Not just "Goose", but "Golden Goose" that's the verdict on Pietersburg's Retief Goosen who yesterday won the Grant Andrews Transvaal Amateur golf championship at Kempton Park Country Club.

The 20-year-old national serviceman - he's in the air force - took the honours with a superb 8 and 6 win over Kobus van den Berg of Wingate Park in a one-sided 36-hole fine.

The match ended at the 385m par-four 12th hole in the afternoon - the 30th hole of the match - with "Goose" sinking a four-metre birdie putt.

"It wasn't a great final - neither of us played particularly well," said Goosen.

That may be so, but Goosen certainly is a great young player with a tremendous future. This was his fourth provincial title of 1989 - he also won the Northern Transvaal Open and Closed championships, and the Western Transvaal Open with a record 17-under-par return.

Yesterday he was three-under-par for the day, and he never trailed Van den Berg who is he foursomes partner in the Northern Transvaal team.

Goosen - who hails from Pietersburg but is stationed in Pretoria for his military training - was two up after the first nine, five up after 18, and nine ahead after 23. At that stage victory was a mere formality and he was able to cruise home. He scored a fine 68 in the morning and his only bad shot of the day was at the sixth hole in the afternoon - the 24th of the match - when he went out of bounds.

A long hitter, his best hole was probably the 450m par-five eighth in the afternoon when he pushed a big drive into the trees. He chose a nine-iron for his second and in spite of a restricted backswing punched out exceptionally well, the ball finishing on the green. "Goose" two-putted for birdie.

Getting up in two with a drive and a nine-iron at a par-five is a feat usually associated with the game's giants - like Greg Norman - and it is perhaps significant that Goosen gets a lot of inspiration from the Australian.

Goosen produced his best golf of the tournament in the quarter-finals when he dipped siz-under-par through 14 holes in beating Royal Johannesburg's Warren Minster 5 and 4.

The talented Pietersburg golfer - who finishes his stint in the air force in July next year - plans to turn professional towards the end of 1990. But before that he is determined to win Springbok colours as as amateur, an achievement that should prove well within his graps.

by Grant Winter, Sunday Star - April 9th 1989

Apr 9, 1989