Immelman wins, Goggin second at Western Open

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2006 Cialis Western Open | Wrap | 10 Jul 2006

Trevor Immelman today won his first USPGA Tour event, his 30 foot putt at the 72nd hole at the Cialis Western Open, extinguishing any hope of those still on the course had of catching the 26-year-old from Capetown.

After a brilliant tee shot at the last hole, Immelman’s second flirted with the right hand greenside trap but on landing it fed down to below the hole and with a one shot lead Immelman likely had a solid two putt in mind. Given the speed at which the ball poured into the cup perhaps he had other thoughts but either way he had sealed the deal.

For Immelman the win confirms his status as one of the best of the ’twenty somethings’ in world golf. A brilliant amateur career saw Immelman win the 1998 US Public Links Championship and as a result he played the US Masters as a 19-year-old amateur in 1999. He would not play in another major for three years as he established himself on the European Tour. A surprise and, perhaps at the time, controversial selection by Gary Player as a ’Captain’s Pick’ for the 2005 Presidents Cup Team, opened the opportunity for him to play on the USPGA Tour and the rest as they say is history.

Even before today’s significant victory Immleman had done enough in 2006 to more than justify his place on the USPGA Tour with runner up placings at the Wachovia and Byron Nelson Championships but to win an event of this standing against such a strong field is a double whammy for the four time winner on the European Tour.

Vijay Singh has bounced back from an ordinary run of form prior to the US Open and appeared to be the man to beat as the tournament entered its final day. He held a two shot lead over Immelman, Mathew Goggin and Carl Pettersen starting the final round but a front nine which included three bogeys saw him chasing instead of being chased.

Immelman, too, had started slowly but three birdies in four holes through the middle of his round would prove crucial in the final outcome today. A birdie at the 8th from eight feet was followed by another at the 8th and 10th holes from ten feet. He missed a great chance at the 10th but he had a share of the lead which he was not about to let go.

Goggin has shown glimpses of his talent throughout 2006 with several good finishes in events such as the Honda, the Byron Nelson and the Barclays but coming off three consecutive missed cuts this was a performance to savour. A closer analysis of his results in those missed cuts would highlight a second round 67 at the Booz Allen suggesting that something better was in store. I’m not sure that even Goggin could have imagined it would include a joint share of second place with Tiger Woods at the Western Open. Just one bogey in the final 36 holes indicates not only an increasingly impressive game but great composure, an area that has let Goggin down in previous years.

The runner up placing now has Goggin on his way to Britain for the Open Championship, a start he has earned via a qualifying category at this event. He had also made the US Open field via final qualifying so this is a great season for the Tasmanian. He also has just a touch under US$1 million to his name in 2006 and any concerns about status in 2007 are now long gone.

Woods performance further highlighted, if it needed to be, that he is an exception to every rule. In just his second event since Augusta and coming off a missed cut at the US Open he was giving this quality field a huge start after his opening 72 but the longer the tournament went the better Woods got. He took a while to warm to his task today but once the putts started to drop after making the turn he had the momentum of a steam train. Four birdies in six holes from the 11th had those ahead very much aware of his presence. He was not able to win his fourth Western Open but he reminded everybody that he will be a force at Hoylake in two weeks time.

Singh’s double bogey at the last, after finding the water, saw him slip to a share of fourth and added many dollars to Goggin’s cause. Singh had fought his way back into contention late in the tournament after a roller coaster ride early in his round that had seen his two shot lead disappear.

Also sharing fourth place were Jim Furyk, Carl Pettersen, Stewart Cink and Stephen Leaney. For Leaney, like Goggin, this is a turnaround week in what has been for him an ordinary year to date. His last hole bogey has cost a lot of money at a time when he could use such, but after missing his last three cuts and with earnings of only US$260,000 prior to this week in 2006, this is a welcome return for the Western Australian.

Other Australians were Stuart Appleby who played the last two holes in three under including an eagle at the last from the fairway to finish 12th, Adam Scott 21st, Nathan Green, Robert Allenby and Rod Pampling 30th, David McKenzie 40th, John Senden 65th and Peter Lonard 71st.

The PGA Tour heads to Illinois for this coming week’s John Deere Classic although many from this past week’s event will now have their eyes focused across the Atlantic to Liverpool and the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.