At the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, at the beginning of November, the 35 year old turned a four stroke deficit going into the final round into a four stroke winning margin with a stunning final round 64, for an 11 under par total of 269. The win also moved Goosen up to Number Four on the Official World Golf Ranking. Three weeks later, at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, the winner of the 2004 US Open Championship again proved too hot for the rest of the field to handle, a final round 69 for a seven under par total of 281, seeing him win the title by six shots. It was the second Golfer of the Month accolade of the 2004 season for Goosen, who also took the June award following his memorable victory at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and he was the unanimous selection of the judging panel again this time. Other players considered for the November/December award were; Paul Casey and Luke Donald, who won the WGC – World Cup for England at Real Club de Golf de Seville; Stephen Dodd, who claimed his maiden European Tour victory in the Volvo China Open; Miguel Angel Jiménez, who won his fifth tournament of 2004 in the Omega Hong Kong Open; and Charl Schwartzel, who also claimed his maiden European Tour victory in the dunhill championship. The Award is presented to a European Tour Member each month from January to December for his performance on The European Tour International Schedule and in worldwide competition. Previous winners this year have been Jiménez (January), Ernie Els (February), Adam Scott (March), Vijay Singh (April and August), Scott Drummond (May), Goosen (June), Thomas Levet (July), Bernhard Langer (September), and Stephen Gallacher (October). At the end of the year, the panel will select The European Tour Golfer of the Year. Courtesy of www.europeantour.com | |||