Geoff Ogilvy has broken out of the golfing doldrums with a spectacular form reversal which could not have come at a better time.
The Victorian’s game has finally clicked as he elbowed his way to runner-up behind American Michael Thompson in the Honda Classic.
Beset by putting problems and at the end of his patience, Ogilvy even moved his family from California back to Arizona in a bid to recapture the game which saw him regularly in the top 10.
And it seems to have worked.
The former US Open champion has stormed back into the world top 50 and his chances of teeing up in next month’s US Masters have brightened considerably.
Ogilvy was always on the pace throughout the event in Florida, but saw off all but Thompson with two birdies over his closing three holes of the final round.
He chipped in at the 16th to shoot a one under par 69 and finish two shots behind the American, a first-time winner on the US PGA Tour.
Ogilvy went into the event trying to shut out his past four tournaments where his errant putting had led to a string of missed cuts.
He had a number of reasons to celebrate, including a cheque for $US648,000 and a jump in the world rankings from No.79 to No.46.
That means he will line up in this week’s World Golf Championships tournament at the Doral resort in Florida, a tournament he won in 2008.
"I didn’t think that was possible to get in next week, I thought I had to win, so that’s a bonus," Ogilvy told AAP.
He will need to keep his form alive however over the coming weeks to remain inside the top 50 and thus be eligible for the Masters at Augusta.
"I played nicely and it gets me back in the mix for the Masters," Ogilvy said.
"Obviously I would have loved to have won here and sealed that but at least I’ve gone in the right direction, made a decent jump in the world rankings.
"I saw this week as a fresh start as it was kind of going pear-shaped on the west coast so I viewed it as this is my first week of the year – let’s just kind of start again.
"It wasn’t any fun missing the (WGC) match play and it wouldn’t have been any fun missing next week, both are tournaments that I’ve played well in before.
"If I can play well next week hopefully I can make more of a move up and get back to Augusta."
By: Robert Grant