Mathew Goggin returns to the scene of his play-off pain on eve of Australian Open

As Mathew Goggin walked up to the 18th green in Wednesday's pro-am, he could not help but feel a tinge of regret. A wonderful hole it might be, but it was the scene of Goggin's Australian Open horror story in 2008.

After taking his place in an unlikely play-off with South African Tim Clark in the last open at Royal Sydney, the Tasmanian missed a short par putt on the 18th, the first designated play-off hole, which handed his opponent the tournament.

''I'm still kind of annoyed about it,'' Goggin said on his first time back on the course. ''I looked at 18 and I thought, 'I don't remember that green being this small'. I definitely thought about it.''

He still remembers his play-off putt too. ''I pulled it a bit,'' he said. ''It was a right-centre putt, and I hit it just in the middle of the hole. It was in … in … in … then, just at the last minute, it caught the bottom edge.

''I was extremely pissed off. That's how I was feeling. I was just disappointed.''

Having said all that, Goggin took some positives out of the finish. He did not expect to feature in a play-off, with New Zealand's David Smail at one stage four shots in front of the pair. Clark finished his final round and had a pie and chips, while Goggin gave away his balls and gloves to fans and volunteers.

''It was a weird day … I finished and gave all my stuff away,'' Goggin said.

''I gave all my balls and my gloves away, and thought maybe I'd get a tie for second. As far as I was concerned, he [Smail] won the tournament.

''Then it was a mad scramble trying to find golf balls to try and play in the play-off. I had tees, that was it.

''I had a glove in my locker, a brand new one that I hadn't taken out to my bag. But everything was emptied out of my bag. I was done.''

Perhaps for that reason, he does not feel like he is owed anything. And on his return, he is confident of playing well this week. ''It was a nice week,'' Goggin said. ''It seems so long ago now. I'm not overly bitter about it or anything like that. It wasn't like some sort of turning point. It just seemed like a week I played well. Although it would have been nice to win.''

Aussie Open's tradition; Lonard's trail;

Mention his accomplishment and Brad Faxon understandably expresses a sense of immense pride. After all, he followed in the footsteps of American golfers named Gene Sarazen, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.

But that Australian Open victory? It came 20 years ago and his emotions are tinted in melancholy, because it seems like just yesterday and because it doesn’t seem like his passion toward that global challenge registers with today’s American player.

“I’d be there in a heartbeat,” said Faxon, when asked if he’d be teeing it up at Royal Sydney were he still a member of the PGA Tour.

He cherished his trips to Australia in the offseason and wonders if today’s players don’t owe it to themselves and the game to give it a try a few times. “It does take a big effort,” Faxon conceded, “but it’s something I think you need to do.”

Of the nine Americans who have won the Australian Open (J.C. Snead, Bill Rogers, Mark Calcavecchia, and John Morse also triumphed, in addition to those icons previously mentioned), Faxon’s name is most recent. Posting scores of 65-74-66-70 at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne, at 13 under Faxon was two better than Mike Clayton and Jeff Woodland. But beyond the impressive list of Aussies who finished behind him – Greg Norman, Steve Elkington, Ian Baker-Finch, Wayne Grady, Robert Allenby, Rodger Davis, Brett Ogle, Peter O’Malley – Faxon’s American colleagues in that field included Curtis Strange, Raymond Floyd, Duffy Waldorf, and Morse – all PGA Tour-tested – and he bemoans that that landscape has changed.

At Royal Sydney this week, the field includes only one American with PGA Tour pedigree, Kevin Streelman. The only other Americans are John Young Kim, Garrett Sapp, and Eric Mina.

“Purses are up everywhere, but not in Australia,” Faxon said, begrudgingly accepting a fact of life that plays against American golfers going Down Under. “But if you talk about the national opens, you have the U.S. and the British, but I think the Australian is third.”

Sarazen was the first American to win Down Under, in 1936, and as sure as you know he went to the Sandbelt with his famed sand wedge, you know “The Squire” had a tougher time getting to Melbourne than today’s pros would. Seven other Americans have followed Sarazen into the winner’s circle at this storied tournament, which dates to 1904, but none more productively than Nicklaus, who prevailed six times.

Nicklaus’ first win, in 1964, and last, in 1978, serve as bookends to a 15-year period in which an American hoisted the championship hardware eight times. After a brief respite, Rogers, Watson, Calcavecchia, and Morse won, then Faxon did likewise in 1993.

He still considers the Stonehaven Cup a prized possession.

“I look at the etchings and there are so many iconic names,” Faxon said. “(Gary) Player, Nicklaus, Palmer, (Greg) Norman, (Peter) Thomson, Sarazen, Watson. You look at those names and you wonder, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to try and add your name to that list?’ “

Sadly, because an appreciation for history and a thirst for adventure aren’t what they used to be.

• • •

TALK ABOUT THE SILLY SEASON: Max Ting, 13, will tee it up in the Hong Kong Open, as will Tianlang Guan, 15.

It’s gotten to the point where you want to say, “Hey, call me when a 10-year-old plays.”

• • •

HE’S A TRAVELIN’ MAN: So, you think your 90-minute commute is tough in the morning? It doesn’t compare to the back-and-forth that has been Peter Lonard’s life in the last few months.

Of course, when you’re 46 and scrambling for playing opportunities or to secure status, you do what you have to do. It is a way of life for a journeyman golfer, even one who was once ranked within the top 50 in the world order.

Lonard played the last of his 19 Web.com Tour events in late August, but since he didn’t qualify for the season-ending Web.com Tour Finals, he knew his fall would be hectic.

And has it ever.

Lonard returned to his native Australia to play in the WA Open, then the Perth International the last two weeks in October. He hung around to play in the Aussie PGA and Aussie Masters, but then had to fly to California where he took part in the second stage of the Web.com Tour Q-School.

With birdies on Nos. 15 and 18 in his final round, Lonard finished in a share of 14th, advancing with a shot to spare.

He had plenty of time to savor that success, of course, because Lonard had another flight to Australia where he’s taking part in his country’s national open this week.

After that, Lonard will be back in the air, headed to the Dec. 12-17 Web.com Tour’s final stage of Q-School. After those six rounds, Lonard might then be able to return to his Florida home and take a rest, having piled up somewhere in the neighborhood of 35,000-40,000 air miles

• • •

THAT NOISE? IT’S CRICKET: Putting things in perspective, it might have been an exhilarating win by a pair of Aussies on home turf, but the sports pages’ lead headline the next day offered a true reflection as to what rules Down Under: “Ruthless Aussies Take Ashes Lead.”

That’s right, cricket. In all due respect to Jason Day’s individual win and Adam Scott’s brilliant finish to help fuel a 10-stroke World Cup of Golf victory, the sport that grabs their fancy is cricket – especially when it involves an Ashes victory over England.

Day’s victory did score big points, however, thanks to the human emotions. Eight members of his family had been killed in the Philippines tycoon and his mother, Dening, and sister, Kim, walked along at Royal Melbourne to celebrate the victory.

“To be with the family, the win is the best thing that happened after the disaster in the Philippines,” said Dening.

Schwartzel seeking redemption

Malelane - Charl Schwartzel waltzed away with the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club last year, lapping the field and defeating runner-up Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden by 12 shots.

And he had the South African Open Championship in his grasp last week, letting it slip with a momentary lapse of concentration during the final round and opening the door for Morten Orum Madsen’s maiden title. 

So there is a sense of determination about the 2011 Masters champion as he prepares for his title defence on one of his favourite courses.

“It’s like a holiday for me here,” he said. 

“I love the course. It’s one of my favourite places in the world, and I feel at peace here. 

"Maybe it’s because I’m so relaxed that I play well here usually.”

It was his second and third rounds last year – a pair of 64s that featured golf as good from Schwartzel as anyone has ever seen, even if he felt he could have played even better – that put away any challenge to his victory before the final round even got underway. 

And it is that kind of hammer blow early on in the tournament that can separate him from the chasing pack.

“That’s probably the best I’ve ever played,” he said as he looked back on that win. 

“And I felt as if I was getting there again at the SA Open, but for two bad holes. If I hadn’t had those two bad holes at Glendower, I’d probably have won.”

There are players in the field who can stick around with him if he goes low, however, so it is not a forgone conclusion, just as nothing ever is in golf.

Hennie Otto is one player who showed during the South African Open Championship that he is capable of sustained low scoring – that was a tournament that he should have won once Schwartzel’s challenge faded.

Otto built that scoring around brilliant middle rounds too. His second round was a six-under 66, and his third round included a triple-bogey seven on the ninth, but he still managed to card a seven-under-par 65.

He didn’t have a great tournament in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, but his game is so very close to the finished product right now. A few good holes early on in his campaign and he could get on a roll which could vault him clear.

Another who went low at the South African Open Championship was runner-up Jbe’ Kruger. 

His charge came on the final day, when he signed for a seven-under-par 65 to finish two shots behind Madsen. Trevor Fisher Jnr also went low in the final round, his eight-under-par 64 catapulting him up the leaderboard into a share of seventh.

Kruger had top 10s in the 2010 and 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship, and the South African Open Championship performance has revitalised him after a tough 2013 campaign in Europe and Asia. 

Fisher has a best finish of a share of 14th at Leopard Creek, but his performance last weekend has buoyed him.

Of course, there are other players in the field who could also contend: Madsen showed he has the temperament to hang on when the ride gets bumpy, and he is just one of a hot of European Tour players who have won before: The likes of Ross Fisher, Robert Rock and Danny Willett are tough customers, as are Alejandro Canizares, Thomas Levet and Michael Hoey.

And that’s not even to mention Marco Crespi of Italy, the European Tour rookie who hung on so impressively for a share of fourth in the South African Open Championship last week after his brilliant opening 65.

Schwartzel won’t have things his own way at Leopard Creek. 

But he’ll like his chances. 

“You can’t come here to find your game,” he warned. 

“It’s guys who are playing well already who will be contenders.”

Top 10 in 2013: Breakout players

In 2013, we saw players at all different stages of their careers break through on their respective tours. A few compiled season-long success despite never winning, while others had incredible stretches where they seemed unbeatable. From China's teenage phenom Guan Tianlang making the cut at the Masters to Jordan Spieth's fantastic rookie campaign and everything in between, we take a look at the historic achievments by our Top 10 Breakout Players of 2013.

Punch Shot: Bring back the Skins Game?

The Skins Game was a staple on the fall golf schedule for the better part of three decades, but after 2008 the event was dropped. Is it silly that this former silly season event is no more, or should we petition to bring it back? 

Yes, but not as the version that appeared on TV each fall for 25 years.

Money won’t entice any of the competitors, not in this era of FedEx Cup cash. The total prize money for the event used to be $1 million. That’s pocket change to these guys – less than what they could get for playing in, say, the John Deere or Mayakoba event. Even the purse at the Shark Shootout tops $3 million.

But the Skins Game could work, once again, as a kind of Tavistock Cup (R.I.P.) spinoff, only without the helicopter entrances and snooty spectators. 

My proposal is for a pair of two-man teams from different parts of the country squaring off against each other in the skins format: SoCal vs. SoFla, Texans vs. Sea Islanders, Las Vegans vs. Arizonans, Ponte Vedrans vs. Orlandoans. Add elements of a home-course advantage. All money donated to a charity of their choice.

A perfect idea? Maybe not. But it’s a better option than no golf in the U.S. on Thanksgiving weekend.