Retief Goosen, snubbed by next week’s US Open organizers, and Charl Schwartzel started well as they kept themselves within touching distance of leader Seamus Power at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Goosen is the last player to win the US Open at Shinnecock Hills back in 2004 but won’t be there to ‘defend’ his title after receiving an exemption into the 2016 event. This year’s invites were awarded to the man he was paired with in the final round, Ernie Els, and Jim Furyk. On that day, Els ballooned to a final round 80 to drop out of contention.
Goosen missed out on a place in the field as he failed to do it the hard way at his sectional qualifier on Monday but put that behind him with a -3 (67) start at TPC Southwind. He is the best-placed South African, edging countryman Schwartzel by a stroke with Power leading at -5.
Schwartzel, who is paired with Patrick Reed and Zach Johnson at the US Open, opened with a birdie on Thursday despite not finding the fairway. He kept himself in red figures with a one-putt par on the 3rd after being forced to take a penalty drop. That putt helped spur him on as he drained an effort from 20 feet on the 6th to move to -2.
His first bogey of the day came on the par-three 8th where he found trouble after hitting his tee shot into the greenside bunker before two-putting for four. It was a case of luck at the 13th hole as he once again found the bottom of the cup from more than 20 feet to move back to -2 for the day before chipping it close on the 16th to move within two of the lead.
Schwartzel then dropped back to -2 after failing to hit the green in regulation despite a 310-yard drive down the fairway. His pitch rolled to three feet but he failed to take his second ‘get out of jail’ card to drop back to -2 before signing for a 68.
Tyrone van Aswegen started with a 71 with Johan Kok in the clubhouse with a 77.
Save for a bogey on the par-four 5th, Phil Mickelson closed out his round without any major issues, despite missing the last four fairways. In typical Mickelson fashion, he managed to get up-and-down on three of the four holes while adding a birdie on the 8th to shoot 66. ‘I was able to finish the round off even though I didn’t quite have it there at the end,’ he said. Also at that mark is fit-again and defending US Open champion, Brooks Koepka.
Returning to a place where he owns a T2 and T3 in his last three starts, Koepka didn’t skip a beat in Memphis, opening with 66 on Thursday to begin one shot off the lead.
The shot of the day came from former world No 1 Dustin Johnson.
With one foot in the water, Johnson chipped in from 40 feet off the green on the par-three 12th for birdie. It was the lone highlight of a relatively quiet round for DJ, who shot 67 with a double bogey on the 9th hole. ‘I felt like I played well, just didn’t really make any putts, but gave myself a lot of chances and I’m really confident in my game right now,’ said Johnson.
Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
