Tour Report: Ogilvy feeling at home in California (PGATOUR.com)
January 26, 2012
Interview: Geoff Ogilvy
The Aussie discusses his move to San Diego ahead of the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open.
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
LA JOLLA, Calif. — They did it for the kids.
With temperatures hovering around 115 degrees during the summer months in Scottsdale, Geoff Ogilvy and his wife Juli joined a lot of other "Zonies" and started taking their brood, which now numbers three, to the California coast to escape the heat. The yearly vacations have ended up becoming a permanent move.
"It was originally just going to be a summer kind of se- up, but we’d be driving back over the mountains and you drive over those mountains and you go down and it’s going up a degree every second almost," Ogilvy said. "And you get down to the bottom of the hill and it’s 105, it’s like why are we going back?
“So we eventually just decided on one of the trips back for winter, that this would be our last winter, let’s just get over here soon."
The Ogilvy clan ended up settling in Del Mar, a chic San Diego suburb nestled on the Pacific Ocean about five miles from Torrey Pines. The schools are top notch, the Aussie loves the surfing in the area and the laid-back lifestyle reminds him of home.
"A lot of Australians I know say they’re comfortable around here," Ogilvy said. "The trees are all Australian trees — you stole them. … It’s a very beachy culture, which is kind of what we’re used to. The climate is obviously pretty amazing. So it was a bit of a no brainer. … Once you get here for a summer, it’s hard to leave, really."
Ogilvy has found several golf courses he enjoys playing in the area. Interestingly, though, before his Tuesday practice round the last time Ogilvy played Torrey Pines was in the 2008 U.S. Open. Torrey Pines, one of the premier municipal facilities in the country, is just too crowded.
"There’s lots of nice golf courses around here that don’t have 50 people standing on the first tee when you lineup, which is testament of how cool the place is," Ogilvy said. "This is a pretty unique — it’s a bit like Bethpage in New York. It’s the pride and joy of the town kind of thing or the city, really.
“So I don’t need to come and play here too much. I mean, I’ve got lots of places to play much this is the place for the public to play. I’d love to play here a bit more, but I just don’t get around to doing it"
Now, though, Ogilvy expects to make the Farmers Insurance Open an annual stop. He had planned to play last year but he was still on injured reserve after slicing a finger on some coral while he was in Hawaii. A stomach ailment sidelined him later in the year so Ogilvy is looking forward to getting 2012 off to a strong start.
"I’m actually quite excited because I was so broken up last year and I had a few months off, and it didn’t really seem like I wasn’t in contention enough, and that’s kind of why I play to win tournaments and get up there on Sundays,’ Ogilvy said. "I’m looking forward to a year full of those type of opportunities, I guess."
Fowler sets high goals for 2012
Interview: Rickie Fowler
The California native discusses his 2012 PGA TOUR debut in the Farmers Insurance Open.
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Rickie Fowler doesn’t really care what the pundits write or talking heads say on TV. After all, no one expects more of the phenomenally talented young player than Fowler himself, and he knows the first win that many feel is long overdue will come soon.
"I think I put a lot more pressure on myself with the goals that we had set for the year with one being getting my first PGA TOUR win, playing well through the FedExCup series and then making the Ryder Cup team," Fowler said. "So I’ve got a lot to think about on my own, and not going to worry too much outside of that."
That first professional win last fall at the Kolon Korea Open — where Fowler beat Rory McIlroy by six strokes — was definitely a confidence-builder. Fowler, who has particularly struggled on Sundays — where his scoring average ranked 125th on TOUR last year — was solid throughout the week.
“It was a great feeling to finally put four rounds together, and the amount of focus and confidence I had throughout the week definitely going to draw off that and trying to get in the same frame of mind the whole year," he said.
Fowler grew up in Murietta, Calif., which is about an hour from Torrey Pines. He’s a popular figure anywhere he goes — but he’s particularly sought-after here, and Fowler’s schedule early this week reflected that affinity.
He played in a Monday pro-am to raise money for Charley Hoffman’s charity and was among the last to leave the post-event festivities that evening. He still managed to meet Hoffman for a 6:45 a.m. practice round on Tuesday and hosted a media event for the new EA sports Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 video game before rejoining Hoffman at Balboa Park for a youth clinic in the afternoon.
"If you could say a bad word about Rickie Fowler, there must be something wrong with you," Hoffman said. "He’s a great kid. Good head on his shoulders. Great ambassador to golf. He gets it. He get that’s he’s a marketable guy. He takes time for the fans.
"He’s a great golfer, a better person. I mean he doesn’t think he’s bigger or better than the game. He loves to play golf. I don’t know if he gets it is enough, but he understands the time commitment and what goes along with the sponsors and so on and so forth."
Fowler’s colorful clothing, flat-brimmed hat and X-Games persona have struck a chord with younger fans. He wore lime green pants on Wednesday but his trademark is head-to-toe orange on Sundays — and you can always see youngsters in his gallery wearing the same.
"It’s pretty cool to be in a position where I can go give my time and it’s worth something to be able to give back to whether it be to charity or a junior clinic like that where you go and hang out with 200 or 300 kids and make their day,” Fowler said. “So I can’t complain with the position I’m in.
McCumber’s take: Bomber’s advantage
Mark McCumber won 10 times on the PGA TOUR between 1997 and 1994 and spent another eight years on the Chmapions Tour. He also works as a golf course architect and will be calling the action at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open for Sirius XM PGA TOUR Radio.
So who does McCumber think will fare well?
“Torrey Pines favors the big hitters,” McCumber said. “But you’ve had guys come out of nowhere to win there too — the Mark O’Mearas, Scott Simpsons, other guys who aren’t bombers.”
With that in mind McCumber naturally likes the chances of defending champion Bubba Watson and last year’s runner-up Phil Mickelson, who has won at Torrey Pines before.
Both are long off the tee, but as McCumber pointed out Watson also led the field in greens in regulation last year.
As for the par-5 13th and par-3 16th holes — this week’s LIVE@ holes — McCumber thinks both can be crucial.
“The 16th is a pretty difficult par-3,” he said. “I was always happy to make 3 there.
“The 13th we’ve seen some dramatic eagles there, but we’ve seen people make mistakes, too.”
Coverage of the event can be heard on Sirius XM from 12-6 p.m. ET each of the first three rounds and from 1-7 p.m. on Sunday.
Hoffman’s ‘experiment’ is over
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Charley Hoffman was among those sporting a belly putter last week during the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.
But while he wouldn’t say the experiment failed, Hoffman is going back to a traditional length this week at his hometown event, the Farmers Insurance Open.
Hoffman broke par in all three rounds in the desert last week but he missed the cut by a shot. His putting stats left something to be desired — he used 92 over 54 holes — but Hoffman said he was committed to giving the longer putter a try.
"I’m not saying that it would never happen again, because I think there are some definite positives to it," he said.
Conventional wisdom has held that the longer putter is particularly useful on putts inside 10 feet because your stroke is locked. For Hoffman, though, the belly worked better on the longer putts because it took away his "feel" on the short ones.
"Inside 10 feet I struggled, I guess, because just we call it the art of putting, the feel, sort of how much to break and how much to hit it," Hoffman said. "When you set up to a belly putter, you’re pretty much locked in the line that you’re there. If you don’t have much feel and you’ve got your line perfect, it’s great. I guess it was an experiment. I guess I’m a guy that sort of gets over it and sort of feels the putt in the hole. That’s how I make short putts. "So the two together didn’t work. Not saying that if I can find a way to sort of blend those together … the belly putter I think is an advantage. You’re going to set up the same every time. You’re going to put the ball in the same position, and there are some definite positives to a belly putter. But for me as of right now, it’s not a right fit."
Hoffman said he didn’t have any problem going back to the short putter this week. He used it on a rainy Monday during the pro-am he held to raise money for his foundation and in his practice rounds. The transition was seamless.
"I can feel the line and see the line with the short putter, because it’s just what I’m used to," Hoffman said. "It actually helped me. My rhythm on the longer ones is better with the shorter putter now. … Actually, it worked the way we thought it was going to work. Initially it was going to be a project just to practice with and we liked it so much. …
“Saying for how poorly I putted and only missing the cut by a shot, gives the fact how actually good I hit it last week. So I’m pretty excited."
Els hoping to find putting stroke
Heathcote/Getty ImagesErnie Els ranked 181st in putting on the PGA TOUR last year.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
As Ernie Els gets set to make his PGA TOUR season debut at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open he does so trying to rekindle the kind of touch that has seen him win 64 times around the world, including 18 times on TOUR.
“I’ve kind of lost my sense of humor,” Els said recently. “When you don’t putt very well, your sense of humor doesn’t work very well.
“I’d like to get my sense of humor back, but that means I’ve got to get the putter working and you’ll see me smiling a bit more.”
That’s easier said than done.
Els had just one top-10 in 2011 — you have to go back to 1993 for the last time the Big Easy had just one top-10 in a season — and failed to reach the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola for the first time in the five-year history of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Much of Els’ struggles can be directly attributed to his putting. Despite ranking seventh in greens in regulation on TOUR last year, Els was 181st in strokes gained-putting.
It wasn’t just last year, either. In three of the last four years, Els ranked outside the top 150 in putting. The South African was so desperate he at one point turned to using a belly putter — a club he once thought should be outlawed.
Els has since gone back to his regular putter, and last week he finished second at the Volvo Golf Champions after losing in a three-man playoff.
Still, Els’ short-game struggles have led to a dip in his world ranking. He enters this week 57th in the Official World Golf Ranking — and on the outside looking in for the Masters, a tournament in which he once finished in the top six for five straight years, including two runner-up finishes.
“I’ve had a lot of people remind me about [my ranking],” Els said. “I don’t need reminding and I know where I stand and I know what I need to do. I have a couple of months to rectify that.
“I don’t want to miss the Masters. I don’t want to be asking for an invite there.”
Torrey Pines might be as good as any a place for Els to turn his game around. In his last two trips to the Farmers Insurance Open, he’s finished in the top six both times with all eight rounds under par.
Stallings WDs; Thatcher in
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Scott Stallings has withdrawn from the Farmers Insurance Open, paving the way for alternate Roland Thatcher to play at Torrey Pines.
Stallings withdrew from last week’s Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation due to a rib injury. He tied for 22nd at the Hyundai Tournament of Championship and missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Shortly after his WD was announced, Stallings tweeted: No go for me this week. Doc did and MRI yesterday with no tear or break but said I need some time. Sorry to @FarmersInsOpen willcunextyear
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