At Aronimink, Garrigus still looking for first PGA Tour win

Before Dustin Johnson, there was Robert Garrigus.

One week earlier, actually.

At the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., 7 days before Johnson would lose a three-shot lead in the final round of the U.S. Open, Garrigus held a three-shot lead heading to the final hole. But he hit his tee shot in the water, leading to a triple-bogey. Then he was eliminated from the three-way playoff on the first extra hole by making a bogey. Lee Westwood beat Robert Karlsson on the fourth playoff hole.

Not winning the tournament cost Garrigus more than a half-million dollars. Westwood took home a little more than $1 million. Garrigus, who is winless on the PGA Tour, and Karlsson each won $492,800.

"When I got home, my wife gave me a big hug and kiss and said she was proud of me, and it was over," Garrigus said yesterday at Aronimink Golf Club, where the AT & T National will begin tomorrow. "I think about it every once in a while. Man, I could have done this, I could have done that. But that's not me. I just look forward.

"It was a great experience. There was nothing bad about it. The week went better than I thought it was going to be. I didn't know if I was even going to make the cut with the food poisoning [earlier in the tournament], and I ended up in the last group with the lead.

"I played so well, and I went brain dead. That's pretty much what happened. I just couldn't slow down . . . I didn't want to look [at a scoreboard]. I wanted to focus on what I was doing . . . When I got to my fourth shot, or whatever it was, after I hit the tree, I turned around and looked and I saw the scoreboard. And I thought, that would have been nice about 10 minutes ago."

That's the way life works out on the PGA Tour sometimes. Nobody said it was meant to be fair.

"People who play golf know how hard it is to win," said Garrigus, 32, who was born in Idaho and lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. "It would be nice to win, but I just want to keep playing golf. I've got the greatest job in the world. Being a professional golfer is always what I've wanted to do since I was 13 years old, and the fact that I get to do that every day, come out and have fun, sign autographs for the kids, thank the volunteers, it's a blessing."

He tied for 68th last week at Hartford. He is 98th on the money list, having missed four cuts in nine starts this season.

Maybe next time, it will be all good.

"My game feels great," Garrigus said. "This golf course sets up for me perfect. All the bunkers, I can fly them all with my driver. It's unbelievable. The fairways are like walking on carpet. I kind of joked with my caddie when we played [Monday], I could have played the last eight holes with my shoes off. I'm excited about it. On 9 [a par-5], I hit a 4-iron [approach] over the green. And the member that drove me in, a volunteer, he's like, nobody is getting to that green [in two shots]. I'm like, you don't know who you're talking to. When you tell me I can't do something, I really try to do it.

"It's going to be a fun week."

He had two cheesesteaks Monday, so it is already off to a promising start.

And really, who can't root for an everyman like him?

"Nobody knows what it's like," Garrigus said. "It's the most impossible situation to explain . . . Your mind just starts spinning. And when it starts going off-line, it's impossible to get back on track if you're not thinking right.

"It's really hard to do, when you haven't. And the next time I'm in that situation, or even close to the lead on 18, I guarantee you I'm not going to make that swing again because I'll know to slow down and know the situation, and I'll get the job done."

Tiger Woods will tee off tomorrow at the 1st tee at 12:56 p.m., in a group with Dustin Johnson and Davis Love III. Their tee time Friday is 8:26 a.m. . . . Robert Garragus tees off tomorrow at 7:53 a.m. in a group with Fredrik Jacobson and Mathew Goggin . . . There will be a patriotic opening ceremony this morning at 11:15 at the 10th tee. The Philadelphia Fife and Drum Corps will perform and the presentation of colors will be done by the joint armed forces color guard. The national anthem will be sung by Boyz II Men. Also in attendance will be representatives from the three tourney beneficiaries - the Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia, the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Bon Jovi and Woods will be part of the ceremonies. *