90 Facts About Retief Goosen

Retief Goosen was born on 3 February 1969 and is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Retief Goosen has won two US Opens, in 2001 and 2004, headed the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002, and was in the top ten of the world rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007.

Retief Goosen was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, class of 2019.

Retief Goosen is the son of Theo Goosen, a local real estate agent and amateur golfer who introduced the game of golf to Retief at an early age.

When Retief Goosen was fifteen he was golfing with his friend, Henri Potgieter, at Pietersburg Golf Club.

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Retief Goosen's tongue was down his throat and his eyes were backward, and he was breathing weird.

Retief Goosen was unable to put his shoes on for weeks afterwards.

Retief Goosen recovered enough to grab another set of clubs and take up the game a few weeks later.

Retief Goosen doesn't remember the events that happened, but his father took his son's survival as a sign from God of good things to come.

Retief Goosen turned professional in October 1990, following a win in the South African Amateur Championship of the same year in July.

Retief Goosen was medalist at the European Tour's Qualifying School in 1992 and enjoyed success on the Tour between 1992 and 2000, but it was not until 2001 that he made his name in America with a US Open win on a very tough Southern Hills Country Club golf course.

Retief Goosen nearly lost his chance at victory after three putting from 12 feet, missing a two-foot putt on the final green, but managed to recover to make a playoff with the 1996 PGA Championship winner Mark Brooks.

Retief Goosen dominated the next day's 18-hole playoff, eventually winning by two strokes.

Retief Goosen finished 2001 with three wins, 11 top-tens and the European Tour Order of Merit and followed it up with another in 2002.

Retief Goosen became the first non-European to win the Order of Merit.

Retief Goosen won a second US Open in 2004, where he had 11 one-putts in the final round at a tough test at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

Retief Goosen then rose to his career high world ranking position of 3rd.

Retief Goosen won on the PGA Tour each year from 2001 to 2005 with six wins, and he added a seventh win in March 2009 at the Transitions Championship.

Retief Goosen won the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1997 and 1998 with Ernie Els and David Frost.

Retief Goosen played in the 2000 Presidents Cup where the US team won, but Retief Goosen scored 2 points in total in his 1st appearance in the event.

Retief Goosen won four times on the European Tour between 1996 and 2000, before his breakthrough year in the United States with his 2001 US Open win.

Two weeks after the US Open win of 2001, Retief Goosen won on the European Tour at The Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Retief Goosen would add another win late in the year and win the European Tour Order of Merit and the Player of the Year on the European Tour.

Retief Goosen was in contention in the US Open at Southern Hills CC in 2001 all week, and battled Mark Brooks and Stewart Cink during the final round.

Retief Goosen won the Monday 18-hole playoff by 2 strokes with an even-par 70 and Brooks shooting a 2-over-par 72.

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Retief Goosen won the European Tour Order of Merit for a second straight year for a season that included a win at the Johnnie Walker Classic by a commanding margin of 8 strokes.

Retief Goosen had eight other top-10s on the season, two runner-up finishes, including a 2nd place to Tiger Woods at The Masters.

Retief Goosen won the money title in the end by a slim margin over Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke.

In 2003, Retief Goosen won his second Trophee Lancome title in its final playing.

Retief Goosen played in the Presidents Cup for the International team where he scored 3 points for the week that ended with a tie because Tiger Woods and Ernie Els were involved in a playoff that was not over at sundown, so captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus decided that the 2003 matches would be a draw.

Retief Goosen eventually won by two strokes over Mickelson as both men shot 1-over-par rounds of 71.

Retief Goosen had 11 one-putt greens on Sunday and 31 one-putts for the championship.

Retief Goosen only needed 24 putts on the day in what is remembered as one of the most clutch putting performances in US Open history.

In 2005 Retief Goosen was in pursuit of his third US Open and his second in a row, leading by three strokes after three rounds of golf at the Pinehurst No 2 course.

Retief Goosen played in his 3rd Presidents Cup in 2005, at an event where he defeated Tiger Woods in Sunday's singles matches and finished with 4 points.

Retief Goosen has been a consistent player: he has won internationally every year since 1995, and won a PGA Tour event every year from 2001 to 2005.

Retief Goosen won on the European Tour at the South African Airways Open and at the Volkswagen Masters-China on the Asian Tour.

Retief Goosen won his match during the challenge season at the People vs The Pros event.

Retief Goosen held the lead till a bogey on the par-three twelve, Goosen failed to rebound parring each of his six remaining holes.

However, after the Masters Retief Goosen's best finish throughout the rest of the year was a tie for 15th at the BMW Asian Open, and he ended 2007 having slumped down to 26th in the world rankings.

Retief Goosen was outside the top 100 in ball striking, greens in regulation, driving accuracy, distance, and putting.

Retief Goosen was again a part of the International team at the 2007 Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, just outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

At the start of 2008, Retief Goosen withdrew from the Qatar Masters as defending champion due to problems with his vision after undergoing corrective laser surgery ten days before the tournament began.

Retief Goosen was forced to return to his home in London, England, for further treatment.

Retief Goosen apologized for the comments saying he was not being serious when he made the claim.

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Late in the 2008 season Retief Goosen replaced Vijay Singh because of injury in the Asian Tour's Iskandar Johor Open.

Retief Goosen started his 2009 season with two wins on two major tours.

Retief Goosen said he'd been struggling with his putting for the last few seasons, he put a belly putter in his bag for a few weeks to get his stroke back.

Retief Goosen went on to finish 3rd for the rained-out 54-hole event.

Retief Goosen then won his seventh PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship in March 2009.

Retief Goosen made only five bogeys all week on the tough Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Retief Goosen shot all four rounds under par, and finished at -8, to win by one stroke over Charles Howell III and Brett Quigley.

Retief Goosen credited Gary Player with inspiring him to rededicate himself to a new diet and fitness program.

Retief Goosen moved from driving distance from outside the top 100 to 82nd, to inside the top 40 in putting, 20th in scoring average and 49th in the all-around statistic.

Retief Goosen led after the first three rounds at 17 under par, two ahead of Bernhard Langer and three ahead of Nick Dougherty.

On Sunday, Retief Goosen did not putt as well as he did the first three rounds, only managing a 1-under 71.

Retief Goosen finished the week in 3rd, four strokes behind eventual winner Dougherty.

Retief Goosen pulled out a 3-wood off the first tee, and barely got the ball airborne as Goosen topped it and put it in the right rough, as a couple of grouse scuttled for cover.

Retief Goosen shot a disappointing final round of 73 to finish in a tie for 6th.

Retief Goosen added a 3rd top-10 finish in as many starts worldwide at the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry.

Retief Goosen contended for most of the week and had a share of the lead momentarily during the 3rd round.

Retief Goosen finished the event in a tie for 5th, 2 strokes out of the playoff between Stewart Cink and Tom Watson.

Retief Goosen almost picked up his second PGA Tour win of the season at the RBC Canadian Open the following week.

Retief Goosen faced Nathan Green in a playoff after the two players shot -18 after four rounds of play.

Retief Goosen had a six-foot birdie putt to win the tournament on the first playoff hole but missed it.

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Retief Goosen had to sink a nine-foot par putt to extend the playoff but he missed it, giving Green his first PGA Tour victory.

Retief Goosen had another close call at victory during the 2009 FedEx Cup Playoffs at the Deutsche Bank Championship, where he was the 54-hole co-leader with Sean O'Hair and Steve Stricker, but he shot a final round of Even Par to finish T8.

Retief Goosen started his 2010 campaign in January with 3 consecutive top-10 finishes.

Retief Goosen finished 6th at the SBS Championship, 4th at the Sony Open in Hawaii and 9th at the Qatar Masters.

Retief Goosen added a quarterfinal loss to Camilo Villegas in February at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, his best appearance in the event since 2006.

Retief Goosen finished 10th in the final standings of the 2010 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Retief Goosen finished his 2010 PGA Tour season with 10 top-10s, and over $3.

Retief Goosen withdrew from both The Open Championship and the PGA Championship after poor first rounds, citing injuries.

Retief Goosen had to deal with back injuries for the entire second half of the 2011 season.

Retief Goosen started his 2012 campaign on the European Tour with three consecutive starts in January in South Africa.

Retief Goosen finished 3rd in the Africa Open, and 16th in the Joburg Open before finishing tied second with Ernie Els in the Volvo Golf Champions, losing to winner Branden Grace in a playoff.

Retief Goosen started his 2013 campaign internationally, finishing 20th at the Volvo Golf Champions and missing the cut at the Qatar Masters.

Retief Goosen finished 2014 making 2 out of 3 cuts, finishing 33rd at the CIMB Classic and 65th at the OHL Classic.

Retief Goosen held the lead at the 2015 Northern Trust Open for the first three rounds.

Retief Goosen was able to qualify for the US Open via a local qualifying tournament, but missed the cut.

In 2019, Retief Goosen turned 50, started playing on the PGA Tour Champions and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

On 15 January 2020, Retief Goosen received the PGA Tour Champions Rookie of the Year for 2019.

In March 2022, Retief Goosen won the Hoag Classic on PGA Tour Champions in Newport Beach, California.

Retief Goosen is known for his extremely calm demeanor, a trait that has earned him the nickname "The Iceman" on the PGA Tour.

Retief Goosen is friends with golf icon Gary Player and regularly plays in the Gary Player Invitational series to help raise funds for needy children in both China and South Africa as well as around the world.

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Retief Goosen has played in the Nelson Mandela Invitational hosted by Gary Player in South Africa, honoring former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Retief Goosen has won the event twice, in betterball in 2000 with Allan Henning, and in 2006 with Bobby Lincoln.

Retief Goosen won the fourball event in 2008 with Costantino Rocca, and Alan Pearson.

Retief Goosen owns his own vineyard in Garden Route, South Africa.

Retief Goosen started growing plants on the vineyard in 2005, and labeled his wine The Goose.