Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Goosen's a grateful Open champ
The Associated Press
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Retief Goosen wouldn't mind going through it all again to keep his U.S. Open title. Well, maybe he could do without the 2-foot miss.
Goosen turned one of golf's greatest gaffes into a stirring triumph at last year's Open, recovering from his botched gimme on the 72nd hole to win a playoff with Mark Brooks the following day.
The steely resolve Goosen displayed during that ordeal propelled him to new heights over the year that followed.
The 33-year-old South African won three times on the European Tour, along with the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta this year. He finished second to Tiger Woods at the Masters, falling apart on the final day but showing the kind of game that should make him a regular contender in the majors.
“It's been a great experience,” Goosen said. “I've enjoyed every minute of it. It was tiring at times, but that comes with winning the U.S. Open. I wouldn't mind winning another one and going through it again.”
After winning at Southern Hills, Goosen was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience. It didn't really sink in until he was introduced as the U.S. Open champion at his next tournament.
Now, he's much more comfortable in the role.
“I feel like a defending champion,” he said. “People are recognizing me a lot more than they did in the past.”
Goosen is not likely to extend his title for another year, and not just because he's slumped a bit in the last couple of months.
The Open hasn't had a defending champion repeat since Curtis Strange in 1988-89, and before that there was Ben Hogan in 1950-51. Opens are tough enough to win once, much less twice in a row.
Even so, Goosen at least plans to savor the next few days of his reign.
“I'm still going to be introduced that way until Sunday,” he said. “I think I'm really keen and going to be determined out there to try to do my best and see if I can hang onto the title. It's going to be a tough one. But they are all tough to win.”
Clearly, he's not conceding anything to Tiger Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson or any of the other favorites. Goosen thrived in the stifling heat at Southern Hills a year ago, striking the ball brilliantly until he got the putter in his hand at the final hole on Sunday.
Goosen knocked his approach just 12 feet from the cup, on the low side of the green — perfect position to take two putts, pick up the trophy and join an elite club.
Inexplicably, he powered the first putt past the hole a couple of feet, leaving him a testy downhiller on the slick greens. He missed that one, too, staring at the ball in disbelief while the crowd gasped.
“It was a little bit of a shock,” Goosen said. “You stand there thinking you've got two putts to win, then suddenly you're thinking, 'Two putts and I'm out of here.”'
Goosen pulled himself together, making a 3-footer to force the playoff. Then he kept reminding himself he still had a chance to win his first major. He slept well that night, awoke in a refreshed state of mind and cruised to a two-stroke victory over Brooks in the 18-hole playoff.
Would things have been different if he didn't beat Brooks? How would Goosen have coped with being another Jean van de Velde, the Frenchman who blew the 1999 British Open?
“I don't know,” the South African replied. “I'm here now. I won that event and things have gone great for me.”
He had a chance to win another major at Augusta National, going to the final day tied with Woods. Goosen faded to a 74, but insists that he wouldn't mind being in that position again.
“That's what we all work for,” he said. “Work our way up there and see if we can beat him. You don't know if you can beat him until you get in that situation and go up against him.”
Goosen didn't have to worry about him a year ago. Woods wasn't on top of his game after winning four straight majors, hanging on the fringe of contention but never making much of a run for the lead.
The Black Course at Bethpage, the longest course in U.S. Open history, appears to set up much better for Woods.
“I was lucky last year,” Goosen said. “He was not on top of his game at Tulsa. He never really got anything going, so he was never really in the picture. But this week he's going to be the guy to watch out for. The course suits him perfectly with his length and he hits it very straight off the tee.”
Woods has won six of the last 10 major championships. Adding to the hype: He will try to become the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the first two legs of the Grand Slam.
Woods already has won his own version of the slam — four in a row, just not in a calendar year.
“Every time somebody wins the first one, they talk about a Grand Slam,” Davis Love III said. “Obviously, with Tiger holding them all at once, there's somebody out there that people honestly believe can win it.”
That's OK with Goosen, who wouldn't mind another showdown with Woods on the final day.
“Yeah, it would probably be ideal to be there on Sunday playing against him and trying to beat him,” the defending champion said. “That's what it's all about.”
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Goosen's a grateful Open champ 
