if our nation has one true center a heart to its Heartland then it may well
be the state of Oklahoma situated smack between the east and west
coasts a place where as the song goes the wind comes sweeping around the plain
and where life at the start of the 21st century retains a straightforward
simplicity that is quintessentially American so it was altogether fitting
and proper that for one week in June of 2001 golf's national championship came
here to Tulsa and 155 players battled to dethrone Tiger Woods and become the
101st United States Open champion all of the best and brightest assembled their
faces edged with an intensity that bespoke the occasion but this would be a
wide-open open were only four men none of them household names would manage to
better par and in the end it was the rigour of the Golf Course and the
enormity of the pressure that prevailed
and no singleplayer was spared
the United States Golf Association presents highlights of the 100 first
United States Open Championship
on the eve of the championship the number one question was can anyone beat
Tiger Woods not since Bobby Jones had there been so prohibitive a favorite
not since Jones had a player strung together for consecutive major
championships but as Tiger Woods pursued number five others pursued him and goals
of their own with a victory of the Buick Invitational
Phil Mickelson was in top form and seemed more ready than ever to break
through for his first major title for David Duval 2001 had brought both
consistency and frustration most notably at the Masters where he'd suffered an
agonizing runner-up finish to woods like Mickelson he was gunning for major
number one and like Mickelson he seemed ready to take charge the game's hottest
player coming into the open was 21 year-old Sergio Garcia with a victory
and a second-place finish in his previous two starts the young Spaniard
had proved he might be ready to and the industrious Vijay Singh had come to
Tulsa a week early to play practice rounds in hopes of adding an open crown
to go with his masters and PGA titles but the final drama would come not from
these stars but from the supporting cast a Stewart Cink played steadily into
contention mark Brooks rose to the top for the first time in five years
and a soft-spoken South African named Retief Goosen showed the world what
resilience is all about gray skies in a gentle breeze greeted Argentina's on
hell Cabrero at 6:30 a.m. as he fired the first shot of the 101st US Open
Cabrera would post a fine even par 70 on Thursday 56 year-old hailer when the
oldest man in the field reached back and recaptured the game that had brought him
three US Open titles on the Senior Tour where he has dominated for the past six
years Irwin is rarely asked to play par threes
with a four wood but with his tee shot to the 225 yard eighth hole he proved
but he still has the touch
and the touch was also there with his putter
Irwin made the turn in one under par and then started the back nine with this
birdie from 10 feet then at the 14th with the flagstick position by a front
bunker he played another elegant shot
this is right at him it's the right distance another fabulous shot out of
Rome and with this putt the reigning Senior Open champion took the lead at
the US Open after a bogey at 15 in a poor tee shot at 16 he was scrambling
but oh what a par putt this way
but the old master saved his best for last this was his approach shot to the
almost unimaginably difficult number 18 what a golf shot that is you can't say
enough about that and within a foot
only eight birdies were made here on Thursday and that was the best of them
a 300 par 67 for Hale Irwin meanwhile in the same threesome with Irwin Loren
Roberts made some noise of his own Roberts had suffered a six on the loan
par five on the front nine but he got revenge at number 13 a victory lap up
against the fringe at the next hole he bellied a wedge the way only a tour
player can belly a wedge and Loren Roberts finished the day at 1-under par
Phil Mickelson was playing solid steady golf at 1-under par for the first 12
holes then at the par-5 13th he showed why his short game is the envy of his
colleagues this deft shot set up a birdie but he followed with bogeys at 14
and 15 and then at 18 it looked like more trouble
Chason up
that there's a wonderful shot Mickelson to putted from there for an even par
round of 70 meanwhile Garcia had begun his day with a bogey and was still 1
over par when he came to number 13 and his third shot the sand wedge didn't
exactly eat up the hole
but when you are the best 21 year old golfer in the world a twisting downhill
20 footer is not much more than a walk in the park
and a straight uphill 50-footer nothing more than child's play this closing
birdie put Garcia among the top 10 even par meanwhile bernhard langer more than
twice the age of garcia was playing some of his best golf with top six finishes
in his last four US events always a fine iron player long our had come to Tulsa
with his distances dialed in he turned the front nine in 33 then at the par-3
11th he hit the best shot of the day
Oh how about that that can we take the two-time Masters
champion to 3-under
but his good work would be undone with this shot at 13 off the tree and into
the pond a double bogey 7 followed by two bogeys brought him in at 1-over par
watch the interview that you did very good
Ben good luck a handshake from Byron Nelson got David Duval's day off to an
inspiring start he showed the touch of a champion with this birdie putt
at number 4 Duval turned in one over got back to even par with this birdie at 10
and finished that way along with Garcia and Mickelson at even par a solid start
ladies and gentlemen this is the 12:30 starting time from Windermere Florida
the United States Open champion Tiger Woods the defending champions opening
shot was not a good one this one is headed down the right-hand side without
her
and that rile it'll smile bolide a large measure of displeasure would save par at
one but struggled again at two
Clayton well he left it but short the frustration was showing early usually
wood sticks do most of the talking but on Thursday they needed some help
his first 8 holes brought him 7 pars and a bogey and when this one missed he had
a double bogey 6 and an outward half of 38 not the guy we remember from heavily
2 year before Matt Gogol's up-and-down round of 70 featured 3 sixes and five
birdies including this bomb at number 15
but the man posting the most read numbers was Retief Goosen who opened
with birdies at the first two holes and then fired this one at the flag at
number 7 this putt to tie Hale Irwin for the lead at 3-under par drops it in and
he wasn't through yet at the next hole his stylish swing produced one of the
best shots of the day
how about that what a beautiful shot but before Goosen could stroke that putt a
siren Blair an afternoon thunderstorm had moved into the Tulsa area 66
competitors had completed their rounds but 90 had not and would not until
Friday and so after an abbreviated day one it was Hale Irwin at 3-under matched
by Retief Goosen with 11 holes yet to play by Friday morning the clouds had
passed the course had dried out and play was ready to resume measuring 6900 73
yards with the par of 70 Southern Hills designed by Perry Maxwell paused a
daunting challenge twice before the open had come to Southern Hills in 1958
Oklahoma native Tommy bolt led wire-to-wire as he shot 283 good for a
four shot victory over Gary Player in 1977 Hubert green shot 2-under par to
win by a stroke over Luke rheya and most people expected Tiger Woods to join that
company but with seven holes to play picked up where he left off in an
uncharacteristic struggle with his swing nothing was going right for him not his
tee shots not even a short game through his first four holes on Friday he made
three pars in a bogey the only bright moment came on this approach shot
the birdie got him back to even for the morning but his score for round one
would be an unlikely 74 meanwhile 15 and a half hours after hitting the green of
number 8 Retief Goosen stroke his putt to take
sole possession of the lead and he followed with another one at 9 that gave
him an eye-popping 30 on the front nine then at the day's easiest hole par 5
number 13 Goosen attacked with his wedge
and promptly finished the job with his red hot butter even after bogeys at 16
and 17 Goosen would have the low score for
round 166 my expectation was to play well I played
very well the week before it's just my party wasn't up to standard I didn't
make any putts so it was nice coming into that week hitting the ball just as
good as I was hitting a couple of weeks before and finally started making some
putts and I was a difference but others were close behind Mike Weir's 67
included just 23 putts the fewest of anyone in the field bunker shots like
this one it's easy to see why an JL Lewis began the back nine with three
threes and ended with this four for a 68 that gave him sole possession of fourth
place so with round 1 finally completed on Friday morning it was South Africa's
Retief Goosen on top with a 4-under 66 is the pride of Canada Mike Weir join
Hale Irwin one stroke back JL Lewis was followed by a quintet of players at
1-under and 11 others at even par meanwhile Tiger Woods the man who won
last year's open by a record 15 strokes began this one eight strokes behind
for more crooks round one had ended sourly with a double bogey for a 72 but
round two would be a different story this glorious approach shot to the first
hole set the tone for the day left-hand side of the fairway and oh yeah oh yeah
oh yeah what a shot at number two the putt was a bit longer but the result was
exactly the same birdie Brooks the 1996 PGA champion is a streaky player and
Friday he seemed to be in the middle of one of those streaks
this approach set up his third birdie in the first four holes and even the 640
yard fifth the longest par 5 in US Open history was an easy mark he would get
that putt to drop making it four out of five could he possibly make it five out
of six yes he could out in 30 strokes he got birdie number six at the 11th hole
and when this one fell for par at 18 Mark Brooks had himself an incredible 64
in a two day total of 136 he was the leader in the clubhouse it had been one
heavenly afternoon but Brooks wasn't the only star in the 12:20 starting time JL
Lewis was paired with him and he continued his strong play and
particularly his strong putting that slam dunk at number four put him 3 under
for the championship Lewis had only one Tour victory in his resume but after a
second straight 68 he found himself atop the leaderboard but the 18 hole leader
had no intention of going away they say par as your friend at the US
Open and on Friday afternoon Retief Goosen card the first 12 holes he played
including his all world up-and-down Aetna break
then he broke his string but in the right way with this birdie at number 13
he bogeyed at 14 but at 17 he fired right at the flag and nearly hit him a
birdie there a bogey at 18 and Retief Goosen made it a threesome atop the
leaderboard at 4 under the majesty of the United States Open is that it
welcomes all comers any golfer amateur or professional with a handicap index
not exceeding 1 point 4 can pay the entry fee and tee it up for a chance to
compete with the finest players in the world
line them up let him go players young and old chasing the fantasy of competing
for the national championship the journey began in mid-may for 8,000 132
players at 101 local sites in 40 states less than one in 10 made it to the
sectionals where 764 golfers including those exempt from local qualifying
competed for a place at Southern Hills one of the survivors was Gary Nicklaus
medalist in Columbus Ohio and he enjoyed flashes of brilliance like this
beautiful approach to number three
but it was a difficult two days both for father Jack Nicholas who was following
in the gallery and son inside the ropes as Gary missed the 36-hole cut
only three members of this year's open field were amateurs but all three were
thoroughbreds like 49 year-old John Harris of Minneapolis who won the US
Amateur in 1993 and was in the field here at Southern Hills for the 1977 US
Open Bryce molder of Conway Arkansas is a collegiate all-america and medalist at
last year's world amateur team championship four years at Georgia Tech
Mulder broke Tiger Woods NCAA career scoring mark with an average of 70 point
six seven strokes per round thanks in part to an ability to make putts like
this one at number 18
the third ammeter in the field was Jeff Quinney of Eugene Oregon the 2000 US
Amateur champion he struggled throughout the first two days and ended up missing
the cut but occasionally there were bright spots to surprisingly quinny's
fellow competitor Tiger Woods had some work to do if he was going to make the
cut and play on the weekend that fine bunker shot helped him save par at 10
still with 8 holes to go he was 6 over par right on the cut line but no one
sabres a challenge more than Woods that birdie at 12 got him going in the right
direction and when this one hit the jar at 13 he
had to rule with a 71 Tiger beat the cut score by a stroke still at 145 he was
nine strokes out of the lead the man ranked number 2 in the world
Phil Mickelson was in a much better position
how's your day going so far that took Mickelson to 1-under for the
championship he would bogey the fifth hole but Mickelson is nothing if not
resilient a hole-in-one at number six 174 yards of perfection with an 8-iron
Mickelson would finish with a 69 and admit maybe this was his week the 466
yard 18th played is the toughest hole of the championship this tricky downhiller
gave Jim Furyk a rare birdie and left him an even par after two rounds after a
first-round 72 Davis Love wanted to make a move and he came out firing at number
one
that putt would not go in but one hole later
this one would it's good here he does look good nice burning love was on a
roll Davis Love would make the turn in 32 and
despite a bogey at 14 and a double at 15 he moved up the board with a 69
beautiful golf shot meanwhile Thursday's victor would become Friday's victim Hale
Irwin battled the Greens from the very first hole he would miss another par
putt at the second and then this one at number 5 at the 8th the five footer he
needed was for bogey and that didn't go in 27 putts yesterday 33 today instead
of a 67 his score was a 75 David Duval got himself quickly under
par for the championship with this birdie at number one after making the
turn in 34 he gave us throwback at number 10 but he erased that mistake
when he rammed this one confidently home mm ready to take charge of the
championship especially after this at the par-3 14th pretty well done here
looky here yeah back-to-back birdies but bogeys at 15 and 17 derailed him and he
needed this birdie at 18 for a 69 in a share of six attempt on the way it rolls
in Wow he's made some nice flexes championship very quietly Stewart Cink
had opened the championship with a 69 and on Friday afternoon he continued to
climb stealthily up the leaderboard as a result of Thursday's rain delay it was
well into the evening when Cink curled in this one at 15 so after two rounds of
the 100 first US Open Goosen Brooks and Lewis atop the leaderboard but some
impressive names in hot pursuit Colin Montgomery Paul Azinger Davis Love the
third and take a look at some of the names who would be going home for the
weekend
only one of the three amateur competitors survived to the weekend
Bryce molder and in round three he thrilled the gallery with a brilliant
security
molder has a flair for the dramatic in a short game that enables him to tame even
on Saturday morning Tiger Woods and his coach Butch Harmon looked for answers
but on Saturday afternoon they were slow in coming he bogeyed number one his
swing looked as solid as ever but through 13 holes he had three bogeys and
just two birdies and then this one even the score and at 17 at last into red
numbers of 69 Paul Azinger had opened the championship
with a 74 he followed with a 67 on Friday and then on Saturday a 69 to move
into the thick of contention with 18 to go Rocco Mediate came to Southern Hills
with an ailing back that was so bad he considered pulling out luckily to work
with a chiropractor got him ready to play after opening the third round with
a strength of five cars and hit this 8-iron to number six then he leaned on
the long shaft he got close to the par-5 13th and two but needed a little bit of
artistry and imagination looks like he played a marvelous golf shot he did that
the birdie there took him to 3-under for the championship and then at 16 he hit
what he later called a silly fun up the hill turning left last roll
33 just the tenth birdie of the day at the 64 he's him before underbar he
finished with 67 just one stroke out of the lead meanwhile his fellow competitor
for Mickelson also played well Saturday June 16th was Mickelson's 31st birthday
and he celebrated with a low score the first president he gave himself was this
putt and it's another good start for Mickelson
no one was driving the ball longer this week than Mickelson who averaged 322
yards off the tee his vaunted wedge game was firing on all cylinders as evidenced
by this stroke of genius at number two that's beautifully played that should
follow right toward the hole through that shot Gary and he was giving himself
plenty of opportunities for birdie that one took him to 3-under for the
championship from 30 feet at number 5 this was for
his third birdie of the day and it's good
at 7:00 he's short-sighted himself in the bunker but saving par seems to be no
problem a bogey at number 10 slowed him down a bit but after a Titanic tee shot
at 13 he took aim at Eagle the hole location is just ripe for Eagles today
look at this shot very very likely to make that putt this however was the
worst of all putts under borrowed and overhead and it must have shaken his
confidence because unbelievably he missed the next one as well
where I'm Tanya he has missed some putts that's just so unusual he can make the
doggonedest curlicue putts and stand right there and miss that one so that is
an enormous opportunity dawn but in another display of Mickelson resilience
he bounced back with birdies at 14 and 17
sixty-eight
at 407 3 off the pace at the start of the day
David Duval was ready to make his move after a par at the first he was
scrambling at 2 but scrambling rather effectively this beautiful plate shot
how about the touch on Oh unbelievable Johnny I just had three and a half four
inch Bermuda rough he made his par and then bogey three his
approach shot to the fourth was on target all the way unable to convert the
birdie and so it was not until the par-5 5th and this death chip shot that he got
himself back under par for the championship
that's gonna be a birdie for Duvall at the fifth a crucial moment at number
nine his drive stopped in the crosswalk and the result was a pedestrian shot
it brought a bogey an outward 9 of 36 and frustration for David Duval coming
home Duval posted a birdie a bogey and seven cars as he finished with a 71 good
draw and accessibility lives
good play a little bit of a safety there it's still on the green Stewart Cink
started disastrously in the third round with a bogey at one and a double it too
but he kept on grinding his for birdie at the 4th and at the brutish horrified
647 yard fifth his putter remained absolutely red-hot then he stepped to
the tee box on the par-3 6th hole
shot absolutely covering the flag
setting up his third birdie in a row on the seventh he's fourth birdie in a row
out in 34 Stewart Cink he's 3-under for the championship a string of PARs
followed and then sync was back on the attack of the 13th and at 15 this putt
for the sixth birdie of the day Cink we finished the day with just 25
putts one of the best moves on moving day came from Sergio Garcia starting at
2 under for the championship he made a pair of opening pars and then
bagged this twisting turning beauty at number 3 got a chance
two holes later out of the rough under branches over sand he performs mega and
when he converted the birdie he was within just one single stroke even after
bogey number seven this was for birdie at number 10 should turn a little right
at the hole but not that much
backfire
it's skinny right put it in reverse it's in he part 11 but bogey 12:00 so at
13 the easiest hole of the week he was thinking birdie good shot little dead
hand there this was to get back to 4-under for the championship El Nino had
one more birdie putt left in him at number 15 but as he glanced back at the
leaderboard he wasn't happy he had wanted to play in the final pairing on
Sunday and his 206 total had fallen just short Mark Brooks also started slowly
with a bogey to got it back with his birdie at the 3rd and this was for
birdie at the par-4 15th looks finished the day with an even par 70 Retief
Goosen played rock solid golf tee to green the first two rounds look at that
bed of the first man of his championship to reach 5-under natete Goosen in the
third he's shot making was less precise whoa-ho
that's kind of top neck that's bad oh really badly misses John
you don't see it often but it does happen the pros make a mistake and
frequently this is what follows a beautiful recovery shot this remarkable
birdie was a clear demonstration of uses intense focus and determination but look
at his face you'd never know it at 17 a wayward approach left him an exceedingly
difficult for softly it's just wonderful look at this Johnny
he part every single hole on the back nine
I was trying to keep myself in you know it's just another golf tournament you
just got to keep playing you know being a present and focus on what's lying I
hate then drawing it too much involved with what terumah DS you know and just
trying by the end of the week be ahead and so after 54 holes the seemingly
impassive Retief Goosen stood atop the leaderboard tied with Stewart Cink in
back of him a threesome at 4-under par and an impressive list of names not far
behind a 68 by the lone remaining ammeter put Bryce molder in a tie for
23rd in probably Tiger Woods the final round of the US Open only the men who
have conquered it have felt it's indescribable emotions
unparalleled power it is a championship which taps an inner strength a strength
even they thought never existed they believed
things stored as the 1999 US Open champion today it's their turn to see if
they belong to see what lies beneath
today it's all on the line all questions will be answered and all accounts will
be settled today the Golf Course awaits ready to separate the best from the rest
no one had practiced for this championship harder than Vijay Singh and
on Sunday that practice finally paid off it'll start turning dead left look at
this look at this this bomb fifteen was the sixth birdie of the day
and he wasn't finished an ideal tee shot at 16 put him in position to attack oh
look at this shot oh he would make the birdie there as well
then from 139 yards on 17 he threw another darn straight at the bullseye
what a round go Vijay has going today with the final round of 64 Singh jump
into a tie for seven meanwhile another red-hot round was in
the works this is about three first downs away and it's perpetrator was
another one of those old guys showed the kids
that's why those fans sit there all day kite made the turn in 33 and at Verdes
at 10 and 11 and when this one disappeared at 13 he was 5-under for the
day with this approach at 17 the 1992 US Open champion reminded us why he's
regarded as one of the best wedge players in the world and so at 18 this
putt was to tie the single round US Open record of 63 look at this what around
for the 92 US Open champion David Duval still had a chance to win his first
major but he had to play the round of his life and this was not the way to
begin it one over after one he remained that way after six and even his
masterful recovery shot could not do more and save him
through 13 holes Duvall had still gained no ground but it was the final par 3
that put an end to his host the double bogey he slid to a 70 for a time for 16
Phil Mickelson was playing in the 30 second major of his career and he was
still looking for victory number one the first shot of the day did not bode well
and neither the second but he was able to get up and down for par and sailed
along smoothly until the fourth hole where his crusty wedge betrayed him and
led to a bogey by the next hole however that wedge was back in magnificent form
shot by Mickelson looking like it might go in but when he made Bogie's at nine
ten and here at the par-5 13th it was clear that once again the Mickelson
would come up short in a major many had expected Sergio Garcia to command on
Sunday but if his multiple grip pumps were any indication the young man was
just a little bit too
cow note on this particular swing 18 grips and regress
well he has pulled this one way to the left and Johnny I did not count all
those waggles but I'll tell you if that golf club were a tube of toothpaste it
would be empty Garcia went out in 39 strokes back in 38th and finished it
three over in a tie for 12th when Rocco Mediate teed off on Sunday afternoon he
was one shot off the lead with the best chance he'd ever had to win a major big
drive at number one left him just a sandwich to the green with a full 1
whatever was he hit it hard yes and where's Johnny now she's been this then
was to pull into a tie at the top of the leaderboard at 5-under par with sink and
Goosen mediates front 9 was a bit of an adventure as he posted three bogeys even
par but on the incoming 9 mediate stumbled with bogeys at 10 11 and 17 and
fell out of contention Mediate had earlier said that if you birdie the 18th
to win the championship they should give you two of them well he birdied it the
closing 72 was not good enough place at 2-under in the end the battle
for the 101st US open would come down to three relatively unheralded players Mark
Brooks had not played under this kind of pressure since his win in the PGA at
Valhalla five years ago he struggled for pars on the first four holes short yeah
that's very well played and then on the fifth hole this putt for par
whether pulled or incorrectly read he didn't go in a front nine of 36 would
not help his cause but Stuart's safe was off to an equally shaky start
thanks to this bunker shot he was able to save par at the first
beautiful play that's got to calm his nerves a bit then after missing the
fairway at number two he was forced to play defensive again but from a lie in
the rough 181 yards away he played some very impressive defense very well shift
fabulous shot thanks to that shot he secured an easy
par like Brooks Cink managed a quartet of opening pars but then faltered at the
long haul in fact sinc match Brooks hold from all
on the outward nine for 36
Retief Goosen got off a solid tee shot at the first one down the right side of
the fairway I know very nervous anyone thirsty you know I knew I had a pretty
good chance of winning this tournament now but you know I was trying to just
play my own game and he'd shot for shot and if I happen to win it it's great at
number two a poor drive had him scrambling all the way this third shot
was well played but it left him a nerve testing ten footer boy we've seen him
haul a lot of pressure packed putts together the three leaders combined for
just one birdie on the front nine and an unlikely one it was that gave one stroke
in the two holes later he gave it right back
chip shut horribly judged with bogeys at eight and nine Goosen matched his two
rivals with one over 36 and so the shootout shifted to the back
nine at number 11 Brooks struck with an iron
his puhd right on target as well and back into a
three-way tie meanwhile one hole back Goosen had a chance to pull ahead but
really that's where you want to putt from Jones right there bogeys Goosen
comes back with a birdie at 10 gets back to 5-under and regains sole possession
of the lead but not for long Cink on 11
sanctified and back into a tie with Goosen and once again mr. Brooks was
about to join them with this towering iron to number 13 he set up a two-putt
birdie that took him to 5-under as well
13 had yielded more birdies than any hole on the course but for Stewart Cink
it brought trouble tee shot pulled well left headed toward the trees down the
left-hand side to be careful there's a little ditch over there
a bogey six took sync back to 4-under par one hole later however Goosen ran
his birdie putt past the cup and then missed this one for par a mistake that
foretold of much bigger error to come now one stroke behind Brooks
Retief Goosen took dead aim at the 15th flag and by the time this ball stopped
he had a 12 footer for birdie
pretty darn good shots unbelievably good
if the three putt at 14 was in his mind this stroke certainly didn't show back
into a tie with Brooks but up at 18 Brooks had left his
approach quite a distance from the hall look at how much break there's probably
10 feet he's played he gave it a pretty good ride and that was not a good putt
there the result a lengthy return putt for par
that is the very definition of agonizing and so with the closing bogey mark
Brooks pardon a round of 70 a 72 volt total of 76 for under par now all we did
was to wait sync also at 4-under par needed a birdie to pull clean with goose
upon the rider the whole drawing back to the spin back it will come back Roger
what a shot by sync
great shot talk about delivery moment
and so it was sinking Goosen all even with one hole to play one very difficult
hole Stewart Cink left himself a long approach this ball turning the left not
good Goosen after a perfect Drive then hit the approach shot of his life very
high cutting it's at the flagstick I don't know if it'll get up into this
breeze it is us it is up and it is safely on
just Berthe Garde's feel good sick signing and pushed it by two yards so
Australia - just lifted a flag and I had to just ride it a flag and I couldn't
hit it really in a better spot if Goossens position was perfect sinks
couldn't have been worse gonna get their ride no I don't think it's gonna get all
the way down there John it's got too much of a chunk didn't have any momentum
are you gonna have to putt first also I think he does I think he'll be away
slightly then there was this to save par
it could not have come much closer it's a beautiful putter just two inches
slower it's in by missing his par putt Cinque thought he had lost the
championship actually he hadn't but after hurrying the next one you can tell
his mind was somewhere else Roger heartbroken Johnny yeah pissed over the
tournament the championship is over that's a little bit shocked that he
missed it you know I mean obviously he felt like he lost a tournament
he'd such a good par putt he thought he really made it it just turned left in
front of the hole on him man yeah that's age I knew all these two putts to win a
tournament for me and you know just rolling it up close and it was my really
my main fault I wasn't trying to make it or anything I just let a rush of blood
and just hit it too hard now it's a little friskier than he had in mind I
can tell you that there wasn't any real need to hit the foot and a half two feet
by the hole here now I still thought to myself you know just knock it in and I
knew their line exactly it was just off-center right back
and he's still not here
and they know they're really tough but to try and stay in it you know after
what's going on you know and I just had to fight that stewart cink just missed
so it was maybe was quite trying to make that one
nao-san incredibly this open head map close with three putts from three yards
with he Busan had backed into a tie with Mark Brooks now the two of them and the
rest of the world would have to wait one more day and 18 more holes to determine
the champion the scoreboard said it all
so after 72 holes this was how the scoreboard look but on this day for this
open there would be one more round to play 18 holes Brooks and Goosen for the
championship
a long shot when he'd arrived in Tulsa 40-year old mark Brooks now had a
remarkable second shot as for Retief Goosen he'd led the
championship from day one the question now was could he gather himself and win
it on day five on Monday morning they returned face to face to see who would
take home the trophy the South African predicted he'd be
relaxed and on the first tee it appeared to be the case solid strike going right
down the center of the fairway good way to start here good swing
could Brooks answer that shot this too right down the middle both players off
to a good start
so this 18-hole playoff is underway two great shots
who would crack first after the first to approach shots the answer appeared to be
Goosen but then he did this looks absolutely perfect is that going to go
in
came about as close as you could without dropping in but an arrant drive at
number two left him facing a third shot of 150 yards and he hit it this time it
was Brooks turned to show some short game and he did break to his left and
it's quick when he gets in the area of the hole fairly well played there now
Goosen to save par there it is another marvelous par at the second for Retief
Goosen he'll remain at even par the first blood came at number three where
Brooks his marvellous approach shot
it's pretty good-looking chef and get to the hole
could the South African get up and down for par for the third hole in a row
on this whole there was never a doubt but this one for birdie was just a solid
one up for Brooks after they matched pars that holds four and five Goosen
struck another one of his skyscraping string straight irons good shot good
shot and then stroked another one straight into the hole all even after
six then at the next hole the first stumble of the day when Brooks
missed the fairway missed the green and then missed this putt for par at number
8 Goosen appeared to be in trouble again but once again with one swing that was
really really well executed nice shot in bar but the Great Divide began at
9:00 where Brooks was bothered by a tree
that was the danger right there and took a bogey 5 meanwhile Goosen made three
and took a three-stroke lead really good-looking he's been on fire with his
putter and his shirking at the 10th the gap widened again as Brooks bogey and
Goosen played this magnificent approach from the rough and followed with yet
another perfectly calibrated putt made everything he's looked at today
now his lead was a commanding 5 strokes at 14 he left himself a teaser for par
he's the same fellow who three-putt at 8p needing to make something happen
Brooks hit it close at 15 again at 16 he stiffed it but couldn't stuff it and
then at 17 where Goosen made bogey Brooks finally rolled one home and
suddenly the gap was gay and it
but with only one hole to go Goosen was in firm command short of the green in
two he minimized his risk now that's a conservative play John not too well that
is a brilliant play I think from here he could actually afford to take three
putts from South Africa the 2001 US Open champion and so a round of even 470 I
was pretty relieved but it's funny other from yeah very long week I played
sailing around to go from the road it was it's been a long tiring week and eat
there I don't think I had any energy to jump up and down about it but all
started thinking you know this it's great winning an Open Championship and
you know it's it's opened a lot of doors for me and I'm gonna grab it all and
enjoy it Retief Goosen 2001 US Open champion he
led all four rounds but that is not what people will remember they'll remember
how he blew the putt on Sunday and then came back boldly on Monday to claim his
championship
