DULUTH, Ga. — Retief Goosen drove away from the BellSouth Classic knowing he'd done more than just win another golf tournament.
He also picked up some valuable lessons for the Masters.
Those rock-hard greens looked familiar. So did some of the bump-and-run shots he used in a four-stroke victory Sunday.
"I've learned a lot this week," said Goosen, who overcame a dismal start to put away Phil Mickelson. "I'm going to Augusta in a little bit better shape than I have been in the past. I'm looking forward to it."
Goosen began the final round with a bogey and a double-bogey, actually falling two shots behind Mickelson. The South African played the final 16 holes at 5 under par, quite remarkable considering the harsh conditions of the TPC at Sugarloaf.
The greens were Masters-like after drying out in four days of sun and steady breezes. Jesper Parnevik put up a 7-under 65 to surge into second place, but only two other players broke 70.
Goosen finished at 70 for a 16-under 272. Parnevik, who completed his 276 early in the day, wasn't even around when the winner tapped in his final putt. Mickelson faded to 277.
Some of the scores were downright ugly: Steve Elkington, who was tied for the lead midway through the tournament, signed for an 81 that included five bogeys and three double-bogeys.
Mickelson appeared to be Goosen's main challenger, starting the final round two strokes back. The left-hander briefly claimed the lead, only to finish with a 73.
"I actually hit a lot of good shots," he said. "I just had a hard time getting it close. It is hard to really describe. You just have to see it."
Goosen, who already had victories on the European and South African tours this year, headed off to the Masters — about a two-hour drive away — with the kind of short game that makes him a contender for his second major championship.
He picked up his first at last year's U.S. Open, despite missing an 18-inch putt that would have given him the victory in regulation. Goosen bounced back the following day to beat Mark Brooks in a playoff at Southern Hills.
Goosen showed that same resiliency Sunday. He started with a three-putt from 25 feet. At the par-3 second hole, he needed two shots to escape a bunker and missed a 4-footer for bogey.
Goosen turned things around at the par-5 fourth hole. After knocking his second shot to the right of the green, he chipped in from 100 feet away for an eagle.
Mickelson needed par on the last hole to hold on to a tie for second. He went for the green from 267 yards and wound up in the lake after a wild, one-handed swing.
He settled for a bogey, bumping him to third and reducing his paycheck by $76,000.
Parnevik appeared to shoot himself out of contention with a 76 on Saturday. He played 11 strokes better in the final round and ended with a flourish at 18: a 249-yard 5-wood over the water, followed by a putt that went in from nearly 60 feet away.
LEGENDS OF GOLF: At St. Augustine, Fla., Doug Tewell added to his impressive senior tour resume with a victory in the Legends of Golf.
Tewell shot 2-under 70 to finish the tournament at 11-under 205, one stroke better than Bobby Wadkins, who made a late run with a 66 in the final round.
Stewart Ginn shot 72 to tie with Bob Gilder (70) for third at 8 under.
The 52-year-old Tewell won for the second time this season.
He hit all 14 fairways and finished the tournament hitting 41 of 42. The only one he missed came Friday at No. 7, when he hooked a drive to the left.
PORTUGUESE OPEN: At Faro, Portugal, Carl Pettersson survived four days of wind and rain to win the Portuguese Open in a one-hole shootout with David Gilford.
After a six-hour wait to tee off in a third round that never materialized, Pettersson beat Gilford with a par at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff for his first European Tour victory.
Both Pettersson, a Swede based in the Raleigh, N.C., and Gilford, from England, finished at 2-under 142 for the two rounds.