Ogilvy, Stenson stand tall at Dove Mountain

MARANA—After four days and five rounds of some of the most exciting and chaotic golf of the season, only two have survived to continue their quest for the Walter Hagen Cup.

Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson each prevailed in yesterday’s semifinal matches, putting them in tomorrow’s 36-hole finals at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

“I’ve holed a lot of putts this week and my swing is feeling good,” Ogilvy said. “You could say that I enjoy the match play format.”

For Ogilvy, the word “enjoy” might be a bit of an understatement. Last season’s Accenture Match Play champion has now won 11 consecutive matches in this tournament, firmly establishing the 29-year-old Ogilvy as one of the game’s premier match play competitors.

Between his 2005 victory at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson and his part-time residence in Scottsdale, Ogilvy has taken quite a liking to the Southern Arizona desert.

“I love playing desert golf,” Ogilvy said. “I feel really comfortable out here.”

Ogilvy, the No. 3 seed from the Sam Snead bracket, easily defeated Paul Casey 5 and 4 in yesterday morning’s quarterfinal match. He followed that up with the a 3 and 2 win over the Gary Player bracket representative, Chad Campbell, during this afternoon’s semifinal.

Stenson charged through the Bobby Jones bracket, toppling Nick O’Hern in the quarterfinals 1 up, then vanquishing the red-hot Trevor Immelman 3 and 2 to earn the match-up with Ogilvy.

O’Hern made headlines on Friday by taking out Tiger Woods in 20 holes. The emotionally and physically draining match caused O’Hern to come out slightly flat against the steady Stenson.

“I’m absolutely knackered at the moment,” O’Hern said. “But if you’re not up for this, you’re not up for anything. It was obviously nice to beat Tiger, but it’s a pretty disappointing way to finish.”

Immelman came into yesterday’s matches as one of the hottest golfers in the tournament. He easily defeated Justin Rose—the golfer who eliminated Phil Mickelson in round two—5 and 4, but didn’t have enough in the tank to defeat Stenson.

“I felt like I was hitting the ball well, but Henrik got such a great start that it put me under a lot of pressure,” Immelman said. “I’m proud of how I played, but I really hate losing.”

Campbell was riding high with victories over Jim Furyk and David Toms, and he used that momentum to defeat Stephen Ames 1 up in the quarterfinals.

However, Campbell’s irons failed him on the back nine against Ogilvy, allowing the Australian to charge into his second consecutive finals.

With so many of the game’s biggest names eliminated early, Ogilvy—with his U.S. Open title and his aforementioned match play accomplishments—stands as the most recognizable name left at the South Course at the Gallery at Dove Mountain.

“I don’t think anyone outside the golf world knows who I am,” Ogilvy said. “I don’t know who wins, Australians or Swedes, in Tucson.”

During last year’s quest toward the Walter Hagen Cup, Ogilvy endured a handful of grueling, extra-hole matches, even setting the record for most holes played at the Accenture Match Play.

This year, Ogilvy has played 16 fewer holes, which he said helps him going into today’s final.

“I’m probably less tired at this point now than I was this time last year,” Ogilvy said.

Campbell—who will take on Immelman for third place at 11:50 a.m.—acknowledged that Ogilvy’s putter as the deciding factor in their match.

“[Ogilvy] made a lot of key putts, and I just didn’t make enough birdies,” Campbell said. “He’s going to be tough to beat if he keeps putting like that.

Stenson’s putter has also come through in the clutch this week. He’s played a number of close matches, and has yet to miss a crucial putt.

The 29-year-old Swede has four European Tour wins in his career, including a victory at the Dubai Desert Classic this season—a tournament that included Woods in the field.

“Obviously, Henrik is a good player,” Ogilvy said. “I mean, he’s one of the only guys who’s beaten Tiger over four rounds of stroke play recently. He hits the ball for miles, and he’s obviously putting quite well, because he’s still alive in the tournament.”

The first half of the Ogilvy-Stenson final is scheduled to begin at 7:40 a.m., with the second 18 holes scheduled for approximately 12:15 p.m.

The Golf Channel will televise the morning portion, with NBC picking up the telecast at noon.

For more information, please visit www.worldgolfchampionships.com.

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