Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI did make a few good par saves, but I think the birdie on 16 to get back to even with Phil was key,\u201d he recalled.\u00a0\u201cI didn’t realize until I walked onto the 17th tee that he actually made double bogey, or even after I teed off, that he made double bogey. So, then I proceed to hit it in the bunker, too, on the left and hit a bunker shot probably 3-4 feet above the hole. I managed to make my putt where he pretty much three-putted from. That was the big turnaround for me.\u00a0That’s the thing that stands out the most. I’m standing over there with a little tickler down the hill and tell yourself, come on, make a good stroke, and you’ve got a two-shot lead coming down the last.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the final analysis, Goosen concluded: \u201cHe made the mistake, I didn\u2019t and I walked away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the ensuing days, he received a phone call from the President of South Africa and letters from Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer congratulating him for his gritty performance, which he said are tucked away in a file in a safe place among his treasure possessions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the players today, Goosen, who was known for being one of the all-time flatliners, said that Cameron Young is the player whose game most resembles his own in his prime.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gets in his bubble and just gets going. Scottie Scheffler is quite similar in a way. He doesn\u2019t show a lot on the course, doesn\u2019t get hugely excited when he makes birdies and he makes a lot,\u201d Goosen said during an intimate round-table interview inside the Rolex hospitality chalet along the 17th\u00a0hole. \u201cHe\u2019s very even keeled.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Goosen expressed his concerns with the potential rollback of the golf ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so short now and we\u2019re going to be even shorter, like what the hell, what are they trying to do to us?\u201d he said of the senior golfers. \u201cI hope it won\u2019t damage the game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The modern golfers on the PGA Tour, he argued have become athletes, who train with golf-specific exercises engineered to create greater speed and thus increased distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe exercise they do now, everything is for speed. Back then, it was just trying to keep in shape,\u201d Goosen said. \u201cThat\u2019s where the real distance has come from, not really the technology. Maybe they should stop them from exercising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goosen is enjoying a renaissance in his game at a time when many players his age find it difficult to keep up with the younger players. Goosen won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in late April for his fifth career Champions Tour trophy and surprised even himself with his fine play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going into the final round wondering if you still have it. Your hands are a little more yippy, your chipping is like crap. Mentally-wise, it\u2019s still tough,\u201d he said. \u201cYou win on the Champions Tour you know you\u2019ve played well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Should LIV players be allowed to play PGA Tour Champions?<\/p>\n
Goosen isn\u2019t opposed to seeing the LIV players such as Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter return to compete on the 50-and-over circuit. He noted that Phil Mickelson attracted larger crowds and bigger TV ratings when he competed out there for a handful of tournaments before jumping to LIV.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d love to see those guys again. The Champions Tour is all about the legends. Tiger is the main man we want to see and play against. I hope he recovers soon and at least starts playing some Champions Tour events just to get back into the rhythm of playing again and not think that his first event is going to be a U.S. Open. It\u2019s tough when you haven\u2019t played for a year to come out,\u201d Goosen said.<\/p>\n
Tiger Woods would be shot in the arm for PGA Tour Champions<\/p>\n
And he also contended that Tiger could be just the shot in the arm the tour needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, there is zero interest in trying to improve the Champions tour from the PGA Tour side. The PGA Tour just does its own thing,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce we get some of these legends guys playing on the Champions Tour they\u2019ll probably start\u00a0getting some more interest in taking this tour to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
But count Goosen as firmly in the camp that says that 50 is the right age for the senior circuit \u2013 and the Tour better not consider rolling that figure back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam Scott is 45. We don\u2019t want him out there yet kicking our backsides,\u201d he said. \u201cLet him play out here longer. We look forward to seeing him out here when his turn comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ironically, Goosen said he considered trying to qualify for the U.S. Open this year to have one more shot at Shinnecock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would loved to have been in the field,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I decided I\u2019ve been there, done that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Indeed, he has. The Goose had a golden touch in 2004, and not a day goes by that someone doesn\u2019t remind him of his other-worldly putting performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember all the shots,\u201d he said. \u201cI just remember the good ones.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated June 21, 2026, 10:26 a.m. ET SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. \u2013 Retief Goosen undid his Rolex watch to reveal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[58,1443,59,7204,7205,65,68,69,1384,1011,67,353,1245,62],"class_list":["post-25061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bmw-championship","tag-accessfree","tag-bmw-championship","tag-sourcegolfweek","tag-sstssportsgolfmajorsus-open","tag-sstsnthe-us-open","tag-taggolf","tag-taginternational-sports-competitions","tag-tagoverall-positive","tag-tagpga-tour-champions","tag-tagscottie-scheffler","tag-tagsports-news","tag-tagtiger-woods","tag-tagu-s-open-championship","tag-typestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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