Castle Rock – Retief Goosen didn’t just win the 20th International on Sunday. He survived it.
After trudging 36 holes, dragging up and down the hills of Castle Pines Golf Club and hanging on for a 1-point victory over local favorite Brandt Jobe, this Goose looked cooked. But he handled the grind better than anyone else.
“My gosh, in the last five or six holes, I started to feel it; your legs just sort of suddenly start feeling like jelly,” said Goosen, who finished with 32 points and claimed a $900,000 check for his first PGA Tour victory of the year. “I couldn’t get a good base and made some sloppy swings.
“I think on the back nine, everybody started to fall apart.”
Everybody struggled to keep their wits and some semblance of a smooth swing. Jobe, falling just shy of claiming his first PGA Tour win, lost 3 points in the final round, including an ugly front nine of three bogeys and a double bogey. Third-place finisher Jeff Brehaut scored 10 points in the fourth round but squandered several chances and bogeyed his final hole.
“It was like I was in a marathon and hit the wall,” Jobe said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
Goosen didn’t muster double-figure points in either round Sunday, getting 8 points in the third round and managing just 7 more in the heat of the afternoon pressure.
That was good enough. Thanks to a tap-in birdie at the par-5 17th and a missed 8-foot birdie try by Jobe on 16, Goosen bagged his sixth career PGA Tour victory.
It can’t help but put him in to an attack mode for this week’s PGA Championship and help fade any haunting memories of his final- round collapses this year at the U.S. Open and British Open.
“At some point I was sort of wondering where my golf was going,” Goosen conceded of his struggles in the Opens. “I started practicing a bit more than I used to. I don’t say I lost confidence. I was disappointed in the way I played. Some days are just like that.”
Goosen joined an illustrious list of champions at The International, adding another star to a galaxy of marquee names. But this victory should come with an asterisk that sets him apart. A total washout of play Thursday forced a 36-hole Sunday for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Thirty-six holes at sea level is one thing. But Castle Pines sits at 6,300 feet. The bright sun offered no relief.
Players were not given a break for lunch between rounds.
“I didn’t even have time to eat a full sandwich,” Jobe said.
For Jobe, this near miss had to sting. He grew up in Denver and lived in the Castle Pines development for three years before moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 1999.
A victory Sunday could have capped a week-long reunion with family and friends, including his 40th birthday Monday. It was not meant to be. Jobe led by 9 points entering the fourth round but went south for his last 18. Still, he had a chance because Goosen wasn’t exactly knocking down the flagsticks. It took a knee-knocking 4-foot par save on 18 by Goosen to force Jobe, following in the next group, to make a birdie on the final hole for the victory.
From the rough, Jobe smacked a 175-yard 8-iron to within 30 feet. But he didn’t give the birdie try enough pace and watched it die 2 feet short.
It marked his third career runner-up finish on the PGA Tour.
“I’m not going to beat myself up over this,” Jobe said. “You’ve got to just keep plugging away. One of these times, something good is going to happen.”
After making the birdie on No. 1 to begin his fourth round, Jobe gave up 6 points in seven holes. Goosen took the lead with a birdie at No. 9. But he promptly pulled his drive on No. 10 into the trees.
Nobody wanted to run away with the lead. Nobody had enough energy.
Jobe’s dreams for his first tour trophy were buried in par-3 sand. Trying to hold a lead in the fourth round, Jobe knocked his tee shot into a greenside bunker on the 230-yard No. 4. He flew the green with the sand shot and dropped 3 points with a double bogey.
Three holes later, Jobe found the beach on the 185-yard seventh but at least saved bogey with a 15-foot putt. That reduced the damage, a loss of 1 point rather than 3. But he lost another point on one of the best birdie holes, the 623-yard 14th, after bouncing a 4-iron into the pond guarding the green with his second shot.
A missed 8-foot birdie on the par-3 16th all but ended his chances of catching Goosen.
“I really wanted to win here, because this still feels like home,” said Jobe, who earned $540,000. “The thing I’m going to take away from this is I didn’t putt well enough and still had a chance to win. I’m going in the right direction.”
Phil Mickelson, the hottest player during the second round, never sustained enough consistency to mount a serious challenge Sunday. He bogeyed four holes in a row during his third round, and lipped out a curling, 12-footer on No. 7 in the fourth round to remain at 14 points. Then, as if flicking on a switch, Mickelson began a charge.
He buried four consecutive birdies, but pulled a 150-yard approach into a greenside bunker on the next hole and failed to save par from 5 feet. Three holes later, he didn’t even get a piece of the cup on a 2-footer.
When Mickelson failed to drain an 8-footer on No. 16 it marked his 21st miss inside 10 feet during the tournament, tops in the field. He finished in a tie for 10th place with 23 points.
Brehaut, a relative unknown who had to regain his tour card last fall, birdied No. 17 and momentarily joined Jobe and Goosen in a three- way tie for the lead at 30 points. That didn’t hold up. But at least his bogey on No. 18 didn’t cost him a third-place finish and a $340,000 check, his best payday ever.
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
Play it again
Castle Rock – The pros put up a stern face, saying they could handle 36 holes in one day.
On this day, however, The International’s heat and hills appeared to be the winners right along with Retief Goosen. The battle of attrition claimed one contender after another, starting with third-round leader Brandt Jobe, who birdied No. 1 on the final round and didn’t get another positive number until No. 17.
On a course where the winner usually busts loose late Sunday, Jobe backed down, Goosen caught him and no one else made a serious move at Castle Pines.
The winner admitted the conditions were far from normal, playing 10 1/2 hours of golf on the tour’s longest course, at altitude.
“Every hole out there, you catch your breath,” Goosen said. “Those last nine holes were tough. I felt my legs started to feel a bit funny, and I felt I was going to cramp at any moment.”
Jobe, too, appeared exhausted, with a minus-3 points on the final 18 and his first PGA Tour victory within sight.
So, for a rare International, it wasn’t an eagle on No. 17 that determined the outcome. Or a birdie binge on the back nine.
It was perseverance and patience that won out, attributes a two-time U.S. Open champion knows something about.
19TH HOLE
Eye on Retief Goosen
An international winner
Goosen became the sixth international player to win The International, and joined Ernie Els as the second South African to claim the title.
What’s up? It won’t be the five birdies that Goosen probably will remember about Sunday’s final round. More than likely, it will be his par save from 40 yards out on No. 16 after a horrible tee shot. Goosen finished a distant second behind Davis Love III in his previous appearance, in 2003.
Bottom line: Mr. Vickers and the powers-that-be at Castle Pines love the fact Goosen won. It further legitimizes The International as a premier stop not only for the amenities but also for the golf. If it’s a June date they want, this will go a long way toward getting it.
Eye on Brandt Jobe
Local favorite came close
The Kent Denver High School product had the crowd behind him, and even though he ran out of gas down the stretch, he still had a chance to win.
What’s up? After an inauspicious start to his final round that saw him surrender the lead at the turn, Jobe remained within striking distance as he started the inward nine. Jobe will likely look back at two missed opportunities coming home. On the par-5 14th, his second shot found the greenside pond, leading to a bogey. And with a chance to go one up on Goosen on No. 16, Jobe watched a makable 10-foot birdie putt go by the wayside.
Bottom line: It would have been a great story, but as it turns, out Jobe, who turned 40 on Aug. 1, played great all week.
Eye on Goeff Ogilvy
Start with a bang, end with a crash
Remember him? For consecutive years, the Australian has teased the crowds with his opening-round displays of dominance. In 2004 he opened with 14 points, and he had 11 more in Friday’s opening round.
What’s up? If this were a one-round tournament, Mr. Ogilvy would be a rich man. In rounds 2-4 at the past two Internationals, he has accumulated a grand total of minus-6 points. A mere 4 points in the morning round, followed by a lackluster four-bogey, one-birdie round in the afternoon, left him right back where he started the second round, with 11 points.
Bottom line: Rumor has it sports psychologists can make him believe every day is Thursday.
YOU CAN’T DO THIS
Rare eagle sighting at 18
Brandt Jobe picked up 5 points in the third round with an eagle at one of the most unlikely of places, the 480-yard, par-4 18th, which was his ninth hole of the round. Jobe knocked in a 161-yard, second-shot approach.Jobe’s eagle was only the fifth on that hole in the tournament’s 20-year history, and just the second in nine years. The others: Joel Kribel (2004), Jim Furyk (1996), Greg Norman (1995) and Bill Kratzert (1986).
YOU CAN DO THIS
No. 8 not great for Stadler
Local favorite Kevin Stadler ripped his drive 301 yards uphill on No. 8 in the middle of the fairway in the fourth round. Knowing he needed an eagle to super-charge his round, he pulled out his fairway wood and tried to reach the pin in the far back of the green on the rugged par 5. His ball flew the green. Then, in a move any hacker can relate to, he huffed and puffed and blew his provisional ball into the woods, after which he screamed in frustration. All turned out well, though. Stadler found his original second shot and parred the hole.
Question of the day
Were the 36 holes tougher or easier than you thought they would be?
“It’s was tough. The altitude, the hills and the tricky golf course, it takes a toll. After the first hole, I felt like I needed to take a seat.” – Greg Owen
“When you play 36 holes, it’s a battle of guys keeping focus because you get pretty tired. It’s hard for some guys and less (so) for others. I work out quite hard, so it’s not a factor for me.” – Mike Weir
“Easier than I thought, surprisingly. I thought if I would’ve played worse, I’d probably be moaning right now. I didn’t feel tired, but I probably will be in an hour.” – Jeff Brehaut
“My swing started to go a bit haywire.” – Tim Clark
“The weather and 36 holes weren’t a factor. I hit it well, but I putted like garbage.” – Frank Lickliter II
“This is the last place you want to play 36. It’s tough on the feet. My feet are sore right now, I’m not going to lie.” – Luke Donald
HOLE OF THE DAY
No. 16, 209 yards, par 3
It’s not often that a par-3 hole plays the toughest, but that was the case in the fourth round. The 209-yard 16th took the statistical honors, averaging 3.365 shots per player and yielding just one birdie against 20 bogeys and two double bogeys. It also proved pivotal. Retief Goosen appeared on the brink of disaster when he chunked his tee shot, letting go with his right hand as he watched the shot fall well short and right of the line, landing in a grass bunker. With an awkward stance, Goosen managed to pitch to within 4 feet and saved par. Brandt Jobe, trailing Goosen by 1 point, lasered his tee shot to within 8 feet of the cup, pin high. But he failed to give enough left-to-right break on the birdie try and watched the ball slide just past the hole on the low side. What might have been a big swing in points between Goosen and Jobe turned out to be a push: zero points for both.
BY THE NUMBERS
Format works in Jobe’s favor
2 — Oh, the beauty of the modified Stableford scoring system. After Brandt Jobe holed out for an eagle in the third round, he promptly turned around and made a double bogey on No. 1. In stroke play, that would have kept him at level par, but instead he gained 2 points.
403 — It’s always fun to watch the players tee off on the 644-yard first. Daniel Chopra must have been pumped up when he got there. The Swede crushed a 403-yard drive, but still only made par.
13 — Curious who had the highest point total in the lost third round? Scott McCarron birdied Nos. 15-18 for 13 points to move up to 23 points going into the final round.
1 — International player in the top 10 after the third round: Retief Goosen.
3 — International players in the top 10 after the final round: Goosen, Tim Clark and defending champion Rod Pampling.
3 — Total birdies on the 477-yard par-4 fifth hole.
LOOK AHEAD
The PGA Championship begins Thursday at Baltusrol in Springfield, N.J.
