SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Retief Goosen undid his Rolex watch to reveal that on the backside is engraved “U.S. Open champion 2001.” The watch was a gift to commemorate his victory at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, which also happened to be the start of a 25-year relationship as a Rolex testimonee. Goosen, 57, returned to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club this week for the first time in 22 years since his victory at the 2004 U.S. Open, his second and final major championship in a Hall of Fame career.
“The last day was brutal,” said the South African, who spent more than 250 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 2001 and 2007. “It was probably the hardest day I’ve ever seen anywhere, any tournament, let alone U.S. Open.”
Nevertheless, on these same grounds, he enjoyed one of the greatest putting performances, one-putting 11 greens in the final round to win his second U.S. Open by two strokes over Phil Mickelson.
Goosen liked Shinnecock from the moment he stepped foot on property in 2004. He felt comfortable on the greens and was seeing his lines. Of his final-round duel with Mickelson, Goosen declared his birdie on the devilish par-3 11th was critical after he had just three-putted at No. 10.
“I did make a few good par saves, but I think the birdie on 16 to get back to even with Phil was key,” he recalled. “I didn’t realize until I walked onto the 17th tee that he actually made double bogey, or even after I teed off, that he made double bogey.So, then I proceed to hit it in the bunker, too, on the left and hit a bunker shot probably 3-4 feet above the hole. I managed to make my putt where he pretty much three-putted from. That was the big turnaround for me. That’s the thing that stands out the most. I’m standing over there with a little tickler down the hill and tell yourself, come on, make a good stroke, and you’ve got a two-shot lead coming down the last.”
In the final analysis, Goosen concluded: “He made the mistake, I didn’t and I walked away with it.”
In the ensuing days, he received a phone call from the President of South Africa and letters from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer congratulating him for his gritty performance, which he said are tucked away in a file in a safe place among his treasure possessions.
Of the players today, Goosen, who was known for being one of the all-time flatliners, said that Cameron Young is the player whose game most resembles his own in his prime.
“He gets in his bubble and just gets going. Scottie Scheffler is quite similar in a way. He doesn’t show a lot on the course, doesn’t get hugely excited when he makes birdies and he makes a lot,” Goosen said during an intimate round-table interview inside the Rolex hospitality chalet along the 17th hole. “He’s very even keeled.”
Goosen expressed his concerns with the potential rollback of the golf ball.
“We’re so short now and we’re going to be even shorter, like what the hell, what are they trying to do to us?” he said of the senior golfers. “I hope it won’t damage the game.”
The modern golfers on the PGA Tour, he argued have become athletes, who train with golf-specific exercises engineered to create greater speed and thus increased distance.
“The exercise they do now, everything is for speed. Back then, it was just trying to keep in shape,” Goosen said. “That’s where the real distance has come from, not really the technology. Maybe they should stop them from exercising.”
Goosen is enjoying a renaissance in his game at a time when many players his age find it difficult to keep up with the younger players. Goosen won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in late April for his fifth career Champions Tour trophy and surprised even himself with his fine play.
“You’re going into the final round wondering if you still have it. Your hands are a little more yippy, your chipping is like crap. Mentally-wise, it’s still tough,” he said. “You win on the Champions Tour you know you’ve played well.”
Goosen isn’t opposed to seeing the LIV players such as Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter return to compete on the 50-and-over circuit. He noted that Phil Mickelson attracted larger crowds and bigger TV ratings when he competed out there for a handful of tournaments before jumping to LIV.
“We’d love to see those guys again. The Champions Tour is all about the legends. Tiger is the main man we want to see and play against. I hope he recovers soon and at least starts playing some Champions Tour events just to get back into the rhythm of playing again and not think that his first event is going to be a U.S. Open. It’s tough when you haven’t played for a year to come out,” Goosen said.
And he also contended that Tiger could be just the shot in the arm the tour needs.
“At the moment, there is zero interest in trying to improve the Champions Tour from the PGA Tour side. The PGA Tour just does its own thing,” he said. “Once we get some of these legends guys playing on the Champions Tour they’ll probably start getting some more interest in taking this tour to the next level.”
But count Goosen as firmly in the camp that says that 50 is the right age for the senior circuit – and the Tour better not consider rolling that figure back.
“Adam Scott is 45. We don’t want him out there yet kicking our backsides,” he said. “Let him play out here longer. We look forward to seeing him out here when his turn comes.”
Ironically, Goosen said he considered trying to qualify for the U.S. Open this year to have one more shot at Shinnecock.
“I would loved to have been in the field,” he said. “But I decided I’ve been there, done that.”
Indeed, he has. The Goose had a golden touch in 2004, and not a day goes by that someone doesn’t remind him of his other-worldly putting performance.
“I don’t remember all the shots,” he said. “I just remember the good ones.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Retief Goosen reflects on his ‘brutal’ 2004 US Open win at Shinnecock
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