They'll be dancing in the streets of Argentina, as the United States Open trophy is headed to South America. Angel Cabrera stumbled late, but a closing par was enough to hold off Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods for his first major championship.

Cabrera got his bad round out of the way Saturday and fired a one-under 69 Sunday. He posted no big numbers on any hole and held it together like the champion he is.

Undoubtedly, we'll hear how the USGA has once again produced a mediocre champion with their brutal set up. Yeah, right. And if Woods, Phil Mickelson or Furyk had won it there wouldn't be a peep heard from the complainers.

The likeable fellow is no fluke. He has won around the globe and is truly one of the nicest guys in golf. Okay, maybe he doesn't have the big wins – until now – like Tiger or Mickelson, but great golfers come from everywhere, not just America. Eleven of the top 20 finishers weren't from American shores.

For the second straight major, Tiger Woods played in the final group and couldn't deliver the knockout punch; thus proving he is human after all.

A curious header at the MSNBC.com home page: "Woods makes charge at U.S. Open but falls short." It was Jim Furyk who made the charge on the back nine – birdying three consecutive holes before the costly bogey at 17. Woods double-bogeyed the third and birdied the fourth. His alleged charge was shooting one over from then on, which included a bogey at the 11th and nothing else but pars. Some charge. Then again, what can we expect from a web site that has a Tiger Woods section. We heard the same thing at The Masters when Woods' final round 72 was glorified, while the 69s by Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini that also placed them second were ignored.

Oh yeah, one forgets the rules of covering golf. The networks and The Golf Channel (Tiger's Golf Channel) must bow down before their life-size statue of Tiger every morning and worship him. They beg their idol (Tiger) for help in covering him exclusively and beg his forgiveness when they show someone else or say something that could be construed as negative. They promise they will come up with every excuse when he doesn't win. They pledge they will show him walking the entire 290 yards to his ball instead of showing other golfers during that stretch.

During the tournament wrap up on "The Tiger Channel," they will devote at least 89% of the time to their idol. When Tiger wins they burn incense at his altar all night, but when he loses – no one ever beats Tiger – it is because he didn't have his "A" game. What the heck is an "A" game anyway? You try your best on every shot and if you lose it means someone played better when it mattered most. Cabrera played the best golf all week and it's his name on the trophy.

Johnny Miller is a great announcer, but I've grown weary of his "Huh, Roger?" Good grief Johnny, when its time to hand the vocals to someone else, can't you come up with a better bridge? I'm also tired of the constant references to his final round 63 in 1973. Yeah, it was great, but the course was soft that day from torrential rains. No one mentions Larry Nelson's 65-67 finish over a much tougher Oakmont in 1983. Although the last three holes had to be concluded Monday due to a late storm, Nelson came from seven back to defeat Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros, merely the two best in the game at the time. Even the Golf Channel talks about every Oakmont Open except Nelson's.

Mickelson should zip it. He blamed the U.S.G.A for his injured wrist after a 7-over-par 77 Friday in the second round at the U.S. Open. He called conditions on the course "dangerous." Lefty said it was "disappointing to dream as a kid about winning the U.S. Open and spend all this time getting ready for it only to have the course setup injure you."

Okay Phil, but since you knew your wrist was bothering you, why play? Guys were hacking it out of the broccoli all week and no one complained about potentially ending their career on one swing. You've earned $43 million on the golf course alone during your career so stop griping.

And what of Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els? The young Spaniard isn't so young anymore and his claim to fame continues to be his 1999 duel with Woods at Medinah and his Ryder Cup heroics. The trouble is, Medinah was eight years ago and Garcia hasn't won anywhere in two years. He has missed the cut at both majors this year and appears lost. He's only 27, but the years are passing.

Els is nearly 38 and at the crossroads. Having fully recovered from knee surgery, he started the year by saying he was on a quest to regain the number one ranking and that it would take some time. So far this season he has, like Garcia, missed the cut at both majors and has little to show for his efforts. I love Els decision to support golf around the world, but he needs a couple of majors badly. He has just one (2002 British Open) in 10 years and the fire seems to have gone out since his playoff loss to Todd Hamilton at Royal Troon.

One wonders what will become of John Daly. He and his wife called a ceasefire last week after claims of a drunken rampage, a knife-wielding incident and sexual assault. Daly showed up for the second round in Memphis with a face full of scratches and a story about his wife attacking him with a steak knife. His wife Sherrie accused him of sexually assaulting her and defacing himself to mask what really happened. His fourth marriage is headed for the courts and he will have one more ex-wife to support

If Daly's life weren't so sad it would make a great novel. Fighting his demons, Daly cuts a tragic figure and his game is a shambles. He has no status on the PGA Tour and gets by on sponsor exemptions. He plays corporate outings as if his life depended on it, which in many ways it does. He owes millions in gambling debts and ex-wife payments.

How long, however, will his marketability continue? He is 41 and his salad days are long gone. He had soft hands around the green, but this season he has made just four of 12 cuts and withdrawn three times. I don't know whether to feel sorry for him or be angry. I empathize with anyone fighting emotional or other difficulties since these can plague a person to varying degrees throughout their life. However, how many chances does he get? He reminds me of baseball's Steve Howe who kept getting suspended for drug abuse. Eventually the sympathy dries up. Yet, Daly, like the Rolling Stones Keith Richards, seems to almost revel in his image of the bad boy and plays it up at almost every turn. Unlike Richards, who cleaned up his nasty habits after they nearly killed him, Daly refuses help and is a walking time bomb.

In 2005, after collecting $900,000 for a play-off loss to Woods in a World Championship Golf event in San Francisco, he went to Las Vegas and lost twice that at the tables. The wise move would have been to invest the cash or pay down creditors.

Chris Riley captured the Nationwide event in Rochester in a playoff. The former Ryder Cupper hasn't been the same since he claimed to be too tired to play an afternoon 18 at the 2004 event. He has limited status on the big tour and the victory should give him some confidence.