	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 18, 2011

Geoff Ogilvy

LEMONT, ILLINOIS

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Jeff Ogilvy into the interview room here at the BMW Championship, finished in third place. You entered the week needing a third place finish or better to advance to the TOUR Championship. You did just that, and then also making it on The Presidents Cup team. I know it's a special day for you.
GEOFF OGILVY: It's nice. I mean, you come here with the hopes of playing well enough to do that. I mean, but I guess the reality is that you've got a long way to go from 69 to get to the TOUR Championship, so it's nice to play well enough. Not a lot of fun to play in the rain, but I guess in the end it's the right kind of day to just chip away and make some pars and you're going to do quite well, and if you make some birdies you're going to move up quite a bit. All in all, quite satisfied, really.
JOHN BUSH: And you did just that, nine pars on the front nine. Were you watching the board in terms of what John was doing and any other players?
GEOFF OGILVY: Not really. You can't help but notice it sometimes. I don't study them, I don't try to avoid them. I was having a look. I just assumed that I probably had to kind of have 1- or 2-under today, kind of hoping that Justin helped us out and made it interesting, but he didn't; he obviously played very well quite early, and it obviously sounded quite interesting with a couple of holes to play, but he must have played quite well. As I said, it was quite tricky. I was just trying to hit it on the greens and give myself birdie putts really.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what it's going to be line playing on a team captained by Greg Norman and also playing at Royal Melbourne for you?
GEOFF OGILVY: Well, with Greg, we had Greg last time in San Francisco and it was a big thrill I know for me and I'm pretty sure everyone else because he's a -- especially the Australians because we all grew up with Greg as our hero. Regardless of whether he was captain, just to get to spend a week in close proximity to Greg and around him was pretty exciting for us.
And that will be special again, and the fact that we go to Royal Melbourne in Australia this year, we'll have the crowd on our side, it's my hometown -- not actually my home golf course but a golf course I grew up right next door and played quite a lot of times, it's going to be pretty special.

Q. When you came into this week, you were ranked 69th in points so you really could play freely from that standpoint but you were trying to protect your position with the Presidents Cup. Looking back on it do you feel like you were able to play a little bit more freely or did you play a little bit more defensive or how do you look at the week?
GEOFF OGILVY: I was viewing the week as a win-win really. If I did well enough to get to Atlanta, then there was a bonus, I get Atlanta and I get another golf tournament, and finishing in the top 30 is always a feather in your cap on this TOUR because it's very hard to do. It's been a bit of a rough year, so to get to Atlanta with a rough year is kind of nice. And if I didn't, then I get an extra week to spend with my kids next week at home and get an extra week off and start my vacation a little bit early. That's kind of how I was viewing it.
Obviously I was trying really hard to get on The Presidents Cup team. That was there. But I don't think it would have been beneficial to my golf to dwell on that too much. So I was just trying to go around there with exactly it's a win-win situation for me. I get an extra week or I get an extra week at home.

Q. If I understand it correct, you're going to have three Aussies on the team automatically. Does that make it easier for Greg or more difficult for him with the ones who are not? What's your take on his captain's picks and how tough a decision he has?
GEOFF OGILVY: Well, captain's picks for any team are obviously always very difficult. Greg would probably have been hoping that every Australian that he wanted on the team would qualify automatically so he didn't have to pick them. That being said, that can't happen. So I think the team is -- Ben probably knows exactly how it's shaped up. I don't know where John comes into it now given where he finished. You wouldn't want to be in the captain's shoes.
On the outside looking in, I think there's Robert, who's won multiple golf tournaments at Royal Melbourne; Aaron, who's played pretty well this year; Vijay is not far away and he played well a couple of weeks ago. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. He's got some great players to pick from, and I don't think any players he picks are going to be wrong. Unfortunately if you lose people are always disappointed, I think.

Q. Following up on that, do you think it's okay, that he should look at two Australians if it makes sense?
GEOFF OGILVY: Well, if everything else is equal, if two players are equal, you'd probably pick the home country guy, wherever it was. But there are no two golfers who are equal, so everybody brings their strengths. The hometown advantage or the home country advantage is quite a bit thing, but someone like Vijay brings -- he's played every single Presidents Cup, so he brings a lot of experience. That all has to be weighed up. All things being equal, I guess you'd go for the home country guy. As I said, everything is not always equal.

Q. I just wanted to ask you how difficult was it to shoot four rounds in the 60s on this course, especially on the weekend, two rounds in the 60s?
GEOFF OGILVY: It was hard. Today was really hard. I've never managed to do it before I don't think. I've always found this place really hard, and I still find it hard. I putted really well the first three days, and today I felt like I hit the ball pretty straight at least. I think, yeah, whenever you look at guys who are doing well in a golf tournament, they usually play well, and I would say the first three days I putted really well, and today I managed the keep the ball out of the rough mostly and hit a lot of greens, felt like I hit a lot greens anyway. I don't know. It's a tough course. You've just got to keep it in play really. Once you get off the track it's hard.

Q. You mentioned earlier that not your finest of years. What have you been doing lately that all of a sudden you're playing a little better?
GEOFF OGILVY: Well, I'm a little bit healthier. I was out for three months with a shoulder and then I kind of -- took me a while to kind of get confident with the shoulder through the summer when I came back and I had kind of a bit of a strange stomach upset, and I've lost about 15 pounds this summer, which is disappointing. I've spent a bit too much time sitting down before I play, if you know what I mean. (Laughter.)
It's just health reasons, really. I'm just getting a bit healthier, and I've had, I guess, a bit more time with the shoulder. The shoulder isn't 100 percent, but it took a while to get there, so it's really just having the body back more than anything.

Q. Following up on that, how do you now look at this year? It's one that could have gotten away from you but now it's a really successful finish.
GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, it was not good -- if you'd asked me how I was feeling about my year in Atlanta at the PGA, I wouldn't have been too positive about it. To come from way back in the FedExCup and have a good finish here to get to Atlanta is a bonus. I had to birdie the last in Boston to get to here. Each tournament in the FedExCup I guess has been better for me. As I said, it's always nice to get to Atlanta. It's always a feather in your cap to be top 30.
So if the year ended after next week, at least I can look and I've gotten something out of a poor year, which is nice.

Q. Your reputation is now clutch. Do you like having that?
GEOFF OGILVY: I liked the last nine holes today. That was really enjoyable. I loved the last hole. It's just so much fun to play those last few holes with a chance to win, and just the added element of other stuff going on, I enjoy that. 18 is one of the toughest holes we play, and I hit my two best shots of the week up there. Every single time you do that, it makes you enjoy that situation more and makes you hope you get to do it again. It's fun to play well on a day like this for sure.

Q. What are your personal recollections from the last time it was played at Royal Melbourne, Craig Parry and the one victory?
GEOFF OGILVY: I remember Parry chipping in across the 18th green, playing with Shigeki, and Shigeki just went crazy and gave him a big hug on the 18th green.
I was blown away. That was actually about three weeks after I turned professional, and I missed the cut at the New Zealand Open and it was like my second pro tournament, so I flew back and watched the weekend and just was blown away at how big a deal it was. I had never seen crowds like that in Australia, never felt an atmosphere like that. I just couldn't believe how amazing an atmosphere could get on a golf course. I don't really remember much of the golf that was played, I just remember just being blown away at the atmosphere and wanting to get there.
JOHN BUSH: We appreciate your time. Play well next week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297