The Goose sizzles in Johor Open
Brad Morgan
3 November 2008
South African golfer Retief Goosen ended a 21-month winless drought by capturing the Asian Tour's Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia at the weekend, with a scintillating final round lifting him to a two-shot victory after he had entered the last day four shots off the pace.
"It means a lot," said Goosen after his win. "It's been a drought. Coming down the stretch, you haven't won for a while, so it's nice to finish it off with some good shots and I got the job done."
Annual victory
He said it was also good to continue a streak of winning at least one tournament a year every year since 1995; his last victory had come in January 2007 at the Qatar Masters.
It was Goosen's fourth win on the Asian Tour.
Before the start of the tournament, Goosen had spoken about his desire to salvage what he called a "bad" season and said it felt as if his game was coming together. In hindsight his analysis was on the mark and his desire was realised.
Four shots off the pace
The quietly-spoken two-time US Open champion, after a delay because of rain, began the final 18 holes on six-under-par 210 after rounds of level-par 72 and successive scores of three-under 69.
Sweden's Niclas Fasth led on 10-under 206, while Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant was on nine-under 207 after posting 69 in each of the first three rounds. He bore close watching as he was chasing a record eleventh career win at the Iskandar Johor Open.
While Fasth struggled in the difficult conditions, Goosen was on song, signing for a birdie on the second, followed by a sensational eagle three on the par-five fourth hole. He went on to add a further three birdies in a bogey-free round.
In the lead
The turn in fortunes was quite dramatic as the South African led by the eleventh hole. He continued to turn the screws by nailing successive birdies at the fourteenth and fifteenth holes.
Those who had led or tied him heading into the last round could not respond to his charge. The performance by the 39-year-old demonstrated Goosen's ability to excel in tough conditions – a strength that was behind his two US Open wins.
Best round
His 66 was the best round of the day. None of the players who started above him on the leaderboard could crack 70.
Fasth slipped to a 75, while Wiratchant went around in 71. Mitchell Brown (who began two shots clear of Goosen) posted a 73, while Iain Steel and Kane Webber (who were one ahead of Goosen) carded rounds of 70 and 72 respectively.
When the tournament was won and the title was in the bag suddenly the "bad" season that Goosen had spoken about in the lead up to the event seemed to have disappeared. "It's been a tiring week walking these hills but it was well worth it," he smiled.
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