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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 15, 2008Geoff OgilvySOUTHPORT, ENGLAND BERNIE McGUIRE: Geoff, it's a pleasure to welcome you to the Birkdale Open Championship, the new No. 3 in the world and the leading Australian golfer. Talk about the course and about your aspirations for this week. GEOFF OGILVY: Obviously my aspirations are to win the tournament. The golf course, yeah, it's fantastic. It's really -- I mean, it's difficult. It's playing really long. Obviously you've heard the stories, it's quite long, quite narrow. The rough is pretty healthy. Not silly healthy, I guess just because it's rained a lot. It's just a very green Birkdale. It seems very long, but in your practise round you always tend to play right at the back of every tee, and I'm quite sure they're not going to play at the back of every tee when we play out there. Today is a lot windier than yesterday. If you shot under par out there today, that would be a great score. Q. I understand you got here early and made the rounds of all the local links land. Why are you such a fan of this particular area? Is there something to your eye, or is it. Just links golf in general? GEOFF OGILVY: It's just links golf in general. I do really enjoy links golf, and this is a fairly rich area for good golf courses, probably the best in England anyway, this whole coast, all the way up from Blackpool up through here. I've played six or seven of them, and there's probably 25 that are great courses. I've never played Formby, and everyone told me I had to play there, here before, no one ever told me, I've never played West Links. I've played Hillside before, that's a great course, S & A is a great course, just next door. You don't get many spots in the world where you have so many good courses right next to each other. It's perfect preparation for the tournament and it's an enjoyable thing to do. So it's good preparation as well as having a lot of fun. It's just a bonus, I think. It's been good. Q. At Birkdale it's been happy hunting ground for Aussies in the past, Baker-Finch and Simpson. Are you looking to extend the run? GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, that would be nice. Obviously Thommo (Peter Thomson) seemed to work it out on all the links golf, and he did well everywhere he went there for a while. And Finchy won here, so that would be nice. Yeah, it would be -- extend the streak, it would be -- it's not really a streak because we've had one since Finchy, but it would be nice. Q. Other than the fact that people like us keep asking you about it, what's the big difference in the feeling of this week without the No. 1 player in the world and the guy who's absolutely dominated the sport? GEOFF OGILVY: I just hope they've taught the engraver how to put an asterisk on the trophy, then everyone will know what the tournament was all about (smiling). No, it is what it is. Tournaments feel better when he's here, for sure. If any tournaments can stand up strong when he's not around, it's this one and the U.S. Open and The Masters and the PGA. I mean, the events are bigger than any one guy. He obviously adds to any golf tournament you play, but yeah, it's a shame when he's not playing. But The Open is The Open. Q. It's probably a strange question, but we ask about things like that, like an asterisk, because that's what some people, sporting fans, talk about. Why do you think they think that way? GEOFF OGILVY: Because you guys tell them to (laughter). I mean, in some respects it's fair enough because he's won a lot golf tournaments and he's the best player of all time. I mean, everyone knows what he's done. And the way it gets portrayed when you're actually watching a golf tournament, as if there's no -- he really doesn't have any competition, which is not correct. But that's the way it gets portrayed. And then people just run with that. I guess a lot of people who watch majors only watch two or three golf tournaments a year, and they just happen to watch the two or three golf tournaments a year that Tiger might win, so they think there's only one golfer in the world. But if you really look at it, how many majors has he played? 50 majors? 46. And he's won 14. Q. Yeah, 30 percent. GEOFF OGILVY: It's an astonishing percentage, but that's still 32 that he hasn't won that he's played. Seven out of ten that he plays he doesn't win, which is still more often than he does win. I'm sure they were talking about that sort of stuff. I'm sure if Jack took one off in his prime it was talked about. But it seems with more media coverage and more TV and more hype about it now that it's a bigger deal. Q. There's no asterisk on yours, that being the only major where he missed the cut? GEOFF OGILVY: He started the tournament. I can't help it if he missed the cut (laughter). Q. Does the dominance of Tiger Woods create resentment or inspiration for you to do even better? GEOFF OGILVY: For me, inspiration. I mean, definitely not resentment. I mean, look at how golf is now because of what he's done in the last ten years. It's awesome. And it's even better when you're actually -- I've been lucky enough to win a couple of golf tournaments when he's been there. It's even better to win a golf tournament when he's been there. That's an asterisk, eh? I mean, anyone who's been at golf tournaments when he's around and when he's not around, golf tournaments are a pretty cool feeling place when he's around and he's in contention. Torrey Pines was a pretty special tournament, just the way it unfolded. I was lucky enough to be somewhat at the right end of the field for a while, and it was a pretty cool feeling out there. It was only a feeling that only a guy like that could create. So it was just a great atmosphere to play in. And as I said, when you win a golf tournament when he's there, it's extra satisfying, you know? Q. This is going to be kind of a back doorway into the same subject and I apologize. But could you not propose the point that in some slight way it might be easier to get the job done on Sunday without having to think about his presence on the leaderboard? Every guy comes in and says, you know, you always have a look to see where he is on the leaderboard and what he's doing. I know it's a major in and of itself; that itself is a caldron of pressure. But that element has been removed. GEOFF OGILVY: There's no doubt that starting Sunday, if he's in contention and you're in contention, it's a harder tournament to win if he's in contention. Anyone who says it isn't I think is denying something that's pretty obvious. Saying that, when I'm playing and I see him on the leaderboard, it doesn't make me play any better or any worse, I think it just makes me do what I'm doing -- well, I don't think it does. I don't think, oh, there's Tiger, I'd better -- oh, I have to play better now to win. It's, there's Tiger on the leaderboard. I mean, the pressure that he puts on you is you know he's going to play well. I don't think I've ever had a situation where I've played worse because he's on the leaderboard. Would I have played better if he was on the leaderboard? I don't think it affects the way I play. It creates -- I mean, the pressure he puts on people is you know he's going to finish well. You know he's not going to lie down and make a bogey. So I guess if you came to Sunday and he wasn't there, I guess it's a little bit easier because he closes out tournaments so well. But I'm not standing on the first tee starting the tournament thinking, oh, here's my big chance because he's not here. I don't think I'll feel any different on the first tee than normal. Q. A couple questions on your game. Considering how you won at Doral and how you gave yourself a chance at Torrey Pines, optimism any greater for this Open than it has been in previous years? GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, I guess I come here feeling pretty decent about it. I've played pretty well the last month or so. I played really well at Torrey, I just -- one of those things. I was in great shape with two holes to play, and I'm one of ten guys who can say that, but I didn't finish it off as well as I would have liked. But if you get in it with 62 or 63 holes -- after 62 or 63 holes you're obviously playing well enough to be there right at the end. I like this tournament. I went last year thinking I was playing okay, and I played horribly, so I have optimism when I get to big tournaments every time, but I definitely -- the last month, since Colonial probably, I've been playing pretty well most weeks, and most of the year I've played pretty solid from Florida onward. I'm feeling optimistic is probably a good word, optimistic about my chances. Hopefully I can go out there and the weather plays nice to both sides of the draw and I can get out amongst it on the weekend. I really enjoyed Torrey Pines, being around there in the last few groups on the weekend and I just want to do it again. Q. On the course itself, I wonder if I could get your comments on the 17th, but just also the closing holes from 15 onward, especially 16 with that new tee and the wind you had today. GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, I mean, you wait all day for a par-5 and you hit 15 straight into a 15-, 20-mile-an-hour wind, whatever it is. It's borderline reachable. I guess most guys could get there yesterday. Today the wind strengthened, and I don't think many will get there, I'm sure, a couple of the longer guys, but most of the field will be laying it up. You wait all day for that par-5 and it's a tough layup too, because you have to lay up with a really long club, and it's gorst on the right and long grass on the left. 15 and 17 are the obvious birdie holes so you've got chances to make birdies. 16 is a brutal hole. You can't see any of the fairway from the tee. It's quite narrow. I hit driver, 3-iron today and hit them both good. That's a pretty long -- we don't have that many par-4s where we hit driver, 3-iron, and it could play longer. It's a windy day today, but I'm sure it can get windier here. It was windier in '98, at least for periods. Q. Did you reach it with a 3-iron? GEOFF OGILVY: I got there today with a 3-iron. And then 17 is very reachable. I hit 3-wood, 4-iron. But the adventure begins when you get to the green. Hopefully it ends up in a reasonable spot, so guys will be making any number on 17. 18 is a really tough hole. But if you hit the tee shot well, I mean I hit driver, sand iron today because of the wind. It's a tough tee shot, but if you manage it you can make birdie with a sand iron. You can make birdie because it's wide open at the front. Q. What's the easier 4, 16 or 17, in this kind of wind? GEOFF OGILVY: 17 comfortably, but 17 you can get some sort of freaky bounce or weird thing going on where you can be in a really awkward spot. I don't know, it's probably about par, actually. I don't know. It's an easier fairway to hit, 17, because it's downwind, and downwind tends to make stuff play wider because the ball goes straighter. Q. You're the second best player in the world at this tournament. What attribute do you think got you to second best in the world, and how will it help you tomorrow and later in the week? GEOFF OGILVY: I don't know, I've just gradually gotten better. I don't know, I feel like I was a really slow learner with golf. How to go about it, stay patient on the golf course, how to approach it, how to practise, how my attitude needed to be on the golf course. I think I learned from mistakes quite well. And I just gradually worked it out. I don't know any one attribute. I don't think any aspect physically of the game I'm -- there's someone who's better at every part of the game. I think I hit the ball okay, I think I chip okay and I think I putt okay, but I think it all adds up to a pretty good package. I don't make one mistake and then not make it again, but I think I'm reasonable at learning what makes me play well and getting it done in the biggest tournaments, I think, and I don't know how that will help me this week, but I'm sure it will at some point. Q. You talked about the electricity that Tiger brings to a tournament, especially what he did at Torrey. What do you think might come somewhat close to matching that scenario this week? And secondly, I was wondering what you thought of Kenny Perry not showing up this week. GEOFF OGILVY: First, I'm pretty sure anyone who was on the 18th green when Justin finished in '98 would say there was probably more electricity there than at Torrey Pines a month ago. You just don't know what story, what 17- or 18-year-old guy could nearly win the Open this week. I mean, anything can happen in this tournament. You just don't know what's going to create that sort of excitement. There's an infinite number of stories that can create that kind of excitement, and hopefully something like that happens. I'm sure anyone sitting at the 18th green ten years ago remembers that moment and they're not going to forget that. A pretty cool moment in golf history. So that sort of thing could happen hopefully. And Kenny? It's not the decision I'd make, but I'm not in my last two years on TOUR and doing my farewell Tour to PGA TOUR events. I mean, he's going to be on the Senior Tour in a couple years anyway. It's not the decision I'd make, but again, I'm not in his position. I don't know, you'd love to see him play over here, but Milwaukee is pretty happy he's there and they'd love to see him win there. Q. It's the fifth major (laughter). GEOFF OGILVY: Again, it's a decision I wouldn't make, but ask me when I'm 48 and in his position. I don't know. BERNIE McGUIRE: Geoff, thanks for coming in. We all wish you well this week. Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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