U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2005

Retief Goosen

Q. Explanation any for what happened to you?

RETIEF GOOSEN: No, nothing really. I played rubbish at the end of the day. There is nothing else to say. It happened to Ernie last year and it was my turn this year, but it was unfortunate. Just couldn't find a hole on the greens, and that was really the end of the story. If I at least made a couple of putts, you know, I would have felt better. But, you know, I am very happy for Campbell that he won, we are very good friends. And so, yeah, I am happy that he is the champion.

Q. When did you feel that the round was getting away from you?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I was trying all the way. After I made pretty good up and down at No. 8 at our back, I still felt like I was still in this tournament, I just needed to get a couple of birdies going. And really after I didn't birdie 10 or 11 or had a chance, and then a bogey on 12 after 12 I was just really on a walk trying to finish off and go home.

Q. Retief, with all the of the chipping areas and collection areas and variety of chip shots you have to hit around the greens and with the three excellent days you had the first three days, do you think you laid the groundwork for the British Open coming up?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, going to see the same thing. I am looking forward to the British Open. I think it was good practice, obviously, this week for the British Open, but I am looking forward to St. Andrews fall offs and hopefully we can be up for it going into Sunday.

Q. Despite everything that happened up to 8, you were still only a couple of shots behind, so did you feel

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, definitely. Really, going down 10 I was still thinking of winning the tournament. Hit a poor drive on 10, hit a good recovery shot and poor pitch and missed a putt and then I was still trying.

Had a good drive on 11, pretty good second, missed a putt and hit in the rough on 12, had no chance, made bogey, and then it was just basically bleeding all away.

Q. You were called unflappable.

RETIEF GOOSEN: I felt it was just one of those days. On the second hole I was putting between clubs, trying to hit a little cut up 6 iron and blocked it up. Where I was was just a simple little chip and it just bounced a little bit on me and the ball came out shooting with no spin, and that was that. Really, after that I couldn't make a putt to save my life and that was pretty much the end of the story.

Q. Are you one of those guys who can just let it go instantly or will this linger with you for way quite awhile?

RETIEF GOOSEN: This is nothing serious. Nobody has died, I think, or anything. I had a great Father's Day this morning with the kids, and the family is a lot more important than playing anyone out there today, but it was disappointing, I would have obviously loved to have been up there giving myself a half of a chance going down the strip, but next time.

Q. Retief, you and Jason, he mentioned something about how you were talking about correct ^ about hole 16.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah. Between the two of us, we can pretty much make the aside with correct scores. And those last on 16 I said at least we got to try and play for something on these last three holes. And unfortunately, he messed up on the last one I won the five bucks.

Q. Retief, was it a tough ball striking day today or was it when you found yourself in some strange places the angles into the pin weren't

RETIEF GOOSEN: If you were on the wrong side of the flag, it always feels like you can putt it off the green on the other side or chip it over on the other side so it was very difficult to commit yourself to hit it hard enough at places, and that's where every time I chipped up the hill I chipped it short or when I putted up the hill I putted it up short so I couldn't get the pace right today.

Q. I am sure a lot people are very surprised that you didn't win today. What is your frame of mind today or how surprised are you?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I am very disappointed in the way things turned out today. Like I said, I would have liked to have been at least up there, coming down the last five holes, having a chance. But I think I was pretty much after No. 12, I was sort of out of it because I knew I had to probably hit a four under or something on the back nine.

Q. Tune out the crowd. Is it difficult when they seem to be making it very hard for the other guy?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, yeah, obviously, between me and Jason, we got off to a bad start pretty quickly, and so yeah, between the two of us, it was hard to get going in a way. You know, we sort of felt well, coming down the back nine, we were just sort of trying to finish off, you know, we have hit so many shots in the first nine holes, that's why we were puts on the clock from No. 11 onward, because we were so far behind. So we were pretty much on a run on the back nine.

Q. Retief, like yourself, Michael is a player from the southern hemisphere who was largely unknown here in The States, comes over here, wins the Open, as you did, in 2001.

Talk a little bit about sort of the importance for him. I know I am not asking you to speak for him, but what that meant to you, and if you could, as you are friends with him, maybe talk

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, Campbell is a great guy. We have there is lots of times we have some drinks together and, you know, he has gone for a rough patch in his golf and he is doing well now again, and obviously, today is a big, big thing for him, and but you know, down in Australia, they play golf, Australia and New Zealand, they play golf courses like this, very hard and fast, so quite used to this type of conditions that we played this week.

Q. Would it be unfair to remember this as a tournament you lost, unfair to him, because he didn't have a bad day?

RETIEF GOOSEN: He played great today. What did he shoot, one under or something? So now no he, he played great today and Tiger played great, as well. I missed so badly, I obviously threw this away, but I will be back next year.

Q. Retief, can you recall a time when the putter wasn't there for you like today?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I misread a lot of putts. If I didn't misread it, I had the wrong pace. I think after number 9 when I missed that putt, misread it by five inches, I sort of felt like this doesn't look like it's going to happen. But yeah, it was just one of those rounds. I haven't putted this badly for a long time.

Q. (Inaudible).

RETIEF GOOSEN: Where would I have ranked it? Terrible day, but we all have bad rounds, and it's unfortunate it happened in this tournament. But you know, I learn a bit out of hopefully, a little bit out of this today, and next time it might help me out in the next major.

Q. (Inaudible) in the past, to overcome some of the most dispointing defeats in the back of your career, and how are you going to use those to look forward as you look forward to the British and PGA?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I played well this week, it's just today. And the same happened to Ernie last year, he played well for three days and then everything goes sideways all of a sudden. You can just come back tomorrow and tee it up again and keep trying. That's all you can do in this game. It's only a game at the end of the day, and we carry on our life.

Q. You just mentioned this happened to Ernie last year. Are you amazed that this can happen to the best five golfers in the world at the Open?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, this golf course, that can happen. The two rounds by Tiger and Campbell were great rounds. One under is like shooting 7 under any other golf course, or better. So it was dispointing, but, you know, I don't know what else to say. I will try again.

Q. (Inaudible).

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I can't remember really. I must have been pretty close at Muirfield when that bad weather came in, or probably last time I played here.

End of FastScripts.