Ogilvy looking to sustain his success

KAPALUA, Hawaii --- What figures to be a peculiar year got off to a familiar start in Hawaii.

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Geoff Ogilvy was a wizard with the wedge, unflappable in the wind, found a new ally with his 5-wood and opened the PGA Tour season with another victory at Kapalua in the SBS Championship.

It raised hopes for a big season, just as it did a year ago, and just as it should.

Ogilvy has only seven PGA Tour victories, but they are quality wins: the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, twice at the Match Play Championship, another World Golf Championship at Doral, and back-to-back victories against a field of PGA Tour winners.

"When it's good, it's really good," the 32-year-old Australian said after closing with 6-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini. "I like how I play when I play good, so I'm not concerned about how good I can be when I'm actually playing well, because I think I can hang with most guys. I haven't shown that I could do well when my game is a little off. I think that's the sign of a really great player."

The familiar result at Kapalua was more about change. A change in endorsement has Ogilvy playing Titleist instead of Cobra, wearing Foot-Joys instead of Puma. The season began with a new regulation for grooves, with a less forgiving V-shape in wedges of every player's bag.

The biggest difference was the discussion about Tiger Woods, mainly because no one knows when -- or even if -- golf's biggest star will return from a sex scandal that has kept him out of public view for two months.

"It's going to linger for a while," Ogilvy said. "He is ... the best golfer ever -- or appeared to be on the way there -- and the most written-about golfer, and the most publicized golfer and everything. It's going to take a long time."

Ogilvy joined the conversation earlier in the week by suggesting No. 1 in the world might realistically be up for grabs, depending on how long Woods stays away and who plays well enough and long enough to catch him.

At the moment, Ogilvy is headed in the right direction.

Then again, he was headed that way a year ago. He won the Match Play Championship in February, but he didn't win again until Kapalua.

Ogilvy attributed that to too much work and not enough patience. He became addicted to hitting balls instead of worrying about posting a score, and then he tried forcing himself to play good golf. It was a vicious cycle.

His epiphany came in early October at the Presidents Cup, even as he lost to Steve Stricker in singles the final day.

"I had a moment of clarity: 'What are you trying so hard for? Here's a ball and there is a hole. Just hit it that way.' Keep it simple the whole time," Ogilvy said.

It was simple enough Sunday in the final round, especially when he saw Sabbatini post 63 to take the clubhouse lead at 21-under 271. Ogilvy was at 20-under when he turned and saw the leaderboard leaving the 13th green, and he knew where he needed to finish.

Instead of trying to drive the green on the 272-yard 14th hole, he smartly laid up with 4-iron off the tee. He trusted his wedge and hit it to four feet for birdie. On the par-5 15th, he hit 5-wood to about 25 feet and two-putted for the outright lead. Pars over the last three holes were good enough.

"He played very smartly," Sabbatini said. "We all know Geoff is an excellent golfer, but his strategy around the golf course is impeccable."

Ogilvy was headed home to Arizona before going halfway around the world to Abu Dhabi on the European Tour, with no plans to play until he defends another title at the Match Play Championship, hopeful his third child has been born by then.