Can Retief Goosen Survive One More Day Of Riviera's Major Test?

Since Riviera will never get a U.S. Open again, the ownership that sends governing bodies running for the hills can take heart in watching the 2015 Northern Trust Open field struggle. Retief Goosen's 22-putt third round was a thing of beauty if you enjoy watching persistent patience pay off. Goosen took body blows at the 12th, 13th and 15th, but cashed in with a nifty holed wedge at the 16th followed by an exhibition of his sneaky power in reaching the par-5 17th in two.

As Doug Ferguson writes, that final birdie at 17 meant Goosen made only two back nine pars, leaving the two-time U.S. Open champion at -8 and two clear of Graham DeLaet.  But with U.S. Open style golf the hoped for field separation did not happen Saturday, meaning 13 players lurk within four shots, including Sergio Garcia, J.B. Holmes, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Ryan Moore and Angel Cabrera.

The combination of Riviera's greens playing as firm as anyone can remember and speeds around 12.5 feet on the Stimpmeter after mowing means the course has players on the defensive. As happens on such a grueling test, some appear to be imagining trouble that doesn't even exist on Riviera's largely straightforward design.

Goosen's closest pursuer is aware of the continued patience that will be required Sunday. Jason Sobel at GolfChannel.com reports:

On a course he calls the best non-major venue all year, he could be primed for that first victory – not that he’s getting ahead of himself.

“Patience more than anything, not getting ahead of myself,” he said of what he needs to do. “I've slept on either leads or final-group pairings before and I know laying in bed, you're thinking about what a win can do and this and that. I'm past that now in my career.”

The many third round highlights from PGA Tour Entertainment: