Golf history comes rushing toward us this week, dominates our senses, fills our souls with nostalgia. The U.S. Open starts Thursday at Merion Golf Club outside of Philadelphia, where Bobby Jones completed his 1930 Grand Slam, where Lee Trevino outdueled Jack Nicklaus in 1971, where Ben Hogan in 1950 hit the most famous 1-iron in golf history.

To which every player in the field under the age of 40 says: "What's a 1-iron?"

Yes, sports fans, this will be a blast from the sport's past, a rotary phone of a golf experience in a smartphone world. Merion is so old-school and unique, the flagsticks on each green feature red wicker baskets instead of flags. Ask 90 percent of the field about the wicker baskets, and most of them will only associate wicker with their grandparents' patio furniture.

And yet, there are potential downsides all over the Merion experience.

• Four par-4s measure less than 360 yards. Guys like Dustin Johnson hit 330-yard drives these days, and complain that they hit it off the

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Patience and strategy are required for 2013 U.S. Open at Merion

Matt Kuchar celebrates after winning the Memorial Tournament. (USA Today)

Matt Kuchar, at age 34, is apparently hell bent we all acknowledge that he is one of the best players on planet Earth.

Maybe that's why he's always smiling. "I'll just keep putting up great performances," he says behind those pearly whites, "and these Tiger Woods- and Rory McIlroy-obsessed lunatics will have to acknowledge the magnificence of 'Kooch'."

So, from us, to you, buddy, a hearty: "KOOOOOOOOOCH . . . "

He deserves the love. After a triumph at Jack Nicklaus' prestigious Memorial tournament, while Tiger and Rory were fumbling around in bunkers, firing golf balls into water hazards and running short putts past the hole at breakneck speed, Kuchar carved a final-round 68 for his second win of the year. His other was also against a big-time field, the World Match Play at Dove Mountain in chilly February, when he took down Hunter Mahan while wearing snow gear borrowed from that 80-year-old Japanese guy who climbed Mount Everest.

How hot is Kuchar? He's made the cut in all 13 of his

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Matt Kuchar commands limelight with virtuoso Memorial performance

Boo Weekley celebrates after being presented the champion's blazer for winning the Colonial on Sunday. (AP)

Ladies and gentlemen, the golf fans at Colonial Country Club aren't booing. They're chanting "BOOOOOO … "

Wait. When is a "BOO" not a "BOO!"?

This could get confusing and existential. And with that multi-syllabic word, we have officially lost the interest of the happily simple Boo Weekley, the winner at Colonial this week with a scintillating Sunday 66.

Boo doesn't do existential. He does fishin' and huntin' and, for a day job, golfin'. He used to do it so well he earned a spot on the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team, where he was part of the rarest of Ryder Cup birds: an American win. That was so long ago, many of you probably forget that Boo teed off for his Sunday singles match against Europe's Oliver Wilson and promptly departed the tee box "Happy Gilmore" style, riding his driver like a bronco. That produced two things: One, enough momentum and energy to spur a 4-up Weekley win; and two, the sight of Weekley's white crew socks set off against his dark, team-issue slacks.Boo Weekley waves his cap after sinking a putt on the 18th hole to win the Colonial. (AP)

Nobody ever

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Boo Weekley keeps it simple, returns to winner's circle ... five years later

There's a phrase that describes Sergio Garcia's two balls into the water at the 17th hole at The Players Championship, just as he was tied with Tiger Woods after 70 holes, on the same weekend in which he engaged in some venomous woofing with Tiger, and that phrase is:

Career-defining.

The Sergio who rinsed two balls en route to a quadruple-bogey seven on Sawgrass' 17th hole is the same Sergio who has zero career major championships to Tiger's 14; who has eight career wins in 251 PGA Tour starts to Tiger's 78 wins in 300 starts; who has now been schooled by Tiger seven of seven times when paired together on a weekend. 

Make no mistake, there have been glorious moments in El Nino's career: stirring Ryder Cup performances, and a Players Championship among them. Tiger Woods gives a thumbs-up after winning The Players Championship. (AP)

But after his double-rinse job on No. 17 Sunday afternoon, when both he and Tiger were 13-under on the leaderboard, you have to start wondering: Has any athlete in history been so thoroughly dominated by another in parallel career

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Tiger Woods owns Sergio Garcia once again, wins The Players Championship

Derek Ernst is a winner on the PGA Tour, and that's big news for his family back in the central California town of Clovis, Calif., his buddies from UNLV who nicknamed him "Stripes" for his consistent contact and for the staff at the Foster's Freeze in Clovis who used to serve Ernst and his girlfriend the "Reese's Twister" when they went on nightly ice cream runs in their hometown.

Outside of that crew, nobody knew who Ernst was prior to his big day at Quail Hollow.

Oh, the things a golf writer can learn when researching the life and times of a 22-year-old, quick-swinging bomber ranked 1,207th in the world. Ernst stunned the golf world with a "Hoosiers"-like win over a leader board that included Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy. What do we know of the guy? Turns out Ernst likes ice cream. Reporters covering his runner-up finish at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links at Bandon Dunes unearthed that, along with an amazing story about getting 10 stitches in his eye as a second

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Mystery golfer emerges from shadows for first victory on PGA Tour

Billy Horschel reacts after making a putt for birdie on the 18th hole Sunday. (Getty)

Last year at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the uber-mellow Jason Dufner registered his first career win and showed us all just how implacable, stoic and detached a human being can be from his environment.

This year at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the human adrenaline surge that is Billy Horschel registered his first career win, and showed us all how PSYCHED and FIRED UP and WOOOOO!! I JUST WON!!! a player can be in the moment.

Horschel may stop fist-pumping by Wednesday.

If you added up Dufner and Horschel, and divided by two, I think you’d come out with the average of a normal human being’s emotional range.

[Watch: Billy Horschel delivers priceless reaction after winning Zurich Classic]

And how much fun was that to see? In this post-Masters, pre-Players Championship stretch of golf, it helps to see potential stars born, especially ones that pile up birdies as frequently as visceral exhortations. Horschel leads the entire Tour in birdies (his 220 top Jimmy Walker’s 189), and

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Emotionally charged Billy Horschel gives life to Zurich Classic with antics, play

Graeme McDowell puts on his new plaid jacket after winning the RBC Heritage tournament. (AP)

With Adam Scott not playing this week – he was too busy eating breakfast cereal in his green jacket; working out in his green jacket; going grocery shopping in his green jacket; making ladies swoon in his green jacket – the storyline in golf shifted to a tenacious winner from Northern Ireland, an Ulsterman with major championship swagger who surprised no one with his victory at Harbour Town.

Yes, Graeme McDowell now has more wins on the PGA Tour in 2013 than that other kid from his country. What's his name? Maury? Oh, Rory? Sorry about that.

Hey, now. Just a little golf humor to perk up your post-Masters hangover. You know we love Rory McIlroy's game here at Lateral Hazard. A little locker room towel-snap from this slice of cyber space may just be the thing to get him going, right?

In the meantime, it's all about the other Northern Irishman – the one who preceded both Rory and countryman Darren Clarke to the major championship win circle when he won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Graeme McDowell conquered elements at Harbour Town like only he can

Tiger Woods tips his cap as he walks to the 18th green during the final round of the Masters. (USAT Sports)It's long been my thought that Tiger Woods is so comfortable at Augusta National Golf Club, that his game and his competitive soul were so bred to win green jackets, that he will pass Jack Nicklaus on the all-time majors list because he will stockpile two, maybe even three more green jackets en route to 19 total major wins.

And after an eighth consecutive Masters without a Tiger win, as we approach the five-year anniversary of his last major championship, I'm sticking with that thought.

I know, I know. He had his chances this time around and wasn't as sound as champion Adam Scott or as clutch as runner-up Angel Cabrera. Heck, I even know he lost the respect of many with an illegal drop – no, I don't believe in the "grassy knoll" Augusta Chronicle photos claiming his drop was legal – and signing an incorrect scorecard, only to avoid disqualification with a call from the governor, a.k.a. the green jackets who weren't about to DQ Tiger (Freakin') Woods.

And I know he's 37, and not

Read More »from Lateral Hazard: Tiger Woods still on track to catch Jack Nicklaus