who shot a 3-under 67 for the second-lowest round of the tournament to Paul Casey's 66 Friday. "I felt fortunate to go out there and put up a good number."

It could have been even better had he not missed five putts inside 10 feet.

"The greens were a little bit softer today," Kim said. "I got to play early and got the ball rolling there. It could have been a little bit better, but I'm not complaining."

Buried alive

Geoff Ogilvy never made a serious run at winning a second consecutive Open because his ball kept running into the treacherous bunkers at Oakmont.

"If I didn't hit it in the fairway bunker, I would have been all right," said Ogilvy, who shot 75 yesterday for a 299 total. "I must have been in 25 of them. I don't think I advanced it more than 30 yards out of any of them maybe twice. It's just frustrating. I didn't have much fun the last three days."

Ogilvy said the bunkers were too harsh.

"If you miss a shot by a yard, it's just a one-shot penalty," he said. "I mean, there's just no chance. It's the complete lack of chance for recovery, which is no fun. You should get penalized for missing a shot, but I don't know if it should be as black and white as it is. I'm frustrated, so it's a bad time to interview a player."

Feeling red

Ian Poulter's bright red neck nearly matched the colorful outfits he wore this week as he talked about the course at Oakmont.

"It's unbelievable. It's frightening. I said at the start of the week I would like to sign for 8-over par," said Poulter, whose final 77 gave him an 18-over 298 total. "It is laughable. I'm totally demoralized. I played the short holes so bad. That's what happens when you miss the fairways.

"But it's the same for everybody."