Goosen to play with broken toe

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August 25, 2011

South African Retief Goosen will play on in The Barclays this week despite breaking his toe in a freak accident.

South African Retief Goosen will play on in The Barclays this week despite breaking his toe in a freak accident at his home on Florida.

The Goose snuck into the FedEx Cup play-offs after finishing 101 out of the 125 qualifiers, and needs to make the cut at The Barclays in New Jersey this week in order to keep his season alive.

That task might be harder now, after an unfortunate accident in the driveway of his Florida home.

Goosen decided to move his boat into the garage because of the approaching Hurricane Irene, but the front wheel of his trailer ran over his right foot and fractured his big toe in the process.

“It went blue instantly,” said the two-time US Open champ. “I had X-rays and they said it was a fracture. But I don’t think it is. It’s not as sore as it should be. But all the other toes are getting sore now because I’m walking funny.”

Like Goosen, fellow South African Ernie Els also just snuck into the Barclays field, finishing 118th out of 125 thanks to a top-30 finish in what was a do-or-die performance at last week’s Wyndham Championship.

It’s in stark contrast to last year, when the Big Easy was ranked first in the FedEx Cup standings.

“It’s a little different,” Els said. “But I think this is almost a better mentality. I feel I need to be aggressive and get up the bloody points list. Otherwise, I’m going home.

“Last year I was the No. 1 seed, but I wasn’t quite playing as good as I was in March. This year, I feel like I have to make a move. And I feel a little more comfortable with that.”

Tiger Woods was one of the big names who missed out on qualification for the four-event FedEx Cup series, while the likes of world No 1 Lee Westwood and US Open champ Rory McIlroy won’t be participating as they are not full members of the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, at least, plans to change that, confirming that he intends to become a full-time member next year.

The top seed this year is American Nick Watney, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year.

“I feel like I’m in the best position I can be, and I’m very pleased with the year so far,” said Watney. “But we have a long way to go. I’m excited to see if I can hold up in these next four events.”

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