Colin Byrne Caddie's RoleRetief Goosen's recent victory in the Volkswagen Masters in China is a milestone in his successful career. For the first time in his career he successfully defended a title.
No big deal, many would think, for a man who has won two US Opens and a range of other prestigious events, but a win, no matter where it happens, is very important to any golfer.
Winning is what drives the best, I have always marvelled at the hunger of some of the golfers who may play for a nominal amount in a practice round. The chances are the money wagered will never change hands (some of these golfers are like royalty they don't do cash) but their will to beat their opponent is a remarkable drive which the most successful golfers all possess.
There are winners and there are those who are simply going to work. The trouble with trying to win is the thought of it can be scary and thus it can persuade you to change the way you play, especially in the last round when you have a five-shot lead. Despite sounding like a dream scenario for a pro, the big lead can lead to a change in strategy. When you start the final day with the comfort of a five-shot lead it is difficult to argue against a more conservative tack, but the chances are you were playing well in the first three rounds and that really is the way you should continue to play, regardless of the margin.
I suppose Retief got caught in the defensive mode in China in his last round, but given his experience he still has not lost the art of winning.
Theoretically, he had not won this year, his last win in the South African Open was on this year's schedule but was actually played in December 2005. Given a lack of recent form it is easy to slip into the clock-in mode. It is even easier to start to believe that you cannot win given a 10-month lack of ultimate success.
Many of us begin to expect a lot from the top guys, on tap. Despite Tiger's recent blitzing form it is not possible for most players to dominate week in week out. Sure there are runs of form and, in particular, confidence and heightened expectation where players think they are unbeatable. Enjoy it while it lasts, it can evaporate more quickly than it could ever take it to form.
There is usually a decisive period in a tournament that determines the ultimate outcome. At the time it happens it may not always be that obvious. Retief's moment came in the middle of the back nine during Saturday's round. Lu Wen Teh from Tapei was putting some pressure on us in the front nine and he drew level with Retief after the 11th.
On the 13th hole, a downwind par five with water all down the left side from tee to green, Retief instinctively wanted to hit a three-wood off the tee towards the right traps. If he was brave and hit driver he could carry the corner of the water and leave himself a medium iron to the green. We deliberated on the tee for longer than normal, I could sense what Retief was thinking of the conservative play but the persuasion of the astute golfing brain and, in particular, the winner's way of thinking, which was to hit the driver, dictated that now was the time to push.
He hit six-iron to the green and holed the putt for an eagle, went on to birdie the next hole and had suddenly created a three-shot gap between himself and the Chinese Tapei player. It was obviously a psychological blow and really proved to be the decisive moment that ultimately determined the overall result of the tournament.
Retief's VW Masters victory marked his 33rd in his 15th year as a professional. It is a rather large trophy cabinet by anyone's standards. Despite his gradual progression up the world rankings over the past three years he hit a bit of turbulence this year.
He had not been happy with his swing since the end of last year. This year his lack of form continued and the malaise crept into the rest of his game. This was particularly true of his putting .
We figured that in 2004 he three-putted twice all year long. This year he was three-putting twice a day. That's what happens when you keep hitting it so far from the pin.
His chipping and general decision-making were poor. In the fickle game of golf it does not take too much time for a minor problem to become a crisis and the head can easily exacerbate what are the normal tribulations of playing golf most days of your life for a living.
It was an important victory in China a couple of weeks back and with six tournaments left for us this year there is plenty of opportunity to realize some more of the potential of the very talented Goose.
