Date: January 15, 2007
Author:

Ogilvy leaves run too late

Sportal Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby made final round charges to finish eight under but it wasn&apost enough to overhaul Paul Goydos who won the Sony Open in Hawaii. Ogilvy shot a superb six-under 64 to finish eight under the card, six behind the winner amid a congested leader board. The Victorian started with a birdie on the first, but a double bogey three holes later had him on the back foot. However the US Open champ responded in the best possible way with back-to-back birdies followed by another five by the time he reached the clubhouse. Allenby was less consistent, but still managed to post a respectable score of one-under to finish the tournament. Goydos claimed the title with a run of three birdies in his last four holes. A bogey on 17 gave the American a few nervous moments, but a four on the final hole par five sealed a one-stroke victory over compatriot Charles Howell III and Englishman Luke Donald. Goydos&apos approach was close to perfect as his chip found the flag and dropped centimetres from the hole, leaving the 41-year old with a tap in to take the title. Howell, who often plays the role of perennial bridesmaid, was in a strong position to win after an eagle on the par five ninth, but back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13 scuttled his chances. It is his seventh second placing since his only tournament victory five years ago. Donald also had the chance to win but his eagle chip on 18 hit the flag and didn&apost drop, leaving the Englishman agonisingly close to forcing a playoff. The win was Goydos&apos first for over a decade. Scores after the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii (par 70): -14: Paul Goydos 66 63 70 67 -13: Charles Howell III 69 63 65 70, Luke Donald 63 66 69 69 -9: Doug LaBelle, 69 71 66 65, K.J. Choi 64 71 68 68, Jim Furyk 65 68 69 69, Steve Stricker 67 67 67 70 -8: Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 67 72 69 64, Robert Allenby (Australia) -7: Pat Perez 68 70 69 66 Also: -5: John Senden (Australia) 69 67 68 71 -4: Andrew Buckle (Australia) 70 66 70 70 -3: Nathan Green (Australia) 67 71 70 69 -2: Jarrod Lyle (Australia) 68 71 71 68 E: Rod Pampling (Australia) 71 66 71 72 +3: Gavin Coles (Australia) 71 67 69 76