Retief Cracks Jokes! And Other Reasons To Root For Him Sunday

Innisbrook has another nice leaderboard for today's final round of the Transitions and while I'm not normally one to advocate rooting for Retief Goosen, I can't help but want to see the third round co-leader win after reading Gary Van Sickle's column about the 43-year-old joking with the media despite crippling back issues.

His back has gotten so bad the last few weeks, he probably has no business playing this week, much less being in contention to win. Yet there he was, steering his ball around the Innisbrook Copperhead Course in a mere 65 strokes to finish at 11 under par.

How bad is his back? His left leg basically goes numb when he bends over, which means he doesn’t finish his swing very well because he can’t shift his weight to his left side. So he’s flaring some fades around the course and losing some distance—about one club with the irons, he said. He’s adjusted so far, but enough is enough.

He has already withdrawn from next week’s tournament at Bay Hill. That’s not a big deal, perhaps, unless you want to play the Masters. Goosen does. He stands 52nd in the world rankings and currently isn’t holding an invitation to Augusta. The top 50 after Bay Hill will get into the Masters. So this weekend, the Transitions Championship, is Goosen’s final shot.