Golden Goose

South African uses hot putter to win second Open title

Retief Goosen tips his cap to the crowd after winning the U.S. Open AP

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson dazzled his adoring fans with an improbable charge. Retief Goosen earned their respect with his pressure-packed putts.

The U.S. Open was headed for a dramatic finish Sunday on the 18th hole at Shinnecock Hills.

Instead, it all ended in a New York minute.

Squinting into the fading sun on the 17th tee, Goosen saw Mickelson take three putts from 5 feet, not knowing the score until someone in the gallery begrudingly gave him the news.

Double bogey for Mickelson, who muffed another chance to win a major.

"I knew he was playing well," Goosen said. "But on 17 when he made double bogey, it went my way."

Goosen followed him into the same bunker but escaped with par, then finished a steely performance with his sixth straight one-putt green for a 1-over 71 to capture his second U.S. Open in four years.

"It wasn't any easier the first time," Goosen said. "I knew Phil was coming at me, and I knew it was coming down to me and him. It turned out my way."

It was a major disappointment for Mickelson, the Masters champion who was poised to get the second leg of the Grand Slam. And it was equally deflating for a New York gallery gave Lefty the regal treatment rarely seen this side of Arnold Palmer.

Instead, he wound up a runner-up in the U.S. Open for the third time in six years.

"All three of them feel the same," Mickelson said. "They're all pretty disappointing."

Not many believed it would turn out this way, especially when Mickelson made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on a Shinnecock Hills course that wasn't supposed to let anyone make a charge.

Goosen hung on, saving par from the rough and the sand, then holing a 12-foot birdie on the 16th to regain a share of the lead with Mickelson.

Then came the 17th.

"I saw him miss the return, and I heard someone in the crowd say, 'You're two ahead now,"' Goosen said. "I didn't really expect Phil to make double on 17."

It was the best sound he heard all day from the racous gallery, topped only by the cheers he heard walking up the 18th green, needing only three putts from 40 feet on the fringe.

Goosen knocked it 4 feet past, and the par putt was dead in the center. He doffed his cap and waved it at the cup, the most emotion he had shown all day.

"I'm not really somebody that jumps up and down," Goosen said. "But on the inside, I was happy."

Mickelson, who studied Shinnecock on a scouting trip last week, figured he was in good shape going into the bunker, and he hit a good shot to 5 feet above the hole.

"I really don't know what to say there," said Mickelson, who wound up with a 71. "I hit the putt pretty easy. It was downwind. And when the wind gets ahold on these greens, it keeps going."

Goosen finished at 4-under 276, the lowest winning score in the three U.S. Opens held at Shinnecock Hills. He earned $1.125 million and became the 21st multiple Open champion.

Making it even more impressive were the brutal conditions that didn't allow anyone to break par in the final round. The average score Sunday was 78.7, the highest for a final U.S. Open round since it was 78.8 in 1972 at Pebble Beach.

Jeff Maggert shot 72 to finish third, picking up valuable Ryder Cup points.

Ernie Els, who played in the final group with Goosen, made double bogey on the first hole and slid all the way to an 80 for his worst score in a U.S. Open.

He wasn't alone.

Tiger Woods didn't make a birdie until his final hole to salvage a 76, his highest score in the U.S. Open as a pro. He finished at 290, the sixth straight major he played over par. He now has gone two full years without a major -- still two majors short of his longest drought, but nowhere near the guy who won two years ago down the road at Bethpage.

The only consolation for Woods this week?

He will remain No. 1 in the world, by a margin that shrinks every week.

But then, Shinnecock Hills was tough on everyone, and horror stories came from all corners.

-- The grass on the seventh green was dead before the final round began. Officials had to water the green, but not before the first four players came through and made three triple bogeys and a bogey.

-- Chris Riley, among the best putters on tour, watched the gallery part as his putt on the first hole rolled off the green and through the crowd, leading to triple bogey.

-- Bo Van Pelt six-putted the fourth green for an 8.

-- Of the 28 players who failed to break 80, Billy Mayfair topped the list at 89.

Jerry Kelly shot 81 and blistered the U.S. Golf Association for the way the course was set up.

"Get off your high horse and be good to the game," Kelly said. "A great golfer will win the Open, whether it's 12 [under par] or whether it's even."

On that there is no argument.

Goosen joined Woods as the only players to win two majors since 1999, and he is especially tough in the major that demands near perfection.

"Everybody struggled," Goosen said. "The course wasn't easy and, you know, I'm just lucky to be on top."

It didn't take long for this to turn into a two-man race, and they were the only two players under par when the made the turn.

Both made bogey on No. 10 by hitting above the hole and taking three putts. Goosen took command on the tough little 11th with a tee shot that bounced and rolled and turned and finally stopped 4 feet away for birdie.

Back and forth they went, Mickelson trying to answer with birdie, Goosen hanging on for par.

Goosen was deep in the yellow grass right of the 13th fairway and heard another explosion of cheers when Mickelson made an 18-footer ahead of him. Goosen hacked hard, but the ball squirted left into the gallery, leaving him a good lie in a bad position, a bunker between him and the rock-hard green. A double bogey was possible. His lead could have evaporated.

The pitch was nearly perfect, stopping 8 feet behind the hole for a par that never looked possible from the time his ball left the tee.

But it seemed as though Goosen used up all his good fortunes.

From the middle of the 14th fairway, his approach plugged into the front bunker. Goosen hit too softly, and the ball stayed in the thick collar of rough framing the sand. His chip ran 25 feet long, but he coolly sank that to limit the damage to a bogey.

No matter. Mickelson was hitting his stride, and his 10-foot birdie putt dropped on No. 15 for a share of the lead. The gallery was simply delirious, and it only added to the pressure.

But Goosen, as always, was up to any challenge.

He saved par from the bunker on No. 15 with an 8-foot putt. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th to stay in the game. Then came the decisive two holes, and the Goose was simply golden.