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Geoff Ogilvy Wire to Wire at Mercedes

Geoff Ogilvy began the day 6 shots ahead and promptly went into reverse. With a double bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the third his lead was halved by Anthony Kim. “Not angry, just frustrated,” Ogilvy said. “Is there a difference between angry and frustrated?” Is how he described his feelings at the time. Yes, there is a difference; frustrated is what you feel after that beginning, birdie two holes, then bogey holes seven and eight before getting it back together with an eagle on the 9th.

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17 years ago

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Geoff Ogilvy began the day 6 shots ahead and promptly went into reverse.  With a double bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the third his lead was halved by Anthony Kim.  “Not angry, just frustrated,” Ogilvy said. “Is there a difference between angry and frustrated?”  Is how he described his feelings at the time.  Yes, there is a difference; frustrated is what you feel after that beginning, birdie two holes, then bogey holes seven and eight before getting it back together with an eagle on the 9th.  Follow that eagle with birdies on five of the next six holes to restore a 6 shot lead and frustration is a fleeting sensation.  Play the back 9 like you played the front and anger is what takes over. 

“It’s not a very nice feeling to feel you’re frittering away your lead with weak shots and bad shots,” he said. “There was something I was not doing on the first eight holes as I had been all week for some reason. I wouldn’t say it was panic. It’s just not a nice feeling. No panic or ‘What am I doing?’ just ‘Can I go somewhere else for a while?’ Because it’s just uncomfortable.”  Sounds like a Southwest Airline commercial eh?  The iron shots Mr. Ogilvy hit on the back 9 were precise and accurate.  The results led to a restoration of his 6 shot lead and his fifth Tour victory, a very very large check, a new Mercedes, and the really large trophy. 

 

 I have to wonder if he was trying to out belt buckle Mr. Kim?  Which led me to wonder why it is skinny guys all wear huge buckles while those of us who lost our girlish figures long ago wind up with less garish belt fasteners?  Probably because the big buckle would knock the wind out of us when we bent over to see if our shoes were still tied. 

Mr. Kim and Davis Love III finished second, representing the young bucks and the old guys successfully to begin the year.  “Something made him mad, I guess, somewhere coming up on the ninth fairway,” Love said. “And then I guess he made eagle and went nuts.”  describing Mr. Ogilvy’s back nine.  The second place finish moved him up the world ranking to number 55, closer to the top 50 and an exemption into the Masters.  What I see as especially encouraging is his continued consistent good play carried over from the "Fall Series" last year into the beginning of this year. 

Mr. Kim opened Sunday with a 32 on the front, and got as close a single shot.  “I knew he was just teasing me for a little while there, and he was going to make some birdies,” Kim said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t.”  Which sums up the back 9 quite well. 

So the 2009 season is under way on the PGA Tour.  It’s always difficult for me to watch golf in January, not only because of the NFL playoffs, but because I can’t get out and play.  With a fresh 13 inches of snow on the ground and 2-4 more on the way, followed by sub zero temperatures, I get frustrated by my inability to get out and play.  But then, I do live in Wisconsin and this happens every year.  Still, a few hours on the range followed by 18 holes would be a nice distraction. 

This tournament, despite being limited to the winners of the previous years tour events,  did not have the top 4 players in the world ranking.  With the sponsor’s contract up in 2010 I wonder how readily the Mercedes Benz folks will part with $20 million or more for another four years.  Hawaii is a long trip for the European players, so some say.  When the tournament was in southern Californian weather was an issue.  Rumors are flying that Mercedes wants to host at a different location, yet where else is weather not going to be a major factor?  Commissioner Tim Finchem thinks that just because Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson don’t play doesn’t justify changing venues.  He’s right, but convincing the title sponsor, in this economy, will cost the negotiator more than one nights sleep.  I noticed a lack of spectators on Sunday.  I’m not familiar enough with that course to know if it’s not conducive to watching play from hole to hole, although I did see the players getting into SUV’s to go from tee to green, which would indicate that one could not easily follow a specific group all 18 holes.  That may be an issue as well.  If economic recovery is not forthcoming, the day of million dollar winners checks may be a thing of the past. 

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Tour Rundown: Bend, but don’t break

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3 weeks ago

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Aug 4, 2025

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I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear

OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.

LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break

Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.

Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.

On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.

On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.

On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.

PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home

Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.

On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.

Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?

Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.

Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?

PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates

Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.

Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.

Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

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4 weeks ago

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Jul 29, 2025

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GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.

Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.

Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

 

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BK’s Breakdowns: Kurt Kitayama’s Winning WITB, 3M Open

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4 weeks ago

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Jul 28, 2025

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Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.

Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)

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