Retief Goosen
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | February 3 1969 Pietersburg, South Africa |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Nationality |  South Africa |
| Residence | Polokwane, South Africa Ascot, Berkshire, England Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| College | None |
| Career | |
| Turned Pro | 1990 |
| Current tour | European Tour (joined 1993) PGA Tour (joined 2001) |
| Professional wins | 30 (PGA Tour: 6; European Tour: 14 (including 2 co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour); Other: 12) |
| Best Results in Major Championships Wins: 2 |
|
| Masters | 2nd/T2: 2002, 2007 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 2001, 2004 |
| British Open | T5: 2005 |
| PGA Championship | T6: 2005 |
| Awards | |
| European Tour Order of Merit winner | 2001, 2002 |
Retief Goosen (born February 3, 1969) is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for several years.
Goosen was born in Pietersburg (now Polokwane), South Africa. His amateur career was briefly interrupted when he was struck by lightning twice at a young age. He turned professional in 1990, following a win in the South African Amateur Championship of the same year. His main achievements since have been two U.S. Open wins (in 2001 and 2004), and heading the European Tour Order of Merit (money list) in 2001 and 2002.
Career Summary
Goosen had enjoyed success on the European Tour but it wasn't until 2001 where he made his name in America with a U.S. Open win on a very tough Southern Hills Golf Course. Goosen nearly lost his chance at victory after missing a short putt on the final green but managed to recover to make a play-off with PGA Championship winner Mark Brooks. Goosen dominated the next day's 18-hole playoff winning by 2 shots. He finished 2001 with 3 wins, 11 top tens and the European Tour Order of Merit and followed it up with another in 2002. After his 3rd win of the 2001 season Goosen rose to a career-high 11th in the world.
Goosen's second major championship and second U.S. Open title came in 2004 at Shinnicock Hills Golf Club. The USGA had prepared extremely tough conditions which were later argued by players as "unfair."[citation needed] Goosen won the U.S. Open by 2 strokes over fan favorite Phil Mickelson. Goosen had 24 putts in the final round and 11 one-putts. In 2005 Goosen was in pursuit of his third U.S. Open and his second in a row. Goosen led by three strokes after three rounds of golf at the Pinehurst No. 2 course. However Goosen disappeared in the final round with a score of 81 and he ended up finishing in 11th place. In an interview after his round Goosen said "I messed up badly. I obviously threw this one away."[1]
Goosen has been a consistent player: he has won internationally every year since 1995, and also won a PGA Tour event every year from 2001 to 2005. Additionally, he has spent a long period of time in the top 5 of the Official World Golf Rankings, and in 2006 reached a career-best third place, but since late 2006 he has had a dip in performance.
In 2007 Goosen was leading the Masters until a bogey on the 12th. All he needed was to birdie one of his 6 remaining holes to get in a playoff, but failed to do so and he ended up tied for 2nd.
Goosen is known for his extremely calm demeanor, a trait that has earned him the nickname "The Iceman" on the PGA Tour. He is also affectionately called "The Goose."
He is now married with a son and daughter, and has homes in Ascot, Berkshire, England and Orlando, Florida, U.S. as well as retaining residence in Polokwane, South Africa
Major Championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runners Up |
| 2001 | U.S. Open | Tied for lead | -4 (66-70-69-71=276) | Playoff 1 | 
Mark Brooks |
| 2004 | U.S. Open (2) | 2 stroke lead | -4 (70-66-69-71=276) | 2 strokes |
Phil Mickelson |
1 Defeated Brooks in 18-hole playoff: Goosen (70), Brooks (72)
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | 76 | T10 | CUT | T10 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T61 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T40 | CUT | 2 | T13 | T13 | T3 | T3 | T2 |
| U.S. Open | T12 | 1 | CUT | T42 | 1 | T11 | CUT | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T41 | T13 | T8 | T10 | T7 | T5 | T14 | T23 |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T37 | T23 | CUT | DNP | T6 | T34 | T23 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
PGA Tour wins (6)
- 2001 (1) U.S. Open
- 2002 (1) BellSouth Classic
- 2003 (1) Chrysler Championship
- 2004 (2) U.S. Open, The Tour Championship
- 2005 (1) The INTERNATIONAL
Major championships are shown in bold.
European Tour wins (14)
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Goosen's two U.S. Open wins are repeated here because the three major championships played in the U.S. have been part of the European Tour's schedule since 1998.
Sunshine Tour wins (9)
- 1991 Iscor Newcastle Classic
- 1992 Spoornet Classic, Bushveld Classic, Witbank Classic
- 1993 Mount Edgecombe Trophy
- 1995 Phillips South African Open
- 2002 Dimension Data Pro-Am
- 2004 Nedbank Golf Challenge
- 2005 South African Airways Open (co-sanctioned with European Tour)
Other wins (4)
- 2003 Tiger Skins Game
- 2005 Volkswagen Masters-China (Asian Tour)
- 2006 Volkswagen Masters-China (Asian Tour), Nelson Mandela Invitational (unofficial money event in South Africa; with Bobby Lincoln)
Team appearances
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing South Africa): 1995, 1996, 1997 (winners), 1998 (winners), 1999, 2000
- World Cup (representing South Africa): 1993, 1995, 2000, 2001 (winners)
- Presidents Cup (International team): 2000, 2003 (Draw), 2005, 2007
See also
References
- ^ Goosen Takes His Loss In Stride, Ken Klavon, usopen.com
External links
- Profile on European Tour's official site
- Profile on PGA Tour's official site
- Profile on Sunshine Tour's official site
- Results in ranking events for the last two years from the Official World Golf Rankings site
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