Retief Goosen could not believe it and nor could Mark Brooks. Nor could any of the millions watching.

But it happened. The golfer known as 'Goose', left with a putt of barely two feet to become United States Open champion, made a complete pig's ear of it.

American Brooks, cleaning out his locker ready to go home a beaten man, was suddenly alive again and today he and the 32-year-old South African were going another 18 holes to decide who wins at Southern Hills in Tulsa.

"I can't explain it," said the Surrey based Goosen afterwards. "There was no way the putt should have gone right.

"But what can I do? I'm not going to throw myself out of my hotel room about it."

At 44th in the world rankings to Brooks's 195th - the 40-year-old Texan has not won a thing since his 1996 US PGA victory - he ought to be favourite.

But how on earth can he put the blunder out of his mind?

The putt, though, was just the last of a series of blunders that made the last three hours of the championship look like a compilation of golfing disasters.

It was perhaps the only way that the week would be remembered for something other than for the fact that Tiger Woods did not win to make it five majors in a row.

There was Phil Mickelson three-putting from three feet on the long 13th as he tossed away another golden opportunity to win his first Major.

There was Sergio Garcia crashing from third overnight to joint 12th with Woods by shooting 77, a round that did Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance no favours at all.

There was Brooks three-putting from 45 feet on the final hole when tied for the lead.

There was Stewart Cink, also level with Goosen at five-under-par with one to play, double-bogeying the 18th to finish third.

Cink flew the green with his second, left his chip 20 feet short, putted 18 inches past and, presumably believing that his chance had gone and he should get out of the way to leave the stage to Goosen, missed that.

That was a huge mistake, but for drama Goosen quickly topped it.

The European Tour player had two putts from only ten feet for easily the biggest triumph of his life. He had never previously finished higher than tenth in any Major.

His first putt was hit a fraction too hard, but it did not look costly until he then messed up the return.

Brooks was asked afterwards what would happen if Goosen went back to the place from where he hit that first putt and was given 100 more attempts to win the US Open.

"I'd expect him to two-putt 75 times," he said. "And I'd expect him to one-putt the other 25 times. I would not expect him to three-putt once."

Goosen woke up this morning - if he slept at all - trying to focus on the task ahead rather than the nightmare behind.

He will be attempting to draw on the fact that when South African won the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews in 1997 and 1998 he played ten matches and won ten.

Final scores: 276 M Brooks 70, R Goosen 71. 277 S Cink 72. 278 R Mediate 72. 281 T Kite 64, P Azinger 71.