In one fell swoop Retief Goosen won the Madrid Open at the Club de Campo and comprehensively topped the Order of Merit table yesterday when, after leaving putts short at the first two play-off holes, he rolled the ball freely downhill from 10 feet into the cup for birdie at the next to beat England's Steve Webster.
Both men had finished on 20 under at 264, Goosen taking a bogey at the 18th after he went into a greenside bunker, thinned his next 20 feet past and then two-putted.
On the first play-off hole Webster had a five-footer for his first tour victory but a nervy stroke saw the ball squirming right of the hole. "That was the most negative thing I did all day," he said. "I was trying to read too much into it." Not an uncommon reaction when a 25-year-old with two runner-up finishes and no tour wins faces a decisive putt for a two-year exemption and a cheque for £146,000 sterling.
Ireland's David Higgins, 128th in Europe and scrambling to retain his card, had a 62 on Friday and began yesterday's round tied for second and needing a top-nine finish. He shot 75, the second-worst score of the day, and finished joint 25th on the same 273 total as Padraig Harrington, and in 122nd in Europe. He has one more week to get into the top 120 or qualifying school beckons.
Harrington shot a 69 yesterday, the same as Des Smyth, who finished a shot behind his two compatriots. Best of the Irish was Darren Clarke, who closed with a 67 and tied sixth.
It now seems likely Clarke will finish as Europe's runner-up for the third time in the past four years while the South African becomes the first non-European to pick up the bronze figurine of Harry Vardon since Greg Norman in 1982, and he did so with two tournaments to come.
The Order of Merit race was all over bar the shouting even when Goosen flew into Madrid, and you would never expect the South African to indulge in that anyway. But he was a happy, relieved and shyly proud man last night.
"I knew if I could win here the Order of Merit was all history," Goosen said. "It's yet to sink in I'm the best player in Europe this year. It's been a dream year winning a major, the Order of Merit and two other tournaments. The competition is really tough."
Goosen also had eight other top-10 finishes in Europe. He now has £1,751,720 sterling to his name, around £600,000 clear of Clarke and £700,000 ahead of his compatriot Ernie Els.
Goosen admits that the doubts many of his contemporaries used to raise about his lack of self-belief, were fully justified. It is still an ongoing process, however, as is evidenced by the shakiness he has shown several times this year over the closing holes, including bogeying the last two before winning the US Open in June. His bogey at the 18th yesterday was a reminder of the fragile player he can be.
All of the field, Goosen in particular, have revelled in the conditions here. Approach shots stuck to greens like pebbles flicked on to a freshly tarred road and there were 30 rounds of 65 or lower.
Details in SPORTS ROUND-UP
Order of Merit: Top 20
1 R Goosen (Rsa) £1,751,720
2 D Clarke (NIrl) £1,157,264
3 E Els (Rsa) £1,073,216
4 P Harrington (Irl) £969,916
5 C Montgomerie (Sco) £934,984
6 B Langer (Ger) £934,017
7 T Bjorn (Den) £912,099
8 P Lawrie (Sco) £871,622
9 N Fasth (Swe) £741,681
10 A Cabrera (Arg) £709,753
11 P McGinley (Irl) £691,002
12 M Campbell (Nzl) £648,045
13 P O'Malley (Aus) £523,408
14 I Woosnam (Wal) £518,465
15 D Howell (Eng) £503,921
16 T Levet (Fra) £487,926
17 MA Jimenez (Spa) £474,669
18 P Casey (Eng) £467,125
19 R Karlsson (Swe) £462,620
20 P Fulke (Swe) £459,605
