Ogilvy upbeat about run-up to Augusta
IN: News | by Bruce Young | 26 Mar 2008
It was an exhausted but immensely satisfied Geoff Ogilvy who faced an Australian golf media teleconference this morning just a day after his gutsy win at the WGC-CA Championship in Florida.
“I was pretty done at the end of the week,” said Ogilvy referring to being in contention for all five days and the stop start nature of the event. “Last night I felt like I had a cold or a virus but this morning I woke up perfect but I was that tired yesterday my body was saying that I had had enough. Temporary fatigue I guess but it was a long week when you go for five days.”
Ogilvy is now leaning towards playing in Houston next week as his lead in to his third appearance at the Masters on April 10th.
“I think am going to go to Houston and play. Adam Scott won there last year and mentioned that he felt it was a good lead up to Augusta. Not that anything is set up like Augusta but they set it up as much as close as they can like Augusta with fast greens and no rough with run offs from the greens and then on to Augusta.”
Ogilvy has played the Houston Open previously but the last time was when the event was played at the Members course at Redstone Golf Club rather than the Champions course, which has been used for the past two years and has been set up to attract as strong as field as possible in the lead up to Augusta.
Ogilvy had the chance to see Augusta eight days ago.
“I was there the Monday of the CA event and it looks pretty special as always. It great to go there outside of Masters week as it is quiet, the place is quite empty and it is like your own little private playground.”
“This year was a little more in advance of the event than normal as ideally you would prefer to be nearer to the event itself as the course gets closer and closer to the tournament condition as the event approaches but this year that was the day that worked for me. It was just nice to have a look and get back into that Augusta mode and just excites you about the tournament and reminds you just how much you like the place.”
“There are a couple of little changes such as a new pin position on the left of the 7th and they have taken a couple of trees out on the 11th but unless you had been told you would not have noticed. They are pretty good at making subtle changes.”
“I think if I can go to Augusta as play as well as I did last week I think I should be somewhere thereabouts over the last nine holes and that’s all you want and then it’s a case of seeing how I handle it. I know it is a course that I can definitely play well at. I got within two shots at the 15th tee on Saturday last year and so with 22 holes to play I was in perfect shape after making a triple bogey on my second hole on Thursday and then hit two balls in the water and made 9.”
“The key is to eliminate the train wreck holes. I had a triple and a quadruple bogey last year. It’s a course of managing your misses, keeping you ball underneath the hole, staying away from big numbers and taking the chances when you get them. If I had to advise anyone of how to play Augusta for the first time it would be to keep the ball under the hole. If you get above the hole it is horrible place.”
Looking back at Doral, Ogilvy enthused as to how well he had played. “Thursday was the best ball striking I had for a long time and Friday was also very good. If anything my game deteriorated a tiny little bit each day but it was still good yesterday.”
The almost inevitable references to Tiger Woods domination and the hype surrounding it were raised and Ogilvy, who always has measured and reasoned opinions, responded.
“It’s just amazing the bandwagon that people jump on. He is without a doubt the best player in the world at the moment by a long way and on a fast track to becoming the greatest of all time and many think he is already there but after winning five tournaments in a row – which is unbelievable – all of a sudden according to some he is never going to lose a another golf tournament. They get a little out of touch with reality and it is frustrating when he the media think that nobody else is going to win an tournament that he (Tiger) plays in all year.”
“Tiger’s had three of four periods in his career when he seems to win every week and the chatter begins that nobody has the nerve to beat him or they are flying the white flag or that Tiger is backing into tournament victories even when he is not playing well.”
“I just don’t believe that is true and it although it may be hard to believe from the sidelines, guys aren’t laying down when he is playing well. Everyone out there is trying as hard as they can to beat him but he is just that good. He is a pretty intimidating guy to see marching up the leaderboard and he very rarely hits bad shots in the last nine holes of a golf tournament.”
“The intimidation factor is that you know you have to play well to beat him. With every other player on Tour you have it in your mind that perhaps they might make bogeys but with Tiger you know that it not the case and that he is going to be there at the end.”
“In some ways to suggest the others are not trying or lying down sells Tiger short rather than acknowledging astonishing talent he is.”
When asked if he was concerned about the domestic golf tour in Australia, Ogilvy responded.
“I am not really too concerned about it. The Australian Tour is always going to have its rocky periods but golf in Australia, or at least the golf Australians are playing overseas, is getting better every year. Our newcomers such as Jason Day and especially Matt Jones, who everyone seems to be talking about, are having a great start to their PGA Tour careers. The Americans are asking just what we are putting in our water down here given the number of players doing well.”
“Australian golf has some of its strongest moments ahead of it. The rest of the world thinks so, so we just need Australia to think so,” he added referring to the opportunities for corporate involvement in tournament golf in Australia and in response to the fact that two of out three most significant events (The Australian Open and Australian Masters) are currently seeking sponsorship.
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