Goosen takes tedious route to title

Golf - Johnnie Walker Classic: Back in the 1920s Walter Hagen used to stroll on to the first tee and drawl: "Waal, who's gonna be second?" And that was before the tournament had even started. No one has dared to do it since, although Tiger Woods might have been justified in the US Open of 2000, albeit only after the third round, when he led by 10.

Yesterday it was the turn of Retief Goosen, but unfortunately the South African is such a modest man that the thought of such a boast would never have crossed his mind. Despite the fact he led by 13 shots after three rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, the best he could muster before embarking on his final round was: "I am very surprised that I am this far ahead."

Goosen manufactured a one-over-par 73, and with his 14-under-par 274 aggregate won by eight from Pierre Fulke, by nine from Sergio Garcia and by 12 from another South African Ernie Els. But there was not a hint of inspiration during the entire 18 holes and the only excitement for the spectators came when he opened with a double-bogey six, driving into a bush and needing a penalty drop at the first, and then when he found water with his second at the 15th. Other than that, it was a dreary day at the office.

Herewith one example. All week the 284-yard par-four 14th has been downwind and all week the pros have routinely been driving the green. Goosen himself had birdied the hole in two of the first three rounds and yesterday he arrived there leading by 10.

Did the driver come out? Was crowd-pleasing on the agenda? No. A nice safe iron down the middle, a nice safe iron on to the green and two, nice, putts for a nice par four.

Goosen had this tournament won after his third-round 63, a course record that beat the 64 established by Gary Player. It was a virtually fault-free round - the best he had ever played, Goosen said - and it spreadeagled the field.

Goosen ecstatic after a win that takes him back to where he left off at the end of last season, at the top of the European order of merit? Well, he did at least smile and said: "I managed to hang in there. It was nice to pull it off."

Fulke holed three putts of 35 feet and over during yesterday's round to finish second and Sergio Garcia holed, he felt, nothing at all to finish third.