His closing one-under-par 71 on Sunday was not enough to bring Retief Goosen his first senior major championship title, but he finished in a share of fourth in the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
Goosen led heading into the final round, but instead, it was Argentina’s Angel Cabrera who won his second senior major championship inside two weeks as he closed with a three-under 69 to move to eight-under and edge out Thomas Bjorn and Padraig Harrington by one stroke. Goosen shared fourth with Stewart Cink and Jason Caron of the United States.
Cabrera, the 2007 US Open and 2009 Masters champion, won the rain-delayed Regions Tradition on Monday in Alabama, which was the Argentine’s first senior major. Six days later at Congressional, he trailed Harrington by two strokes after Harrington rolled in a long birdie putt on 14.
Cabrera sensed his opportunity when Padraig Harrington – playing a few groups ahead – faltered on the 15th hole with a double-bogey. “I was like, ‘This is my turn,’” Cabrera said through a translator.
Harrington double bogeyed 15, and Cabrera birdied that same hole a short while later to take the lead. After a bogey by Harrington on the par-four 18th, Cabrera needed only a bogey on that hole and got it.
“I feel very emotional,” Cabrera said. “Maybe you cannot see, but I’m very very emotional inside. Especially after all of the things that I went through.”
“I thought that I was going to fail, especially after being sitting without touching a club for a while,” Cabrera said. “I’ve been working very, very hard and I feel that all the hard work pays off and this is what I’m having right now.”
Darren Fichardt celebrated his first major championship as a senior with a share of eighth after he closed with a three-under 69 to reach four-under for the championship.
Adilson Da Silva had a one-under 71 to finish in a share of 25th on one-over, and Keith Horne also had a 71 as he shared 28th on two-over. Ernie Els had a level-par 72, finishing on four-over in a share of 35th.
