U.S. Open champion Glover eager to rejoin tournament fray

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After riding a whirlwind of media commitments since winning his first major title at the U.S. Open on Monday, American Lucas Glover is eager to return to the normality of tournament golf this week.
Glover is scheduled to tee off on Thursday in the opening round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, an event he never considered missing.
"It's going to be good to get back to what's normal for me, and that's playing golf," the 29-year-old told reporters before playing in Wednesday's pro-am at the TPC River Highlands.
"I had a couple of guys who have been in my situation tell me through text messages and voice mails that the best thing you can do right now is play because that's the only sense of normalcy I'll have for a little while.
"Plus I feel that's the right thing to do. Just because I won a golf tournament doesn't change anything. I was committed (to this week) and I'm going to honor that commitment."
Glover, who held off late charges by Phil Mickelson and David Duval to win the U.S. Open by two shots at Bethpage Black, spent a frenetic Tuesday in New York appearing on television chat shows and radio programs.
"It was very different for me, and very eye-opening to what some people go through a lot," he said. "It was one of the greatest, but most tiring, days of my life."
SINKING IN
Asked whether the significance of his victory in the year's second major had finally sunk in, Glover replied: "It has. I don't crave the attention that I got yesterday but it was there and it was really fun.
"I don't think I could do that every day. And it sunk in a little more on the range today when a lot of guys came up to shake hands and say their piece. It was very cool."
Glover, whose only previous PGA Tour title came at the 2005 Disney Classic, is determined to build on his major breakthrough at Bethpage.
"I've got to use last week as a springboard, and I've kept saying this over the last couple of days as a motivation," he added. "I don't want to fizzle out. I want to use that as motivation to keep getting better and back in that situation.
"I'm not planning on winning five majors in the next four years but I'm planning on getting back into (regular) contention. And to do that, I'm going to have to keep working because everybody else is."
The tobacco-chewing Glover was less certain, though, about his expectations for this week.
"I haven't thought that far ahead to be honest with you," he said. "I'm still finishing up the whirlwind. I'll see how I play today. But I expect to play well."
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Clare Fallon)

Source: Reuters