European challenge fades on second day

South African Retief Goosen stopped an American takeover bid at the United States PGA championship in Minnesota today.

As Justin Rose, joint third overnight, became one of many Europeans to struggle – Padraig Harrington and Nick Faldo also lost ground, Lee Westwood and Phillip Price collapsed to rounds of 83, Colin Montgomerie was in severe danger of missing the halfway cut too and Darren Clarke bogeyed the last two holes to face the probability of an early exit as well – Goosen, last season’s European tour number one, muscled in on a leaderboard dominated by Stars and Stripes.

The 33-year-old chipped in at the last hole for a second successive 69 and shared the early clubhouse lead at six under par with former Open champions Justin Leonard and Mark Calcavecchia and also Rich Beem.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, made his presence felt with a front nine 33 to be only two behind, while over on the inward half Fred Funk birdied three of his first six holes to take over top spot at seven under.

Rose had to wait until mid-afternoon to resume and by then the wind had returned to make Hazeltine National, scene of Tony Jacklin’s 1970 US Open victory, a real examination.

Woods’ class shone through as he birdied the fourth, fifth and seventh, but Rose, although he birdied the two par fives on the back nine, also bogeyed the 12th and 13th, then dropped another on the 16th and two more at the short next, going in hazards both times.

The 22-year-old fell from three under to level par – the same mark that Harrington’s 73 left him on as he continued to be handicapped by an ankle injury – while Faldo’s 76 sent him tumbling down from one under to three over, just inside the likely cut-off mark.

Westwood, without a win for 22 months and down from number four in the world to 139th a month before the Ryder Cup, had easily his worst round of the year to depart on the 14-over-par total of 158.

The 29-year-old from Worksop first had to complete his first round, being among 39 players unable to finish off because of yesterday’s thunderstorms.

He hit a three-wood into water on the 402-yard 16th for a double bogey, handed in a 75 and then returned 30 minutes later for what would be a horror story.

This time he took seven at the 16th – and that after double bogeys at the 12th and 14th – and after an eagle at the 542-yard seventh he double-bogeyed again on the short eighth and bowed out with yet another bogey.

Price did even worse, his 83 being added to a 76 for a 15-over aggregate. His confidence ahead of his Ryder Cup debut badly needs repairing as well now.

Calcavecchia, who returns to cup action for the Americans 11 years on from his traumatic experience against Montgomerie at Kiawah Island, threatened to take the event by the scruff of the neck when he went to the turn in 31 playing with Harrington.

That was during the morning calm, but the 1989 Open champion opened the door by coming home in 37 and first Leonard, then Beem and then Goosen accepted the invitation.

Montgomerie resumed on two over, but could do no better than 39 for the outward half and when he ran up a six at the 597-yard 11th the Scot was six over.

No European has won the trophy since Tommy Armour way back in 1930, but Swede Pierre Fulke, in a welcome return to form, was three under playing the last, Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Dane Soren Hansen were both in on two under and Sergio Garcia went to the turn in 33 to get back to level par.

Paul Lawrie remained three over with five to play, Paul McGinley was four over after eight and Ian Woosnam seven over after 14.

Rose’s fellow debutants Greg Owen and Paul Casey stood six over and 13 over.

Woods was playing again with Open champion Ernie Els, who had the bonus of holing a bunker shot on the second and was one under starting for home after making amends for bogeys at the fourth and fifth with birdies at the eighth and ninth.

Most eyes, though, were inevitably on the world number one as he continued his quest to become the first player ever to win three majors in a season twice.

Not a bad second prize once the ultimate Grand Slam dream disappeared with his third round 81 at Muirfield last month.

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