Green defeats Goosen in Canadian playoff

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 Canadian Open | Round Four | 28 Jul 2009

Just a few hours after his dramatic playoff win at the RBC Canadian Open, Nathan Green was in a McDonald’s restaurant ordering a bite to eat for himself and the others who had driven with him down to Niagara Falls en-route to the Buick Open in Michigan.

“I upsized to a number 7 meal,” said Green jokingly, referring to the fact that he had earlier that day earned his biggest cheque in tournament golf by securing the first prize of UD$918,000 as the winner of the event at Glen Abbey just outside of Toronto.

There was some synergy in the fact that the event was played near Toronto as it is Toronto on Lake Macquarie near Newcastle in New South Wales where Nathan lives when back in Australia and now both places hold a special place in his heart.

Those travelling with him were his wife Michele, his caddy Shannon Norris and players Kevin Stadler and Martin Laird, the latter of whom had interestingly played with Green in the final two rounds.

“We had a couple of beers and a little bit of time at the Casino but did not overdo it as we were all pretty tired after what had been a long week but it was a nice way to finish off the day and the week.”

Did anybody recognise the new Canadian Open Champion?

“No I don’t think so. I saw myself briefly on TV and realised I had forgotten to put sunscreen on and there was a line around there and that made me even more unrecognisable. I think it was a pretty bad sight. I like the fact that I can sneak around under the radar however unlike the likes of Tiger and others who get recognised everywhere they go and are constantly under the microscope.”

Green won the event in a playoff over Retief Goosen at the second extra hole, securing his first win on the USPGA Tour, three and a half years after his narrow miss at claiming just his second PGA Tour event in 2006 at Torrey Pines where it took Tiger Woods to edge him out.

Goosen had forced the issue with a brilliant eagle at the final hole of regulation play and waited as Green, who was playing two groups, behind finished with a round of 68 to tie with him.

For Green it was a big week in more way than one.

“This game can be a little more stressful than many people think. It takes one bad year to lose your status and then you have to start all over again and prior to this week that was on the cards. If I had I am not sure if I had still had it in me to go through that whole deal again if it had worked out that way.”

Green need not worry for the next three years or so as the win gives him security on the PGA Tour for at least that amount of time. It also gives him starts in events such as next week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron and allows him to play without the mounting pressure that the possibility of losing status creates.

Green’s par at the first extra hole over Goosen came at the end of five long days of stop, start golf, brought about through rain and dangerous weather delays and the subsequent darkness.

Green suggests that the 14th hole was the most important moment of the final day.

" I left my second out to the right and had a very ordinary lie. I got it to 20 feet and made a curling putt with about two feet of break and in my mind that was the key."

“I took a bit of a chance at the 16th after driving it in the trees right but had a good lie, felt I could get there and hit my 5 wood just short. I got up and down for birdie to move further ahead and then at the 17th thought I had hit a worse shot than I had but finished just off the green and saved par.”

“At the last I had around 200 metres to carry the water on the line I wanted. The demons of having hit a few shots right on the back nine meant that although I was trying to fade a high and hard four iron, the hands released and it went left.”

Faced with a dangerous pitch across the green and with water behind, Green hit a good pitch but was a little lucky not to run through into the water.

“It was a bit quicker across there than I thought,” he said referring to the speed of the green. “I was unsure if I wanted to play before Martin (Laird) who was forced to head back down the fairway and replay his fourth but then thought if I did that I might be unsettled wondering what Martin was doing so decided to wait.”

It was a similar situation at the first playoff hole when again he missed the green and pitched across the green to the edge of the water.

Did the memories of 2006 and the playoff loss to Tiger go through his mind?

“Maybe a little bit. The play with the second shot I would not change but perhaps I tried to get the chip too close at Torrey Pines and made a mess of it and gave myself no chance. This time I wanted to make sure that I forced Retief to make his putt for birdie, which he was not able to do, and we headed for the next knowing that I had dodged a bullet.”

Green then hit two great shots to the second playoff hole to 12 feet behind the flag and after Goosen missed the fairway and the green, Green was eventually allowed the luxury of a two putt for the win.

What were his immediate feelings when Goosen missed the 8 footer to keep the playoff going?

“I didn’t really think about celebrating to be honest as I had been thinking that Retief might make his par saving putt and I was little numb to it all. It sunk in a little bit later when I saw my wife and how happy she was. It was a nice moment we had together but it was perhaps when I was holding the trophy that it really sunk in.”

“It was a big moment for me especially considering the way things had been going this year.”

Anthony Kim and Jason Dufner, who has shared the third round lead with Goose, tied for third albeit four shots from the payoff.

The next best of the Australians was Steve Elkington 40th, Jason Day 52nd and Aron Price, who made the cut but did not play the final two rounds under the MDF rule.

The PGA Tour moves to Grand Blanc in Michigan for this week’s Buick Open at Warwick Hills.