Glover still up in the clouds after U.S. Open triumph

By Steve Ginsburg

BETHESDA, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover believes he has to elevate his game on a more consistent basis before he will consider himself among the sport''s elite.

The South Carolina native missed the cut in his three previous U.S. Open appearances but two weeks ago shocked the golf world and himself by winning the year''s second major by two strokes.

At this week''s AT&T National starting on Thursday, Glover is in high quality company alongside luminaries such as former world number one Vijay Singh and tournament host Tiger Woods, one of his playing partners for the first two rounds.

"Those guys are there (contending) every week," Glover, 29, told a news conference at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. "I''ve done it once. I''ve got a lot of room to improve.

"Now I get to see the best the next two days," he added, referring to top-ranked Woods, a 14-times major winner.

Glover entered the U.S. Open ranked 71st in the world with just one previous PGA Tour victory under his belt before his unlikely win at water-logged Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

Now, instead of trying to play his way into this month''s British Open, he can fine-tune his game after automatically qualifying for the July 16-19 event at Turnberry in Scotland.

Glover is determined to build on his shining moment at Bethpage and become more than just an answer to a U.S. Open trivia question.

OPEN MOTIVATION

"I said it there as soon as it happened that that was going to be motivation for me," he said. "I didn''t want that to be it. And whether it is or isn''t, I can''t think that way.

"I can''t say: ''Well, I''m done.'' Springboard, motivation, whatever term you want to use, I want to be there again. I want to have more chances.

"Nothing is guaranteed in golf. I''ve got to use that as motivation and try to improve my game and try to get back."

Glover conceded his temper has often got the better of him in the past, forcing him to "battle" to stay focused. He began last month''s U.S. Open with a double bogey, an incident which would have caused him to unravel in the past.

"It used to be a big deal," Glover said of his temperament. "But it''s just a patience thing for me. Just try not to let it get to me and just move forward.

"Bogey is not the worst thing in the world, and there''s a lot of people that would like to be where I am."  Continued...