Goosen Recovers, Wins Open Playoff
South African Fires Even Par 70 To Win U.S. Open
Goosen took command at the turn with a four-shot swing on the ninth and 10th holes. Leading by a shot, Goosen's drive and approach on No. 9 were perfect, and he drained a winding, downhill 15-footer for birdie. Meanwhile, Brooks hooked his drive into the trees, dribbled a recovery shot into the second cut, chopped an approach to the edge of the green and two-putted for bogey. Goosen then birdied No. 10 and Brooks followed suit with his third bogey in four holes to fall behind by five shots with eight holes to play.
The two then kept pace for most of the back nine, matching pars on the next six holes save for bogeys on No. 12. Brooks made up two shots on No. 17 when he birdied and Goosen bogeyed, and he parred No. 18 as Goosen revisited the green that caused him so much trouble Sunday.
After leaving his par putt short on No. 18, Goosen had two putts to secure the Open. He calmly drilled a six-footer to clinch a round of 70 and put to rest the demons that could have tortured him after his Sunday collapse.
Playing conditions were practically ideal for Monday's playoff round, the 32nd in U.S. Open history. Temps were in the upper 80s under partly cloudy skies with winds gusting from 17 to 25 mph.
Each player started off steadily, parring the first two holes. Goosen made a fantastic sand save on the first hole, burning the lip of the cup and settling for a par, while Brooks chipped to within inches of the cup on the second hole.
Brooks took the first lead of the day on No. 3 when he tapped in from five feet for birdie. Goosen settled for a par, but he had the old flatstick working early, with just three putts through the first three holes. Each player two-putted for par on the fourth.
Goosen tied the match at 1-under with a birdie on No. 6, then took the lead when Brooks gave back a stroke with a bogey on No. 7.
The eighth hole featured some nimble scrambling by each player, as Goosen's tee shot found the side of a deep bunker and Brooks hit a spectator near the green and landed in the rough. Brooks chipped to within six feet and hit his par putt, while Goosen's sand save nearly trickled in, leaving him a tap-in for par.
Sunday Recap
Perhaps Retief Goosen should call Jan Van de Velde for advice. So could Stewart Cink, for that matter. As for Mark Brooks -- he knows what it feels like to get a reprieve.
After a wild 18th hole, the 101st U.S. Open is headed for a playoff. In a collapse recalling Van de Velde's infamous British Open implosion in 1999, Goosen blew a two-shot lead on the final hole, three-putting from 15 feet to force a playoff with Brooks in the Open that nobody seems to want to win.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods became an afterthought in an Open dominated by lesser-known golfers. Woods finished his quest to win his fifth straight major with a second consecutive 69, but his first two rounds ruined his chances to make history. He finished the tourney at 3-over.
Goosen and Cink headed to No. 18 in a tie for the lead at 5-under, one shot ahead of Brooks, who bogeyed No. 18 minutes earlier to drop back to 4-under.
Goosen's second shot on the intimidating par-4 was a brilliant mid-iron that left him just 10 feet from the hole, while Cink yanked his approach to the edge of the green some 50 feet to the other side of the pin. Cink's birdie putt came up short, and he trickled his par attempt just past the hole.
Then, in a moment that will likely haunt him for the rest of his career, Cink inexplicably missed a two-foot bogey putt. The double-bogey dropped him behind Brooks and into third place.
At the time, it looked like the misfortune would only cost Cink a few bucks, not a shot at the title, because all Goosen had to do was two-putt from 15 feet to win the Open. However, his birdie attempt ran two feet past the hole, leaving him something more than a mere tap-in for the win.
Perhaps seeing Cink botch his two-footer got Goosen's knees knocking. Perhaps his collar merely tightened at the thought of missing such a short putt to win the most prestigious championship in North American golf. Whatever happened, the 32-year-old South African pushed the putt badly to the right, giving Brooks new life in an 18-hole playoff Monday.
After a brutal three days, Southern Hills finally yielded some low scores on Sunday. Vijay Singh made his final round a memorable one, firing a 6-under 64 to tie for the low round of the tournament. Singh finished the Open at 2-over. Tom Kite matched Singh's 64 and finished at 1-over.
But Woods was not a factor in the outcome. Entering the day at 4-over, Woods needed to make an early birdie run to contend for the title. But his front nine was marred by a pair of bogeys to go with three birdies, and he finished with an even-par 35 on the back nine for a second straight 69.
A few big names toyed with getting into the running on Monday, but in the end they didn't have the stuff to play with Brooks, Goosen and Cink. Phil Mickelson entered the day at 3-under but ballooned to a 75 to finish in a tie for seventh at 2-over. Sergio Garcia did him one better, posting a 77 after entering the final round at 4-under. And David Duval was at even par with 18 holes to play, but his 74 Sunday was not indicative of a strong finish.
Final Scores (before playoff)
1 Mark Brooks (-4)
1 Retief Goosen (-4)
3 Stewart Cink (-3)
4 Rocco Mediate (-2)
5 Tom Kite (+1)
5 Paul Azinger (+1)
7 Angel Cabrera (+2)
7 Vijay Singh (+2)
7 Davis Love (+2)
7 Kirk Triplett (+2)
7 Phil Mickelson (+2)
12 Tiger Woods (+3)
12 Matt Gogel (+3)
12 Michael Allen (+3)
12 Sergio Garcia (+3)
Check out the full leaderboard at PGATour.com.
