WGC-Accenture Match Play: So what did they do with the real Geoff Ogilvy?

I strongly believe that security urgently needs to be beefed up at top PGA Tour events. I implore the golfing authorities to make all haste in introducing retina scanning, fingerprinting, voice recognition, heck shoe size checks if necessary. For the players you fools, not the spectators! Only then can we be sure we have the genuine article playing in the tournament and not some crazed impersonator.

That wasn’t the real Geoff Ogilvy out there at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Sunday was it? ‘I lost the plot,’ was the Australian’s explanation afterwards. His swing apparently had gradually been going to pieces through the week. But that does not explain his dire putting Sunday, nor some of the curious decisions on approach shots. Fatigue was clearly a factor, but that applied to both contestants. Of the two, Ogilvy had the better experience of how to handle it.

No two ways about it, the Aussie bottled it. For all the rounds except the final and the weather-plagued third round, Ogilvy’s “birdie average” (average of birdies and eagles, minus bogeys, per hole) was a competition-leading 41%. In Saturday’s quarter-final it was 36% and the following semi-final 37%. A day later it was a big flat zero.

Hats off to Henrik Stenson for staying with it and twice coming back from two down. But he didn’t exactly play great golf on Sunday either. A great contest it was not; more like the golfing equivalent of a 36-round heavyweight slugfest.

Still, I thought the competition overall was hugely enjoyable, although it is perhaps a shame the course seems to give the bombers such a distinct advantage.

It’s also a pity half the field has to trot home after just one match. Couldn’t they do something similar to the various world sporting finals and have a round-robin in each “bracket” for the first three days, with something like my birdie stats to decide final table ties?

PS: Fred Funk gave all us “old geysers” hope with his victory in Mexico. Jose Coceres himself is no spring chicken and that’s his best PGA Tour result since winning at Disney in 2001. But if past form is any guide, the Argentinian will now fade back into relative obscurity.

For the record, according to my crude stats, accuracy off the tee and solid iron work were key components in beating this course. Now let’s get on with some proper golf.