Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy won the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with a score of 5-over-par, taking advantage of 72nd hole collapses by Phil Mickelson, Colin Montgomerie, and Jim Furyk on his way to his first, and only, major championship victory.
For winning, Ogilvy was granted a 10-year U.S. Open exemption, which ran out last year. Ogilvy’s career has stagnated since the 2012 season, and the eight-time Tour winner has struggled to qualify for the biggest events.
One more he will not be playing: the 2017 U.S. Open.
Ogilvy passed up a chance to qualify via sectionals, instead deciding to use the week to rest, potentially a wise decision given his tenuous hold on his PGA Tour card.
Bullets
- Late Withdraw: The 39-year-old Ogilvy had been scheduled to compete in the popular Columbus, Ohio sectional earlier this week, but made a late decision to withdraw in favor of rest.
- Ranking Freefall: Ogilvy has reached as high as #4 in the Official World Golf Rankings, which he accomplished after winning the 2009 WGC-Match Play Championship. After a series of recent struggles, Ogilvy currently ranks 215th.
- Rest Needed: With the busiest part of the season approaching, Ogilvy felt the rest would do him better. He is currently playing on a one-time exemption for his high position on the career money list.
- Decent Season: In the current season, Ogilvy has made nine cuts in 17 events with one top 10, a T4 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last November.
- One Goal: Ogilvy said that he would have entered sectional qualifying if he had a better position in the FedEx Cup standings. He currently ranks 113th with the top 125 at the end of the season receiving their 2018 PGA Tour card.
Quotable
“If you play the qualifier, it beats you up, and then the tournament beats you up, and then I could go to [The Travelers Championship] physically tired and maybe lose a bit of confidence if I don’t play well. It was really hard for me.”
–Geoff Ogilvy, explaining his decision.
