Tiger's Rally Falls Short at Doral
AP
Posted: 2008-03-24 15:26:49
DORAL, Fla. (March 24) - Even someone like former U.S. Open champion
Geoff Ogilvy can acknowledge being a bit mesmerized by seeing Tiger
Woods win tournament after tournament after tournament.
Tiger Woods suffers his first setback since last September at the CA Championship, ending a streak of seven straight victories. Click through to look back at Tiger's amazing run.
"It's quite fun to watch," Ogilvy said.
Sure, but it doesn't compare to beating Woods - especially when
the world's No. 1 hasn't lost in six months.
Ogilvy won the CA Championship on Monday, saving a round that
seemed in peril with a chip-in for par at the 13th hole and going
on to claim his second victory in a World Golf Championship event.
And not only did Ogilvy take down Tiger, he did it at Doral, where
Woods had won each of the past three years.
So much for that perfect-season talk. The streak is over.
"It was going to end at some point," Ogilvy said. "I'm very
glad that I did it. It's a nice place to do it, too, because he's
obviously owned this place for the last few years. He just had one
of those weeks."
A final round of 1-under 71 - with nothing but nine pars Monday
- was enough for Ogilvy to finish at 17 under, one shot better than
Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh, who all closed with 68s
in the rain-delayed tournament. Woods was fifth at 15 under, losing
for the first time in six PGA Tour starts and seven official ones
worldwide, not counting his win at the Target World Challenge.
"As players, it's nice to see somebody else lift a trophy for a
change," Goosen said.
With the win, Ogilvy joined select company - only Woods (15) and
Darren Clarke (two) have more than one WGC title.
Phil Mickelson laughs after his tee shot on the 12th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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K.J. Choi, of South Korea, watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Anthony Kim watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Phil Mickelson, right, signs autographs for fans after finishing the 18th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Actor George Lopez polishes the head of his caddy Michael Collins on the 13th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Phil Mickelson hits out of a bunker on the 13th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Rory Sabbatini, of South Africa, drives on the 7th hole during the Colonial Pro-Am golf tournament, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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**FILE** In this May 4, 2008 file photo, Anthony Kim reacts after winning the Wachovia Championship golf tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Kim, a 22-year-old who showed his firepower by winning the Wachovia Championship with a record score, may be some of the fresh blood for the American's at this year's Ryder Cup. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
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** FILE **In this April 12, 2008 file photo, Tiger Woods looks on during the third round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Woods intends to play in the Buick Open and will host a golf clinic at Comerica Park in Detroit on June 24, two days before the tournament begins, a tournament official announced during a news conference Monday, May 19, 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
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** FILE ** In this July 22, 2007 file photo, Joe Ogilvie holds up the winners trophy after winning the U.S. Bank Championship golf tournament at Brown Deer Park in Milwaukee. Ogilvie can't see himself continuing his pro golf career on the Champions Tour when he qualifies for it in 2024. Instead, the 34-year-old investment-savvy Duke grad whose heroes are billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett is interested in trading in his clubs for a suit, and maybe being the PGA Tour's commissioner one day. (AP Photo/ Ron Kuenstler, File)
AP
"People don't really understand, you need to have something
happen, a positive thing happen to you out there in order to win
tournaments," Woods said. "I heard Geoff bladed one in the hole
for par. That's what you need to have happen. Those are the things
that have happened to me, and things weren't going that way this
week."
Indeed, Ogilvy got the biggest break at the most crucial time.
Woods started the morning five shots back with seven holes
remaining and made his typical charge, closing within two strokes
after making a 4-footer at the 17th. He birdied the 12th to start
his day, then hit his tee shot within a foot at the par-3 15th for
a tap-in.
At that very moment, two holes behind, Ogilvy seemed in trouble.
He pulled his 2-iron tee shot at the par-3 13th way left, and
his chip from thick, dewy grass didn't even reach the green -
making bogey seem probable, until a most improbable shot followed.
Ogilvy's second chip hopped twice, hit the pin and dropped
straight in, giving the Australian a break he desperately needed.
If it went past the cup, he surely could have been looking at
double-bogey - since the ball clearly would have kept rolling for a
while.
"That was moving," Ogilvy said. "That's why you have to hit
it on line. Flag gets in the way."
Around the same time that chip dropped in, Ogilvy's nearest
pursuers began falling off.
Singh was the first one to make a run at Ogilvy, getting within
a stroke before back-to-back bogeys doomed his chances. Furyk got
within one after making birdie at the 17th, then missed the fairway
at the finishing hole. Adam Scott started the morning four shots
back, then inexplicably missed a 2-foot tap-in and lost all hope of
making a run.
"Geoff played well," Singh said. "He hit a lot of great shots
and putted nicely. Somebody had to win, somebody had to lose."
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