Goose takes The International
Brad Morgan
8 August 2005
Retief Goosen won The International at Castle Pines Golf Club on the weekend with a display of putting that reminded one of the famous Bobby Locke saying: "You drive for show, putt for dough".
Goosen averaged only 1.596 putts per green he hit in regulation, which was the best showing of the tournament. His total of 27 putts per round was also the sixth-best putting performance of the event.
That is the kind of statistic on the professional level that will usually leave a player right in the thick of the title hunt. On this occasion it was enough to help Goosen claim the US$900 000 first prize. At today's exchange rate that is worth slightly less than R6-million.
Consistent
Goosen was very consistent throughout the four rounds of the tournament, which is played on a Modified Stableford scoring system, with eagles worth five points, birdies worth two, par worth zero and bogies worth minus-one.
In round
one he scored seven points, 10 in round two, eight in round three, and seven in round four, for a total of 32 points.
Underlining how consistent the South African star was, is the fact that he didn't once score an eagle and the big five points that go with one - while sinking more birdies than any other player, 22 in total.
The victory was his sixth on the US PGA Tour. His previous wins include the US Open Championship in 2001 and 2004, the 2002 BellSouth Classic, the 2003 Chrysler Championship, and the 2004 Tour Championship.
The Big Five
With the win, Goosen became the last of the "big five", which includes Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, to claim a title in 2005.
Speaking after his win, Goosen said he felt great, but very tired.
Heading into the final round, Brandt Jobe had looked like a lock for the title, on 34 points. However, he collapsed to a score of minus-three in round four, dropping his
score back to 31, one point behind Goosen.
The fact that 36 holes were played on Sunday had plenty to do with Jobe's struggles. Goosen, too, found the going tough - over the final 18 holes he drank a bottle of water per hole.
Disappointments
After his win, Goosen spoke about his disappointments in his most recent majors, where he faded badly in the final round of both events, carding a horrible 81 in the US Open and a 74 in the British Open.
He didn't lose confidence, he said, but he wasn't happy with how he had played. It led to him putting in extra practice on the driving range and putting green.
Ironically, Jason Gore, with whom the Goose played in the final pairing in the US Open, and who carded a shocking 84, also enjoyed a victory at the weekend. He claimed his third Nationwide Event title of the season, thus earning his PGA Tour exemption for 2006.
"That's great," said Goosen when he heard about Gore's success.
"Obviously that bad round hasn't affected his game."
Clark on song
Further down the leaderboard, South African Tim Clark continued his fine season, finishing in a tie for sixth on 24 points. He improved as the tournament progressed, scoring four, six, six, and eight points.
It was another good pay day for Clark. His cheque of US$161 875 was worth just over R1-million.
Trevor Immelman finished on six points and Charl Schwartzel struggled to a score of minus-four.
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