Us Open Champ Geoff Ogilvy

Geoff Ogilvy made a big splash in the world of golf this year by winning the prestigious US Open. Suddenly, he was on everyone’s lips and they were all asking the same questions: Who is Geoff Ogilvy and where did he come from?

Ogilvy is an Australian golfer who currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. This may come as a surprise to many but the US Open was actually Ogilvy’s third championship on the PGA Tour. He previously won the 2005 Chrysler Classic of Tucson and the 2006 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship last February before bagging the 2006 U.S. Open title in June. By virtue of this string of victories, Ogilvy barged into golf’s elite World Top 10 for the first time, rising to as high as number eight.

Ogilvy was simply electric in the US Open, finishing his round with a champion’s flourish and making improbable pars on the last two holes, a 30-foot chip shot at the 17th and a downhill six-footer on the 18th. He was lucky, too, as American Phil Mickelson gave up a two shot lead with three holes to play.

As the first Australian player to win a major golf tournament in 11 years (since Steve Elkington at the 1995 PGA Championship), the 29-year-old Ogilvy has been hailed as a hero in his homeland.

Tony Hallam, CEO of Golf Australia, stated, “The reaction of the Australian public and the Australian golf community to Geoff’s achievement has been phenomenal. Geoff’s victory is particularly significant for golf in Australia and for golfing fans who were willing an Australian to win a Major after an 11 year drought. No doubt this will inspire more young Australians to be successful on the international sporting field.”

Ogilvy turned professional in May of 1998 and won a European Tour card at that year’s Qualifying school. He played on the European Tour in 1999 and 2000, finishing 65th in his first season and improving to 48th in his second. He joined the U.S. based PGA Tour in 2001, and finished in the top 100 in each of his first five seasons. His first professional tournament win came in 2005 at the PGA Tour’s Chrysler Classic of Tucson. In February 2006 he beat Davis Love III in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.