Geoff Ogilvy Is Now Officially the Most Underrated Player on the PGA Tour

ESPN, along with every other local and national news station in the country, followed and reported on Tiger Woods’ every move for three days.

Within hours of Woods’ second round loss to South African Tim Clarke, Woods flew out of town on his Gulfstream jet, and the massive media contingent quickly dispersed like a pack of gazelles that had just been chased away by a predator.

The predator in this case happened to be Tim Clarke.

Geoff Ogilvy’s win at the Accenture Match Play Championship will not appear on any local or national newscast and is unlikely to receive more than 15 seconds of airtime on ESPN’s SportsCenter, if it is covered at all. 

Despite being only the second Australian-born golfer to win a major since Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy receives very little attention in his homeland of Australia.

In Australia, the far less accomplished Adam Scott could be compared to Eddie Van Halen, whereas Ogilvy could be considered one of Van Halen’s backup singers.

The 2006 U.S. Open is now associated solely with Phil Mickelson’s improbable meltdown rather than for the fact that Ogilvy birdied the 17th and calmly parred the 18th while both Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie collapsed under the U.S. Open pressure. 

Having now won three World Golf Championships and a U.S. Open, the extreme lack of attention that Ogilvy receives makes him arguably the most underrated player in the world today.

Over the course of three matches on Saturday and Sunday, Ogilvy displayed a form of flawless golf that you would be hard pressed to find from any player, anywhere in the world.

Through 66 holes, Ogilvy was an incredible 26-under par while handily defeating Rory McIlroy and Stewart Cink on Saturday and then knocking off Paul Casey in the final match on Sunday.

Further illustrating just how perfectly Ogilvy played all weekend, he carded just a single bogey in 66 holes.

Tiger Woods himself would have had to play his absolute best to defeat Ogilvy last weekend, and it’s arguable as to whether or not Woods’ best would have even been enough to oust Ogilvy during the midst of his absolute assault on the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

With a career record of 17-2 at the Accenture Match Play Championship, Ogilvy’s winning percentage of 91.5 is better than that of even Tiger Woods in this event.

Good luck to whoever happens to draw the unlucky task of facing off against Ogilvy at the Presidents Cup in October.

Whether making an eagle or a double bogey, Ogilvy keeps his emotions at an even keel.

You won’t see any first pumps coming from Ogilvy, and being a quiet man, he doesn’t engage the crowd as you would see from a player like Phil Mickelson.

Aside from the fact that he is now ranked fourth in the world and just put on one of the best displays of ball-striking seen on the PGA Tour in quite some time last weekend, Ogilvy’s game is essentially boring to a casual golf fan.

He does not provide that theatre that players such as Woods and Mickelson so often provide. 

You won’t see large galleries following Geoff Ogilvy, and he can probably still go out to dinner with his family and not have to worry about being recognized. 

Based on Ogilvy’s calm, laid back nature, and the way in which he very quietly goes about demolishing a golf course, it is unlikely that Ogilvy will see much of a change in his popularity any time soon, which seems to be just the way he wants it.

Ogilvy is now the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour in 2009, and the state of his game right now has to make him one of, if not the favorite heading into the Masters in a little over a month.