Backspin: Frazar, Mavs have a lot in common

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There were some parallels between the FedEx St. Jude champ and the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki on Sunday night.

Neither had ever won a title before.

Both reside in Dallas.

Both are in their 13th year in their respective leagues.

Both reached the mountaintop after a long, often frustrating journey.

"I wanted to send a text to Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd and those guys and say I know right now exactly how you feel," an exhausted Frazar told me via cell phone from his hotel room about an hour after the Mavericks won its first NBA title and some six hours after he won his first PGA TOUR title after defeating Robert Karlsson in a playoff.

"All the years of hard work, and criticism; the years of not knowing where you stand and questioning who you are as a person or a player. And to all of a sudden find yourself on top, I know how [they] feel. I'm not equating winning a TOUR event to winning the NBA championship, but there are parallels."

And surely Nowitzki must know how Frazar, a native and resident of Dallas as well as a diehard Mavs fan, feels. The super forward finally got his own trophy (or two if you count his Finals MVP award) after 13 years in a league in which he'd reached the NBA Finals just once.

For Frazar, it took 355 starts before he could hoist his hardware.

There was a time when Frazar, much like Nowitzki, looked as though he'd never get that opportunity -- whether it was earlier this year when he talked about quitting after this season, or when he dunked his approach shot in the water on the 18th to lose a one-shot lead on Sunday.

But Frazar bounced back, telling himself and his caddie that he was going to get up and down on the 18th to force a playoff, which he did before winning on the third extra hole. And he did so knowing, at least in the back of his mind, that his major medical exemption was running out in a couple of weeks and perhaps his career right along with it.

"As time went on, here was this unattainable beast," said Frazar, who also jumped more than 100 spots to 40th in the the FedExCup standings with the win. "I realize 13 years ... it should not have been that hard. I put in on a pedestal for so long. I idealized it so much where it made it difficult to function."

That inability to function -- sometimes literally, like when Frazar blew out his hip last summer and endured the fourth major surgery of his career -- nearly ended his career .

Earlier this season, Frazar talked about hanging up his spikes after this year if things didn't turn around. But recent encouragement from family and friends -- like former TOUR executive vice president Rick George, now the chief operating officer of the Texas Rangers -- is what ultimately helped Frazar on Sunday.

I asked Frazar what his overwhelming thought was now that it had all sunk in and he said, "Just a sense of accomplishment. It's been a long, long time in the making."

The same could be said for the Mavericks.

Note: Rather than listing who is playing well coming out of FedEx St. Jude Classic, this week's Stock Up/Down will deal with who's hot/not going into this week's U.S. Open.

Stock up

Luke Donald: He comes into the U.S. Open bearing best-player-in-the-world status as he sits atop the FedExCup standings and the Official World Golf Rankings. Donald isn't long off the tee, but he's contended on some lengthy tracks this year. FedExCup Rank: 1 (1 last week) Matt Kuchar: Speaking of guys finishing in the top 10, Kuchar has done it eight times this year, including in each of his last two starts. He doesn't have a very good track record in U.S. Opens, but I think he's played too well the last two years to not be a factor. FedExCup Rank: 4 (4 last week) Phil Mickelson: The recent results have been mixed of late, but I liked what I saw in that final-round 67 at Muirfield Village, and Mickelson has a history of playing well in the U.S. Open. He's inconsistent, but I don't know how you wouldn't like Mickelson to be a de facto favorite at Congressional. FedExCup rank: 5 (5 last week).

Stock down

Anthony Kim: With Kim's sixth missed cut of the season coming last week, that's the most he's had in a season since his rookie year. Kim won at Congressional in 2008, but the course was set up completely different for the AT&T National. FedExCup rank: 95 (89 last week) Martin Kaymer: When was the last time Kaymer, who looked unbeatable for about 18 months, contended in a stroke-play tournament? He has just one finish inside the top 20 on the PGA TOUR this season. Kaymer missed the cut at the Masters and I wouldn't be shocked if he missed it at Congressional too. FedExCup rank: N/A Graeme McDowell: Speaking of guys who looked like world-beaters six months ago, McDowell has had a similar vanishing act to that of Kaymer's. At one point, McDowell missed three of four cuts on the PGA TOUR. He threatened to win THE PLAYERS before shooting a 79 on Sunday. FedExCup rank: 72 (65 last week).

THE BACK NINE: 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. A couple of other nuggets to come out of the conversation with Harrison Frazar Sunday night: First, he also drew some inspiration from the St. Jude's Children Hospital. As mentioned, Frazar has undergone four major surgeries in his career, so he knows a little something about trying to overcome obstacles, even if they are far less severe. "My situation isn't life-threatening, of course," he said. "These kids are sick and they need help. But there is a certain degree of despair, there's a certain degree of feeling lost and hopeless. You know, even though it's over something silly like golf, right? But I definitely feel a parallel, and I can relate. I get a lot of inspiration and feel a lot of motivation from seeing people persevere."

2. There's nothing in between the lines to read about Steve Williams caddying for Adam Scott in the U.S. Open. For one, the two are good friends and Scott called Williams, who then called his boss, Tiger Woods, who gave Williams his blessing. For another, Scott is between caddies and needed a good one on the bag and you can't get much better than Williams. As for Scott, he arrived at Congressional over the weekend in advance of the U.S. Open for some practice, much the same he did at Augusta National for the Masters earlier this year. "I feel very confident after the way I played at Augusta," Scott told the Golf Channel. "I've put a lot into it the last few weeks, so I'm hoping I can get a lot out of it."

3. Will Phil Mickelson ever win a U.S. Open? His heartbreak in the event has been well-documented. Still, this year seems as good a chance as any for Mickelson. He has a habit of winning majors or big tournaments when you least expect him to and Mickelson comes into this year's U.S. Open about as under the radar as he could be.

4. Graeme McDowell's life has certainly changed since he won the U.S. Open last June, and those changes certainly had an impact on McDowell's play by his own admission. In other words, McDowell got away from what led to his success the past year and it's shown in the results, the latest of which was a 30th at the Wales Open, where McDowell tumbled out of contention with a third-round 81. "I'm not disturbed about my game in any shape or form," McDowell said afterward. "Game is in good shape. It's firing on all cylinders." That was two weeks ago. We'll find out pretty quickly what kind of shape his game is in come Thursday.

5. During a time when most players were preparing for the year's second major, Rory McIlroy took two days off for a field trip to Haiti with Unicef. McIlroy was so affected by what he saw in the still earthquake-ravaged country that he changed his Twitter profile picture to one of him holding a smiling Haitian child. "There's stuff there that I never thought I'd see in my life," McIlroy told the Washington Post. "A little bit of perspective now and again is a good thing. The whole experience was quite inspiring. It changes how you think."

6. Vijay Singh's decision to skip a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier came as a shock to many, and it will end the longest streak of consecutive majors for active players at 67. But it didn't come easy for Singh. In the end, however, the 47-year-old was just too burned out after playing six weeks in a row. Singh's trainer said he has no injuries but was just physically worn out and not happy with his recent play. "It wasn't an easy decision by any stretch," Gabe Lopez said of Singh's decision to pass. "Unless he feels like he's going to win, he's not going to show up." And clearly Singh didn't feel that about qualifying. He will, however, resume his schedule the following week at the Travelers Championship.

7. Stat of the Week, as pointed out by colleague and friend Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post: The last 10 majors have produced 10 different winners. And the last four have produced first-time major winners. Nick Watney, anyone?

8. There have been a few caddies switching to the other side of the bag lately -- Kip Henley, Brian Gay's caddie, played in Memphis last week, and Damon Green, the looper for Zach Johnson, the week before on the Champions Tour. The only one to do it full time, however, was Brett Waldman, who gave up his gig as Camilo Villegas' caddie to take his shot on the Nationwide Tour this season. Unfortunately for Waldman, it hasn't worked out that well. In nine starts, he's missed seven cuts and withdrawn from another. Waldman's lone check came in Panama, where he finished 59th.

9. Speaking of St. Jude Children's Hospital earlier, the amount of hope and inspiration there is pretty amazing. But it costs money and a lot of it -- $1.5 million per day -- to operate the place, most of which comes from public contributions. You can donate by phone by calling 800-805-5856, or to host an event or volunteer, call 800-822-6344. You can also visit stjude.org for more information.

Forward Spin

The year's second major championship is about as wide open as majors get. Tiger Woods is on the shelf recovering from injury, while Phil Mickelson has admitted to not performing to the level he expected to this season. There's also the specter of five career runner-up finishes hanging over Lefty. Then there's Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood and Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker. All have had good seasons, and any of them could win. Or none of them could win. Neither would be a shock. By all accounts, Congressional will play to typical U.S. Open difficulty, which means the winner will likely be over par. Is there a more grueling test in golf?

Last week's Kodak Challenge hole

TOURNAMENT: FedEx St. Jude Classic HOLE: The par-3, 239-yard 14th at TPC Southwind WHAT HAPPENED: A birdie on No. 14 at TPC Southwind moved Robert Allenby within two shots of Kodak Challenge leader Bill Lunde in the $1 million competition. Kodak Challenge standings