NBC Sports did a nice job dissecting the disaster as the 54-hole leader posted a final round 82, including a triple-bogey and double-bogey on Nos. 2 and 3, to squander a three-shot lead and fall to eventual winner Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.

There's something pitiless about watching a golfer unravel on national TV. They're all by themselves. There's no teammates to cover for them, no cut man to throw in the towel, no way to say No Mas. They just trudge forward like somebody in a bad dream.

NBC's lead analyst Johnny Miller was merciless, but spot-on, as usual. He called it a "colossal collapse" by Johnson, who'd captured the last two PGA Tour events at Pebble Beach.

"I don't even think his brain is working at the moment. He's just shell-shocked," said Miller as the long-hitting Johnson sprayed balls into the Pacific Ocean, lost one shot in the woods and nearly whiffed on another.

Host Dan Hicks said Johnson was enduring a "nightmare" of a final round. "You're seeing things that don't happen on any other day. Except the final round."

Gary Koch took the prize for the call of the day on Johnson's disastrous second hole. The trouble started when he hit his approach shot on the par 4 hole into a greenside bunker. Forced to hit his third shot left-handed, he nudged the ball forward a few feet.

As Johnson took practice swings for his fourth shot, Koch questioned why he appeared to be trying to pull off a risky flop shot. "He's rehearsing a very long swing with a wide open club face. Is it necessary to play that kind of shot?"

No it wasn't. Johnson swung right under the ball. The ball popped up and moved about a foot. Said Miller: "That was an almost whiff — but a touch of hosel got there to help him."

Miller didn't pull any punches with the rest of the field. He criticized Tiger Woods, who shot 75 Sunday, for his "weak" putting and said all the big names succumbed to the final-day pressure of the Open to one degree or another.

Here's a look at the best and worst of NBC's U.S. Open weekend coverage:

Best sound effect. Nobody swings a club with the sheer violence of Woods. NBC caught Woods grunting loudly as he muscled a ball out of the deep rough on the third hole. NBC's Brad Faxon said it was the loudest he'd ever heard Woods. "Sounds like a (Maria) Sharapova swing," added Miller.

Say what? As Ernie Els hit his tee shot on the par 3 17th hole, Dottie Pepper told viewers it was "right at the flagstick." Oops. The shot landed at least a club and a half short in a bunker, said Miller. Els bogeyed, finishing off his chances of an Open victory.

Don't touch me. Woods seemed even chillier than usual as Mark Rolfing put a consoling hand on his shoulder and asked what "positive" he would take out of his final round. "Not a whole lot," said Woods. Alrighty then.