Joe Ogilvie wins PGA Tour's U.S. Bank Championship

From WorldGolf.com News Services

Another career journeyman has broken through to win on the PGA Tour.

Making his 230th start as a professional, Joe Ogilvie shot a final round 67 Sunday to win the U.S. Bank Championship (formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open) at 14-under-par, four strokes ahead of Charlie Wi, Tim Herron and Tim Clark.

Steve Flesch, Jeff Maggert and Kenny Perry finished six strokes back.

Ogilvie's win came in thrilling fashion, finishing his round eagle-par-birdie as the back-nine leader, Clark, squandered a two-stroke lead with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 16.

The charge started at the No. 13 where Ogilvie, two strokes back, he rolled in a 15-footer for birdie. Then came his eagle on No. 16. Ogilvie chose a wedge for his 119-yard approach over water on the par-5 hole. He hit the middle of the green, and watched as his ball preceded to spin back 30 feet to the heart of the cup.

Clark and Herron, playing in the final group, heard the gallery's roar from the tee. Clark, who'd already bogeyed the 10th (missing a 16-footer for par), would also bogey the 16th, falling two shots behind Ogilvie.

For Clark, the runner-up in the 2006 Masters, it was the second week in a row when he took the Sunday lead into the final nine and lost it. Last week he lost a three-stroke lead on the back nine of the John Deere Classic.

Herron also couldn't mount a charge on Sunday, suffering from several wayward drives that led to lost strokes.

The last five holes proved key for Ogilvie throughout the tournament. On Saturday, struggling on his round, Ogilvie went eagle-birdie on Nos. 15-16 to move back into contention.

The field at the U.S. Bank Championship was a slim one, since it was the first time the tournament was held on the same weekend as the British Open. The event has traditionally followed the British Open.

July 23, 2007