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CNBC ON DIGG

Today's US Open Storylines

Published: Monday, 22 Jun 2009 | 9:41 AM ET

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By: Darren Rovell
Sports Business Reporter

The fourth and, maybe, final round of the US Open is being played today. Action starts at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN. NBC Sports begins coverage at 11:30 a.m. ET and the entire round can be seen on NBCSports.com. Here's what we're watching for.

1. Can Ricky Barnes Or Lucas Glover Win It All? We'll focus on Barnes, who gave a ton of exposure to Verve Energy Drink and Oakley over the past couple days. Barnes, who won the 2002 U.S. Amateur, is trying to become the first American-golfer in 33 years to win the U.S. Open without winning a PGA Tour event. Barnes has career earnings in five years on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour of $775,217. If he wins the Open, he'll win $1.26 million.

2. Would David Duval winning be an even better story? David Duval used to be the world's No. 1 and he's since fallen off the face of the earth. His last top 10 finish was seven years ago. He entered the US Open ranked No. 887 in the world behind Josh McCumber and ahead of Sattaya Supupramai. If you think he's just wearing his old Nike [NKE Loading... () ] stuff, think again. The shoe and apparel giant is still paying him (who knows how much?) to be an endorser for them. We're told he's playing with their SQ Dymo driver, Nike Victory Red blades, their SQ Dymo 17 degree fairway wood and the Nike ONE tour D ball.

3. Will We Be Able To Work? If word starts circulating around the office that Phil Mickelson (starts five back of the lead) or Tiger Woods (seven back) have a chance to win, forget about any work getting done. Millions of dollars in lost productivity will follow.

4. Will Complaining Thursday Ticket Holders Show Up? Despite what others have said, I don't think there was any outrage at all in what happened on Thursday. Each day is sold out. Terms on the ticket state that there are no refunds. There's nothing deceptive at all in that anyone who buys the ticket knows the risks going in. Still, the USGA was nice enough to allow Thursday ticket holders to come out today. I hope that those people miss work and show up. I'm betting less than 30 percent of them will.

5. When Will They Cut Off Beer Sales? Sure, it's the "People's Open," but the crowd has been out of control at times. Beer sales were shut off at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. yesterday. If there's a playoff, will Bethpage Black be dry by 5:45?

Check Out This Slideshow On CNBC.com: