Goosen celebrates one victory with another
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Your support makes all the difference.Retief Goosen took the European Order of Merit title here yesterday, and then 35 minutes later added the Madrid Open. With the money list crown secure once Darren Clarke finished tied for sixth, the South African could concentrate on trying for his third win of the season. But he had to go to the third hole of a sudden-death play-off with Steve Webster to achieve it, holing a 10-foot birdie putt after Webster had missed from five on the first. For the 25-year-old Webster from Warwickshire it was his third finish in second place of his short Tour career.
Goosen, 32, is the first non-European to finish top since Greg Norman in 1982 and he did it with two tournaments to come. He is only the fifth non-European to be Europe's No 1, following compatriots Bobby Locke (1946, 1950 and 1954) and Dale Hayes (1975) and Australians Norman von Nida (1947) and Norman. Before his US Open victory in June, Goosen had never finished higher than 10th in any Major, but he had been seventh on the Order of Merit in 1997 and fifth in 1999.
"This is my 10th season on Tour and to be No 1 is unbelievable," he said. "It was nice to round it off this way and it's a great feeling. It's still got to sink in a bit, but it's been a dream year. The competition is really tough and it's hard to think I am the best player in Europe this year."
Now into the world's top 10 for the first time as well, Goosen said he thought he was about to lose on the first play-off hole. Of the putt on the third, however, he said: "It was downhill and there was no way I could leave that one short. All I had to do was pick the perfect line and I did."
Goosen closed with a 68 and Webster a 66 as the pair had tied on the 20-under-par total of 264, Goosen bogeying the last just as he had when he won the US and Scottish Opens, and when he lost the Lancome Trophy from four ahead with four to play last month.
After Webster's short miss on the first, Goosen had the chance on the next – again the 18th – but after coming out of a fairway bunker to 15 feet he left the birdie attempt short. Back they went to the short 17th this time and after Webster, from short of the green, had chipped just past with a three-wood, Goosen holed to take the £145,904 cheque and lift his earnings for the year to £1.75m.
Clarke, second on the Order of Merit to Colin Montgomerie in 1998 and to Lee Westwood last year, said: "Retief has played consistently well all year. He won one of the most difficult Majors to win and played superbly at Loch Lomond to win there as well. Hopefully my time will come."
Brian Davis shot a career-best 62 to finish joint third with Diego Borrego a stroke behind.
MADRID OPEN
Leading final scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 264 R Goosen (SA) 66 64 66 68; S Webster 68 62 68 66 (Goosen won at third play-off hole). 265 B Davis 66 64 73 62; D Borrego (Sp) 69 65 64 67. 267 M Brier (Aut) 67 68 66 66. 268 R Coles 66 69 69 64; J M Singh (Ind) 72 67 65 64; A Hansen (Den) 68 69 65 66; D Clarke 67 69 65 67. 269 T Bjorn (Den) 68 71 66 64; A Cabrera (Arg) 68 69 65 67. 270 V Phillips 68 67 69 66; J Bickerton 69 67 68 66; D Lynn 68 66 68 68; R Green (Aus) 69 67 65 69. 271 G Emerson 70 68 68 65; J-M Olazabal (Sp) 69 67 68 67; G Owen 67 70 66 68; C Rodiles (Sp) 65 70 67 69; P Price 66 69 67 69. 272 I Garrido (Sp) 70 67 71 64; R Johnson (Swe) 73 65 67 67; B Lane 66 72 66 68; B Dredge 70 68 65 69. 273 J-M Carriles (Sp) 72 68 69 64; H Nystrom (Swe) 67 67 72 67; F Andersson (Swe) 69 65 71 68; S Gallacher 64 70 70 69; P Harrington 63 72 69 69; D Higgins 67 62 69 75.
EUROPEAN ORDER OF MERIT: 1 Goosen £1,751,720; 2 Clarke £1,157,264; 3 E Els (SA) £1,073,216; 4 Harrington £969,916; 5 C Montgomerie (Sco) £934,984; 6 B Langer (Ger) £934,017; 7 Bjorn £912,099; 8 P Lawrie (Sco) £871,622; 9 N Fasth (Swe) £741,681; 10 Cabrera £709,753; 11 P McGinley (Irl) £691,002; 12 M Campbell (NZ) £648,045; 13 P O'Malley (Aus) £523,408; 14 I Woosnam (Wal) £518,465; 15 D Howell (Eng) £503,921; 16 T Levet (Fr) £487,926; 17 M A Jimenez (Sp) £474,669; 18 P Casey (Eng) £467,125; 19 R Karlsson (Swe) £462,620; 20 P Fulke (Swe) £459,605.
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