Ogilvy starts fast again, hopes to maintain pace throughout
Author: fei
Author: feiOn the eve of lthe season-opening SBS Championship, which he went on to win for the second consecutive year, Geoff Ogilvy said the self-imposed absence of Tiger Woods could open the door for someone else to become the world's No. 1 player.
Share: Ogilvy took a giant step actually five spots in the world rankings toward becoming a prophet with his one-shot victory against Rory Sabbatini on The Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. With a final-round, 6-under-par 67, Ogilvy finished at 22 under, earned his seventh PGA Tour win and moved to No. 9 in the world. He also earned 500 FedExCup points to grab the early lead in the season-long race. "I like how I play when I play good, so I'm not concerned about how good I can be when I'm actually playing well, because I think I can hang with most guys," Ogilvy said. "I haven't shown that I could do well when my game is a little off. I think that's the sign of a really great player." Woods, the game's best player, has a substantial lead on world No. 2 Phil Mickelson. But Woods, who remains on indefinite leave and hasn't been seen after weeks of scandal and admissions of infidelity, has given no indication as to when, or even if, he will return to the Tour. If his leave extends far into the year, his hold on No. 1 he's been there the last 240 weeks and 582 weeks total would start to slip. While Ogilvy, 32, didn't take long to adjust to his new clubs (Titleist) and new shoes (Foot-Joy) last week, he hopes to change how he finishes a season. Six of his seven wins have come in the first three months of the year. His lone win outside of that three-month window was the 2006 U.S. Open. Last year, after winning the SBS Championship and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Ogilvy had won three events worldwide, including an event in Australia, in seven starts. The rest of the year, however, was "rubbish," he said. His win last week broke a 10-month drought. He pointed to working too hard on the driving range, tinkering with his swing and pushing himself too hard to play good golf. At the Presidents Cup in October, Ogilvy reached his breaking point. "I had a moment of clarity," said Ogilvy, who will play in next week's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the European Tour. "'What are you trying so hard for? Here's a ball and there is a hole. Just hit it that way.' Keep it simple the whole time." And if he is to catch Woods, he has to figure out how to win without his best stuff, a trait the world's No. 1 has mastered. "Tiger has made a career out of winning tournaments. He has won a lot by 10. But he has won tournaments in the past that he shouldn't have. He found a way to win," Ogilvy said. "I need to get to that sort of point. I think I can. "I think I can be a player who can win any golf tournament I play. I've just got to work to get through the bad days and bad patches. I have to work on how to do it." find what you want at golf online, golf discount, golf equipmentAbout the Author: