Why The USGA Didn’t Give 2004 Winner Goosen A Special Exemption

Retief Goosen put on a putting exhibition for the ages to win the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He one-putted 11 times in the final round while everyone else struggled mightily on the burnt out greens.

So, why didn’t the USGA grant their last champ at this week’s venue? GolfWorld’s John Feinstein reports that the USGA confidently stands by its decision.

“We’ve only given seven men in history more than one special exemption,” said Jeff Hall, the USGA’s managing director of rules and Open championships. “We gave Retief one when he requested it two years ago.”

The seven men who have received more than one are all in the World Golf Hall of Fame: Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Seve Ballesteros. The first four were multiple Open champions. Palmer and Watson won the Open once each. Ballesteros never won an Open but was, well, Ballesteros.

Goosen is a two-time Open champion. He requested an exemption into the Open at Oakmont, and it was granted. Mike Davis, the USGA’s CEO said Wednesday that Goosen was not told then that if he was given an exemption into Oakmont he wouldn’t be given one into Shinnecock.

“We can’t do something like that,” he said. “If we imply to a player that if he doesn’t take an exemption one year, you’re guaranteed one another year, you put yourself in a tough position. What if the player isn’t competitive or hasn’t been playing? Are we then obligated to give him the exemption?”

The USGA established the precedent for special exemptions in 1950 after Ben Hogan was out of golf for 11 months due to his near-fatal bus accident the previous year and hadn’t played enough to qualify under the normal critieria.

“Obviously, Hogan deserved the exemption that year,” Davis said.

Hogan won the championship.

Since then, special exemptions have gone generally to past Open champions, often on golf courses where they have won or 11 years after a victory when they are in their first year as a non-exempt player: Hale Irwin got into the 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah that way and won.

Hall said earlier this week that giving Goosen a spot would have taken one away from a sectional qualifier. One has to wonder if a more glamorous two-time Open champion had asked for an exemption if it might have been granted.