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Goosen the last man standing as Hills are alive with the sound of cursing

By Clifton Brown, in Southampton, New York
June 22, 2004

When the gruelling test finally ended, Retief Goosen was holding the trophy. Facing one of the most difficult and controversial course set-ups in US Open history, Goosen outlasted Phil Mickelson by two strokes on Sunday and won his second Open in the past four years. But the road to victory was perilous, perhaps unfairly so.

For the first time since 1963, no player shot under par during the final round. Some of the greens at Shinnecock Hills were baked to the point that they were watered during the final round - and even injected with syringes full of water - just to ensure they would remain playable.

Nothing daunted Goosen, the 35-year-old South African, not the harsh conditions, nor a gallery cheering for Mickelson, who fell short of winning his second consecutive major, having captured the Masters. Trailing the surging Mickelson by a stroke, Goosen pulled even with a 3.5-metre birdie putt at the 16th. Then Mickelson stumbled at the 17th with a three-putt double-bogey.

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Goosen, who won a healthy $US1.125 million ($1.63m), shot one-over-par 71 to finish at 276, four under for the tournament. Goosen and Mickelson, who also had a 71 for his 278, were the only players who finished under par.

Goosen, who also won the 2001 Open, put on a remarkable putting performance that included 11 one-putts on Sunday and 32 one-putts during the tournament.

"It was tough, actually quite painful out there, playing under pressure," he said. "The greens were just so brutally quick, even uphill putts were quick."

For Mickelson, the outcome was a deflating end to a thrilling ride. He was the people's choice but the adoration could not help him at the 163m 17th, where he was done in by his double-bogey. After hitting a six-iron into the left bunker, Mickelson blasted out to 1.5m past the hole, leaving him a frighteningly fast downhill putt for par. He tapped the putt, but it missed to the left, and the wind and the slope combined to push the ball 1.2m past the hole. He missed the putt coming back and the double-bogey put him two strokes behind.

Mickelson finished second for the third time at the Open, after losing by a stroke to Payne Stewart in 1999 and by three to Tiger Woods in 2002. "It's just as disappointing as it was thrilling to win the Masters," he said.

Of his first missed putt at the 17th, Mickelson said: "I hit it very easy because I knew it was quick. It was downwind. And when the wind gets hold of it on these greens, it just takes it. It just wouldn't stop." Asked if Sunday's course set-up was too severe, he said: "I played some of the best golf of my life and still couldn't shoot par. You tell me."

That was the feeling of many players as the US Golf Association was criticised for allowing the greens to become asphalt-like.

The Shinnecock that received rave reviews from players earlier in the week, when the greens were more playable, turned vicious. Sunday's final-round scoring average was 78.7. It was the highest final-round scoring average at an Open since 1972, when the average was 78.8 on a par-72 course at Pebble Beach. The only man to shoot par of 70 was Australian Robert Allenby who considered it the best round of his life to finish equal seventh.

After starting the day tied for 34th, the Victorian improved 27 places. "I hit a lot of good shots and I also got lucky," he said. "Today is definitely the toughest conditions I've ever played in and you needed a bit of luck. I played smart and it came off nicely."

Allenby and fourth-placed Shigeki Maruyama led the championship for hitting greens in regulation. Allenby found 12 on Sunday, and 48 of 72 for the week, six more than Goosen.

Even Allenby slammed the USGA. "There's nothing worse than when you hit a putt and it rolls back towards you," he said. "That happened to me probably three times. That's not golf, it's putt-putt."

As usual, the USGA had an explanation. Walter Driver, the championship committee chairman, said he had putted most of the greens two hours before the first tee time, without any problems, but that the course had dried out considerably in the meantime. "We probably should have started syringing the greens a little earlier," he said.

New York Times and agencies