Golf-Superb 63 a relief for Retief after early shock

2009-07-10

Share this article:  Digg |  StumbleUpon |  del.icio.us |  Reddit

LOCH LOMOND, Scotland, July 10 (Reuters) - Retief Goosen duffed his first shot like a weekend hacker before proving his pedigree with an eight-under-par 63 to sail into a two-stroke lead in the Scottish Open second round on Friday.

The 40-year-old South African hit seven birdies and an eagle after recovering from the surprise of dribbling a 180-yard drive into the rough at the par-four 10th, his opening hole.

Goosen, the Loch Lomond course-record holder after firing a 62 in 1997, finished with a total of 11-under 131. Adam Scott (67) was in second place on 133, one ahead of fellow Australian Marcus Fraser (66) and Germany’s Martin Kaymer (65).

“I was trying to hit a three-wood off the tee at the 10th and hit a low, thinny one going right,” the 2001 and 2004 U.S. Open champion told reporters at the warm-up event for next week’s British Open at Turnberry.

“It was a bit of a weird start, a bit of a shock. My playing partners (Australian world number six Geoff Ogilvy and Britain’s Oliver Wilson) kept quiet but I’m sure they were laughing.”

With the rippling waters of Loch Lomond glistening like diamonds on another day of glorious sunshine, Goosen scrambled his par at the 10th by knocking in a 30-foot putt before rattling off birdies at the 13th, 16th and 18th.

Nothing could stop the 2001 Scottish Open champion on his back nine as he mixed an eagle three at the third with birdies at the first, fourth, seventh and eighth.

‘BIG FIVE’

“The course is fairly generous here,” said Goosen. “I’m not one of the straightest hitters so it helps a little bit if you’re off target by 15, 20 yards.”

Goosen was once bracketed in the so-called ‘Big Five’ with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh but has suffered something of a slide in recent seasons and gone 2-1/2 years without a victory on the European Tour.

He came close to ending his wait for a win when he led for three rounds at last month’s BMW International Open in Munich only to finish third.

“My putting is not as consistent as it used to be but today they all went in,” he said.

Scott, watched by his tennis-playing partner Ana Ivanovic, bounced back from a bad break at the par-three fifth (his 14th) with three birdies in the last four holes.

“I hit it left into a greenside bunker and had plenty of green to work with but a rock got in between the ball and the clubface and my second went over the green and into the rough,” said the Australian referring to his double-bogey.

“I was a little unlucky at the fifth and coming back strong after that was important in the scheme of this tournament.”

Eight times European number one Colin Montgomerie, who also started at the 10th, made the cut by the skin of his teeth after staging a brilliant late rally by birdying the last four holes for a 69 and a level-par total of 142.

His former Ryder Cup team mate Nick Faldo (73), making a rare playing appearance this week, and crowd favourite John Daly (75) missed out by two strokes on 144.