Just in from down under, Aussie Masters website. GEOFF Ogilvy has played a lot at his home Victoria Golf Club, but never better than today....
Just in from down under, Aussie Masters website.
GEOFF Ogilvy has played a lot at his home Victoria Golf Club, but never better than today.
From the moment he almost holed out for albatross on the first hole -- before duly making eagle -- until he tapped in for birdie on the last, he thrilled his hometown fans with a course record-equalling 63 to storm to the JBWere Masters lead.
The Melburnian, who lives minutes away next to the adjacent Royal Melbourne, took an appreciative gallery on a rollercoaster ride of superb shotmaking and occasional mishaps to fire what he said was his best round at the club at which he played pennant as an amateur.
"I think I may have, in a hit and giggle with some friends, had a 62 at one point," he said.
"But there's a fair difference between a Friday afternoon hit and giggle and a round in the Australian Masters.
"So whether or not it's the lowest, it is definitely my best round around here."
His blistering eight-under round, which remarkably contained three bogeys, gave him a two-shot lead over Englishman and good mate Ian Poulter (69), with Nathan Green and Ashley Hall a further two shots back in a tie for third.
A host of big names lurk at seven under, including triple crown-chasing West Australian Greg Chalmers, but Ogilvy's sublime round in fluky afternoon winds might have put paid to their chances. His 15m eagle try on the last fell agonisingly short, but the subsequent birdie enabled him to match the record of fellow Victorian John Wade, set in 2003.
"I think I left a few shots out there, weirdly enough. But I think I stole a couple as well," Ogilvy said with a grin.
"To start eagle-birdie-birdie, you are usually going to have a pretty good day after you do that.
"Everyone is trying to make two on the (short par-four) first, but you don't really expect it to happen.
"Being a member, playing 1000 or so rounds around this course, I probably only made three or four twos on the 1st, or maybe five, but not many.
"So to start a round like that is pretty good. After that, every time I had a chance, a wedge in my hand or something from the fairway, I hit it pretty close and had some pretty short putts for birdie.
"I hit a couple of loose shots, a weird one (blocked into the right greenside trap) into 13 and made bogey.
"I probably hit too much club on 16 (where he went over the back of the green) ... but most people bogey 16 once or twice in the week because it is a hard hole.
"So I left a couple out there, but I stole a couple, especially on 12."
Ogilvy said that not even when he chipped in with a sand wedge from 28m on the 12th, did he let the magical 59 enter his thinking, despite many in the crowd and on Twitter urging him on.
"I did acknowledge to myself that I was eight under after 12. I thought, `That's pretty low'," he said.
"But I didn't ever really start thinking about crazy numbers. I just knew I was going low.
"At one point I was two or three in front, and I wanted to just get as far in front as I could."
Ogilvy grabbed birdies at the second and third holes to be four-under early, and a dropped shot at the fifth was only a brief glitch before birdies at the sixth, eighth and ninth to reach the turn in a blistering 29, six-under par. He said his putter, which he'd had in the bag but not used competitively until bending his usual putter in a moment of fury on Thursday, felt good in his hands.
"I took it out on a practice round in the Australian Open because I wanted to use it, and wasn't brave enough and put it back in," he said.
"So I had been kind of thinking about giving it a try; I just wasn't brave enough.
"Obviously this week I had a perfect opportunity to try it," he said
"It's kind of embarrassing to finish the last couple of holes (on Thursday) putting with a wedge ... but it happens.
"I was disappointed leaving the course on Thursday. But by Friday I was pretty excited actually I had a new putter to try.
"So frustrated for a little bit, but didn't carry it for very long."
GEOFF Ogilvy has played a lot at his home Victoria Golf Club, but never better than today. From the moment he almost holed out for albatross on the first hole -- before duly making eagle -- until he tapped in for birdie on the last, he thrilled his hometown fans with a course record-equalling 63 to storm to the JBWere Masters lead.
The Melburnian, who lives minutes away next to the adjacent Royal Melbourne, took an appreciative gallery on a rollercoaster ride of superb shotmaking and occasional mishaps to fire what he said was his best round at the club at which he played pennant as an amateur.
"I think I may have, in a hit and giggle with some friends, had a 62 at one point," he said.
"But there's a fair difference between a Friday afternoon hit and giggle and a round in the Australian Masters.
"So whether or not it's the lowest, it is definitely my best round around here."
His blistering eight-under round, which remarkably contained three bogeys, gave him a two-shot lead over Englishman and good mate Ian Poulter (69), with Nathan Green and Ashley Hall a further two shots back in a tie for third.
A host of big names lurk at seven under, including triple crown-chasing West Australian Greg Chalmers, but Ogilvy's sublime round in fluky afternoon winds might have put paid to their chances. His 15m eagle try on the last fell agonisingly short, but the subsequent birdie enabled him to match the record of fellow Victorian John Wade, set in 2003.
"I think I left a few shots out there, weirdly enough. But I think I stole a couple as well," Ogilvy said with a grin.
"To start eagle-birdie-birdie, you are usually going to have a pretty good day after you do that.
"Everyone is trying to make two on the (short par-four) first, but you don't really expect it to happen.
"Being a member, playing 1000 or so rounds around this course, I probably only made three or four twos on the 1st, or maybe five, but not many.
"So to start a round like that is pretty good. After that, every time I had a chance, a wedge in my hand or something from the fairway, I hit it pretty close and had some pretty short putts for birdie.
"I hit a couple of loose shots, a weird one (blocked into the right greenside trap) into 13 and made bogey.
"I probably hit too much club on 16 (where he went over the back of the green) ... but most people bogey 16 once or twice in the week because it is a hard hole.
"So I left a couple out there, but I stole a couple, especially on 12."
Ogilvy said that not even when he chipped in with a sand wedge from 28m on the 12th, did he let the magical 59 enter his thinking, despite many in the crowd and on Twitter urging him on.
"I did acknowledge to myself that I was eight under after 12. I thought, `That's pretty low'," he said.
"But I didn't ever really start thinking about crazy numbers. I just knew I was going low.
"At one point I was two or three in front, and I wanted to just get as far in front as I could."
Ogilvy grabbed birdies at the second and third holes to be four-under early, and a dropped shot at the fifth was only a brief glitch before birdies at the sixth, eighth and ninth to reach the turn in a blistering 29, six-under par. He said his putter, which he'd had in the bag but not used competitively until bending his usual putter in a moment of fury on Thursday, felt good in his hands.
"I took it out on a practice round in the Australian Open because I wanted to use it, and wasn't brave enough and put it back in," he said.
"So I had been kind of thinking about giving it a try; I just wasn't brave enough.
"Obviously this week I had a perfect opportunity to try it," he said
"It's kind of embarrassing to finish the last couple of holes (on Thursday) putting with a wedge ... but it happens.
"I was disappointed leaving the course on Thursday. But by Friday I was pretty excited actually I had a new putter to try.
"So frustrated for a little bit, but didn't carry it for very long."
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