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FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 21, 2005

Geoff Ogilvy

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Geoff Ogilvy, after a 6 under 66 in the second round, Funai Classic at Walt Disneyworld Resort. A very good day outside of a bogey on the last hole there.

GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, I played good. Obviously, you have a good score the first round, you know you have to go and do it again, I guess. I started well. I birdied the 10th hole, which you kind of have to do. Probably the easiest par 5 we play on this side.

A little after that, kind of cruised along for five holes, started firing on the frontline. All good, apart for the bad tee shot off 8. That's fine. I made a bad tee shot off 9, got a bit stiff in the bunker. Could have gone anywhere in the bunker. Had a chance to get on the green. Hit it 30 yards. Unlucky, bad shot, made bogey.

TODD BUDNICK: You won your first TOUR victory earlier this year in Tucson. You're 38th on the Money List right now. Goal, obviously the Masters, I would imagine, towards the end of the season here.

GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, that's goal No. 1. Top 30 would be a big bonus. I mean, Masters, I haven't been there, so that would be nice.

I'm right on the edge. World rankings, I'm low 50s. The Money List, I'm I think 38th or something. Yeah, one good week would probably get me in two ways. That's goal No. 1. If I could get THE TOUR Championship, that's just a bigger bonus.

TODD BUDNICK: You made your 17th straight cut this week, the second longest cut streak on TOUR. Talk about how hard it is to keep streaks like that going out here.

GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it because a couple of times most of them I played pretty nicely. A couple of them, a few weeks ago, I had no right to make it really. Had a 12 footer on 17, made a good birdie on the last to get in. A couple other times, Byron Nelson, went back to the hotel, thought I missed. I thought I'm definitely not going to make it now.

Most of the others I played pretty well. 138. Tiger's record is 150. That's pretty ridiculous. I'm pretty happy with 17 in a row. So 140 something is just off the charts.

Q. Seven years behind.

GEOFF OGILVY: I'm not going to miss a cut till 2012. That's ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, that's pretty cool. That's a cool stat. If it only stays that way long enough, I might be able to catch him.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll open it up to questions.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: It was a bad break. It wasn't a bad decision. I mean, I had a 3 wood. I hit it in the right bunker. If it flies another four feet, it goes over the bunker. If it just rolls back down the face, it's a 7 iron onto the middle of the green, 2 putt par, birdie.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: Driver can run it out. The ball doesn't normally go a long way for me. But it's going a long way for me this week. 300 from the fairway to the tee. When you hit 3 wood, you should hit the fairway, and I didn't. Really five times out of 10, 50% of the time I'm in a perfect spot in that bunker, the other 50% of the time I'm not in a good spot. I wasn't in a good spot, so...

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: Bunker players?

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: I don't know.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: I don't know. I think I'm pretty decent. I mean, Robert was decent. I don't know how Robert Duke is pretty good. Adam, is he pretty good?

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: I would say anyone who's played a lot of golf on the sand belt, the Royal Melbourne, Metropolitan, that's a real bunker shot. You've got nice lies all the time, but you've got not very much margin for error. It's not just landing it in the right spot, but with the right spin and the right height. It's just a lot narrower margin.

You could hit a great shot, but just not catch it right, it will release past the hole. A very fine line between a good and bad shot. I think if you can hit them close in Melbourne, you can hit them close anywhere. They're very deep bunkers in Melbourne, too, most of the time.

I don't know. I wouldn't have ever looked at or thought Aussies are really good bunker players.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: That's the only reason I could think of.

Q. You look at the putting stats on this tour, a bunch of Aussies near the bottom. Any theory on that?

GEOFF OGILVY: Well, I don't know. I don't know if we can read anything into that. Everyone has their streaks and stuff. I mean, Finchy was one of the best putters in history, he was Australian.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: Brad Hughes, probably not the strongest part of his game. Robert is struggling on the greens. Adam rarely struggles on the greens. He always hits the right. Stuart looks like he's always holes putts. Hensby probably one of the best putters out there, probably one of the most underrated putters of the day. I don't know.

Maybe it's just the way it is at the moment. Maybe next year we'll all be the best putters.

Q. How would you characterize any disappointment about not being at The Presidents Cup? There was a lot of support thinking why wasn't Geoff on the team?

GEOFF OGILVY: Not really. I only thought I should have got in after everybody told me I should have got in. I honestly didn't think about it. After the PGA, I had a good British Open. I thought, well I didn't really think about it, to be honest with you. Someone told me the next day, Gary actually phoned me, left a message on my phone. I'm surprised he even phoned me. I didn't even think about it. I thought starting the PGA I'm going to have to win this to get in. He basically told us, at the British Open, he said, All you people in this room, some of you are already in, some of you are not. If any of you win one of these majors, you're in, flat out. There was just no negotiation.

I thought Elkington was going to get picked. I thought Pete or KJ. I thought Pete was going to get picked. They often pick the next guy on the line, 10th, 11th, they always do that. I thought it was KJ or Elkington. Then everyone came and told me, you should have got picked, you got shafted.

I still don't think that. I wouldn't have picked me even if I was in Gary's shoes. A shame, looked like fun. Maybe next time, huh?

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: Was it two and a half? 67 to 71, that can't be right. Two shots, to be fair. Every par 5 on the Palm is driver, apart from maybe 11 on the Palm is maybe a 3 wood in. Most of the field can get to all par 4s or 5s. Magnolia, no one can get to 8. The par 3s on the Magnolia are longer. Well, two of them are really pretty tough.

I don't know, two shots, three shots maybe. They're a lot firmer, the greens on the Magnolia. If it was the same golf course, it would be a shot harder because it's harder to keep the shots next to the hole.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: 216. I think it's drifting downwind a bit. The tee was 30 yards from the back. I mean, if it drifted into the wind enough at the back, guys would be hitting woods and rescues in there, which is fine.

Q. (Inaudible) you're every bit as talented as Scotty. He's rated Top 10 in the world. How does it make you feel to hear a comment like that?

GEOFF OGILVY: It's nice to hear. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to know that Scotty has a bit more upstairs than I do on the golf course. I mean, to me that would be the only difference. I've always felt like I compete with him. He's got a pretty calm demeanor, good demeanor. Smart golfer. I don't think I'm at his level yet mentally. I think I can get there. He's very mature for his age. What is he, 25? He was mature when he was 20. I mean, there's not many people about like him.

Q. Book smarts?

GEOFF OGILVY: I mean, he's cleaver IQ wise, but just as a golfer. His best attribute, he can play awful for three weeks, and he still thinks he's going to win the next week, you know. I play awful for six holes, and I think I'm done, you know. That is his most impressive attribute. Then his career does follow that.

I mean, a lot of guys he has three or four awful weeks, then he wins by five. Not many people can do that. Not many people can stay as confident as he does. That's really what I got to work on.

I'm getting better and better, but...

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: At my worst, I was probably like Steve, you know. Steve, I'm sure he goes home wondering what he's doing. He's pretty average on the golf course. I have my moments, but I'm really improving. I feel like I'm really improving anyway.

Q. Any specific thing to try to improve?

GEOFF OGILVY: Not really. It's relatively I don't think golf psychology as rocket science. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize if you start carrying on like an idiot you're not going to hit the next shot very well. Just I think if you acknowledge when you're going off a little bit, you know, just hang on a minute, I'm not in the best frame of mind. Just actually acknowledge it, you don't want to act like that.

I mean, if you can actually step outside of yourself and look at yourself objectively, it's like, What are you doing? Pull your head in. Guys that struggle forever aren't honest with themselves. They just don't have a good look and say, Hang on a minute.

I mean, Retief is obviously never going to get angry. He wouldn't get angry if someone ran into his new car. He just wouldn't get angry. He just can't. I'm always going to get angry in a way. Tiger gets pretty angry, you know. Tiger is very good at getting very angry and then back to normal for the next shot. Almost makes him play better sometimes.

Know what makes you play good, know what makes you play bad. If you're honest with yourself, objective about it, you should improve.

Q. Have you ever had a moment, you got angry and did something that you look back on and said, That was embarrassing, a reminder?

GEOFF OGILVY: I'm sure I've had a few. You know, I've broken the old club here or there over the last 10 years. The odd cardboard trash can, made a lot of noise. Done stuff. We've all done it. Every time you do something like that, you're like, Why? I've broken probably 10 clubs in my whole life. Every time, even if you bend one, it's like, What are you doing? It's just not worth it. After, Now I have to go and get it fixed, it's never going to be the same again. You just feel like an idiot every time you do it. I haven't done it for quite a long time.

I think I'm a slow learner. I think I'm a learner, but I'm a slow learner. I'm getting there slowly.

Q. That's not what getting down on yourself consists of. It's not a fit of rage.

GEOFF OGILVY: Getting down on yourself is losing your belief, I reckon, which is Adam's strongest part, it's belief. You talk about Adam, that's why he can play well after playing bad for two or three weeks, because he just believes in his game so much.

You know, I mean, I don't know. I get down on myself a bit. I mean, a lot of guys out here do. Retief might get down on himself; you just can't tell.

Q. Does that mean trying less hard?

GEOFF OGILVY: Getting down on yourself, I mean, I would understand getting down on yourself to being just getting depressed, you know. Every shot I hit goes in the trees. All that sort of stuff. Negative self talk, which is very easy to fall into the habit of. Half the TOUR does it when they're out here playing bad. Talk to themselves all day. Very unconstructive, non constructive.

Q. Where do you place more value right now, top 40 or 30?

GEOFF OGILVY: I'd love top 30 because that's US Open, as well. Masters is the No. 1 goal, you know. Obviously, top 30 I've got I'd rather finish top 30. But if I sit down at Christmastime, I finish top 40, I'll be content. I won't be, Why didn't I finish top 30? If I finish 41st, I'll be a bit ticked off.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: I've heard that, yeah.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: It will happen.

Q. With more coming, more great players coming, can you sense that, as well? Even though you weren't there, did you sense a lot more?

GEOFF OGILVY: I think you guys actually just decide what the story is for the week and make it up, you know.

Q. (No microphone.)

GEOFF OGILVY: As in this room. The players don't sit around and go, Wow, why doesn't an Australian win the Masters? It's just, Let's go and win the Masters. Phil won it this year. Tiger won it this year. I don't think Australians sit there and go, Why aren't we winning the Masters? I'm sure everyone wants to be out here, wants to be the first guy. Not to be the first Australian to win the Masters, just to win the Masters. It would be a bonus, great for Australian golf, it would be huge. It would kind of start having that Norman effect that's gone on in Australia.

Q. Everyone knows mostly because of Greg, the idea there was more players than ever there at Augusta, then you start to realize there's more Aussies than ever on the TOUR, how many more coming down the pipeline.

GEOFF OGILVY: Yeah, well, look, maybe we'll win three in a row. I don't know. We haven't won a major for a while really, any major, for a while. Elkington, that's 10 years. Without Norman, it's like as strong as it's ever been. That's kind of weird.

Maybe we'll win four out of 10. Maybe we'll get on a run. I mean, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see Adam win one. Hensby knocks on the door every time he is in a major. Stuart, David (inaudible). I mean, there's probably 10 Australians that wouldn't freak people out if they won a major next year, you know.

I don't think there's any reason why Augusta is any harder for an Australian to win than anybody else. I think the US Open would be the hardest for an Australian to win just because the guys from the US, they just get up for the US Open. It just means so much more to them.

I think saying that in a minute, an Australasian won it this year. That's right. We never used to have more than one or two in the field. Go back 10 or 12 years, no one used to play over here except Greg, Finchy, Graves (ph), that was about it. Everyone used to play in Europe.

It was very hard to get in the Masters when you played in Europe. We never used to have any people in the field. If we had 12 guys in the field every year for the last five years, we maybe would have won one. Now that maybe we're getting more guys in the field...

I've never been there. I can't say. I don't think there's any reason why an Australian hasn't won it. Just the way it goes.

TODD BUDNICK: Can we go through your card. Birdie on No. 10.

GEOFF OGILVY: Fairway with a driver, hit a pretty relatively 4 iron into the right bunker, but I got up and down.

14, hit a driver, laid it up with a 6 iron. Kind of on the edge. Had a go for it in two, but laid it up. (Inaudible) made it.

1st hole, driver in the left rough. Wasn't so bad. Hit it under the left fringe, about 15 feet away, made it.

Third, I hit 8 iron to about, I don't know, a foot maybe, good shot.

4, I hit driver, 3 iron into the left greenside bunker, got it up and down.

Serve, I hit 5 is really long. I hit a really good driver and a 4 iron. I haven't hit 4 iron into many par 4s recently. I hit it into the right fringe, made a good putt from about 20 feet. That was a good birdie really, because that's a tough hole now.

Seven, I hit it just into the right rough, 15 feet, made it.

9, 3 wood into the fairway bunker, didn't have anything, so I just flopped it out.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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