Date: December 07, 2008
Author: Luke Buttigieg at Coolum

Ogilvy conquers Coolum

Geoff Ogilvy has broken through for his first win in Australia, the 2006 US Open champion capturing the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship title after a final-round duel with overnight leader Mathew Goggin at Coolum. The 31-year-old Victorian had come close to his maiden victory several times previously on home soil, and admitted after the third round that he was sick of being asked about his failure to that point to triumph Down Under. But all that is now in the past after Ogilvy came home with a three-under 69 to finish on minus 14 and claim the Joe Kirkwood Cup, relegating Goggin to runner-up status for the second time at Coolum in three years. After starting with a one-shot lead Goggin had led by as many as three strokes nearing the turn but back-to-back bogeys at the 9th and 10th holes opened the door for Ogilvy and the Tasmanian had to settle for a 72 and 12-under. Veteran Peter Senior, the 1989 and 2003 champion, drew to within a stroke of the lead late in his round but a bogey at the last saw him finish with a 69 and level with Scott Strange (69) and Rod Pampling (72), who had also been a shot back earlier in the day. Western Australian Brett Rumford and Queenslanders Wayne Perske and John Senden, the 2006 Australian Open champion, all signed for 68s, rounding out the top 10 with Wade Ormsby (69) and Chris Gaunt (71) on minus 10. One clear of Ogilvy and Pampling at the start of the day, Goggin grabbed birdies at the 4th, 5th and 8th holes to move to 15-under and a three-shot lead, the last of them coming just moments after Ogilvy had made his first birdie to stay in touch. But the momentum swung when Goggin carded successive bogeys at the 9th and 10th holes and things could have been even worse if he hadn&apost made a testing par putt at the 11th. With Pampling, O&aposMalley and later Senior challenging only to then falter, it was left to the final pairing to go head-to-head down the stretch, and Ogilvy struck another blow when he birdied the 12th to pull level. Perhaps the pivotal moments of the final day came at the 15th when Goggin hit his tee shot into the water down the left of the fairway and Ogilvy played safe by laying up, with Goggin surrendering the lead with his subsequent bogey. Soon after and Ogilvy went two clear when he birdied 16 and, while Goggin stayed alive coming to the 72nd hole after birdieing 17, Ogilvy&aposs solid par was enough for the win as Goggin made another bogey looking for the birdie he needed to force a playoff. Peter O&aposMalley was another who had been within one shot of the lead on the back nine but stumbled home to a 73 and tied for 11th place on nine-under with Paul Sheehan and South African Tim Clark, who both carded 69s. Victorian Peter Wilson capped a solid week with a 71 for a share of 14th place on minus eight with Kiwi Tim Wilkinson (73), who dropped four shots in his final 10 holes, and Michael Brennan (69) and Jarrod Lyle (75) were equal 16th on seven-under. Temperatures reached the low 30s on the final day with northwest winds gusting at up to 30kmh and there were concerns at one point that nearby thunderstorms could jeopardise the finish but the rain held off long enough for Ogilvy to complete his win. The rounds of the day were shot by Victorians Richard Green and Craig Spence, who each collected six birdies and a bogey in signing for five-under 67s that left them at minus three overall, in a tie for 28th.