Ogilvie wins over Tait in tight finish at Jacob's Creek
BY Bruce Young | Web.com Tour | 2003 Jacob's Creek Open | Wrap | 02 Mar 2003
After a difficult week last week on the Gold Coast at the ANZ Ladies Masters, tournament promoter Bob Tuohy will no doubt be rejoicing in the success of the first of two events co-sanctioned with the Nationwide Tour.
It was well supported with some of the biggest crowds seen in Adelaide and it all came down to a dramatic last nine holes with the 28 year old Ohio resident holding on to win in regulation time, but then having to endure a trial by video to confirm that the title was his.
Ogilvie had hit his tee shot on the 13th hole under a tree and with a very restricted backswing tried to force it out onto the fairway. He wasn’t sure whether he had made contact with the ball twice and as a consequence asked to look at the video after the round. He was cleared, and the one shot margin he had over Shane Tait following the Queenslanders great birdie three at the last, remained.
For Ogilvie, who has played the USPGA Tour the last two seasons, this is his third win on the secondary tour having won twice in 1998. He was second recently at a Canadian Tour event in the US but in campaigns on the USPGA Tour in the last two years it has been a tough battle. With this win he is now well on track to get back there.
For Tait this was his best finish since his second to Greg Turner at the Australian PGA at the Victoria Golf Club in 1999. His cheque for $A112,000 will be very welcome.
Mahal Pearce, David Morland and Peter Senior tied for third. Morland, a Canadian with PGA Tour experience, Pearce the recent New Zealand Open winner and Senior finding some good form of late. Senior’s back nine today of 32 allowed him to jump over fifteen or so players.
In the match up between the Nationwide and Australasian Tours it was a pretty even affair with nine from the US tour finishing in the first twenty.
Other good performances were those of Craig Spence who continues his comeback finishing 19th and Chris Downes destined for big things also 19th.
The one sad note of the week was the disqualification of a young man who is destined for big things in the game. Marcus Fraser who had done so well to be in contention when he inadvertently signed an incorrect scorecard on Saturday evening. He had led after thirty-six holes and was still in good shape heading into round four but it was not to be. Coincidentally Ogilvie had marked his card.
At the completion of the event the 2003 Australasian Order of Merit is headed by Paul Casey with Andre Stoltz and Peter Lonard second and third respectively.
The tour now heads to Christchurch in New Zealand for the Clearwater even there this coming week, essentially the last of the bigger events in this half of the season.
