Old Westbury, New York ….
If Geoff Ogilvy had not of secured full playing rights for next year’s PGA Tour he could mirror the money on the public speaking circuit being earned by former Presidents and Prime Ministers with his vast knowledge.
His pre-Northern Trust press conference, and just two days after moving right on the ‘bubble’ and 125th place on the FedEx Cup to 116th position and the assurance of membership for the 2017/18 season, was a golf writers dream.
Geoff Ogilvy finds ‘the spoon’ after spending the season ‘eating soup with a folk’. (Photo – @TourMiss)
There was one fabulous headline after another in describing how he turned around the likely uncertainty of not retaining his card in producing a sizzling outward nine last Sunday of 29 to eventually end the Wyndham Championship T16th and his second-best result in 24 events this season.
Ogilvy’s efforts last week in the sauna-like conditions in Greensboro drew plenty of praise and little wonder, and take nothing away from Henrik Stenson in capturing the event, as it was one of the best story lines of the event.
The 40-year old Australian spoke openly and honest what it meant to him to retain full playing rights and not have to draw on his all-time money list exemption.
Ogilvy filled the audio files of those mobile phones thrust in his direction at Greensboro and it was very much the same Tuesday in similar heatwave conditions on New York’s Long Island.
His official transcript commanded seven pages to easily outdo many others known for their media centre long ‘fireside chats’ including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington.
Ogilvy got the media warmed up in remarking early on: “I opened up a Pandora’s Box or I went down a Rabbit hole with my golf swing a few years ago.
“Once you open that box, you kind of have to go all the way through it. You have to leave no stone unturned. So the last few years has been like a rabbit hole looking for the way out and I feel like I’ve found it.”
Another gem was: “It’s been like a book, and it’s not personal, but it’s a unique situation to me that would take too long to explain”.
Geoff Ogilvy admits he opened a Pandoras Box and fell into a rabbit hole (Photo – @TourMiss)
Also we heard: “Every time I played with Tiger, I played well. I don’t know why but I assume I was more focussed”.
And on that Tiger Woods theme, Ogilvy said: “It’s easier when you’re in that Tiger-circus to block out 20,000 people than it is to block out two people”.
Ogilvy also revealed: “I watched golfers swinging it for hours on YouTube, asking the odd question of all the coaches out here, every now and then, like sneaky little questions when they didn’t know I’m pulling information from them”.
Following up on that quote, Ogilvy added: “It was a pretty holistic kind of approach, The more I went into it, the more I realised little light bulbs kept going off, and all of a sudden I found some, like, string to join all those light bulbs and join all the dots, and everything started to make sense”.
But if there was one line that caught the attention of the some dozen journalists in attendance in the makeshift interview room at the Glen Oaks club it was: “A decent metaphor would be I was trying to eat soup with a fork. You could do it all day holding the fork perfectly and do that but you’re never going to be able to eat the soup, right.
“I’ve found the spoon”.
And it is little wonder Ogilvy, and among five Aussies in this week’s $US 8.75m event, is excited to be taking his place among the Tour’s elite top-125 elite.
“I will feel miles less stress this week than last week. It’s not even close. Not even comparable,” he said.
“I’m excited I’m here, and as I said, I don’t — it wouldn’t be realistic but I have a legitimate chance to get to East Lake, and if you get to East Lake, you’ve got a chance to win the thing technically.
Geoff Ogilvy explains a point during his Northern Trust press conference Tuesday (Photo – @TourMiss)
“East Lake, for me now, would probably be the real goal, because top 30 is a pretty good exemption, probably the best in our sport. Sets up your whole next 12 months.
“Plus, I mean, I’ve been to Atlanta a few times, I can’t remember how many, but it’s a pretty nice feeling when you get there. It’s just a special tournament and that you don’t get until you’ve been there. You get there and you’re like, wow, this is kind of — for the last 12 months, I’ve been in the elite of the elite, and that’s a good feeling. It’s probably like being in a Pro Bowl or an All-Star Game or something, and that’s kind of our equivalent, right.
“So, yeah, this now is a completely different level of — I’ve got nothing to lose now.
“If I play well, great. If I don’t, I get an extra few weeks off and I get to hang out with the kids and I go to The Presidents Cup as an assistant captain coming up, which is pretty exciting.
“Yes, this is one out of 10 pressure compared to last week”.
