Playing alongside Tiger was fun, says Ogilvy
WHILE most players found being paired with Tiger Woods in his prime a daunting proposition, Geoff Ogilvy, who won the 2006 US Open, relished the opportunity to tee it up with the 15-time major winner.
“I liked playing with Tiger and mostly played well when I was with him,” Ogilvy told Subpar podcast’s Colt Knost and Drew Stolz.
“With him it was fun because you knew you were with one of the best players of all time … not comparing your game to his but seeing what you could learn and pick up.
“You were hoping he’d do something Tiger Woods in front of you so you could say ‘I was there when he did this’. To play with a guy that good was pretty special and we were all fortunate to play in that era.
“He could be playing rubbish all day, but he would always hit the important shots well. If you were at the Masters and he was playing rubbish and missing every fairway but then he would pipe one down 15, hit his approach to eight feet, make eagle and fix his round.
“He never missed the shot that mattered. And every time there was high expectations for Tiger to do well, he’d go and win the tournament.
“We have all played with great players like DJ (Dustin Johnson) and Brooks (Koepka), Scotty and Sergio who can play outrageous golf – and it was a high level – but every time when the expectations were high Tiger met or exceeded them.
“I don’t know how you do that because the biggest anchor in golf is your own expectations, but he just beat it every time.
“Tiger was a genius at finishing 72 holes in front of everyone else. He’d be pretty casual on Thursday and Friday, then on Saturday he’d be a bit more serious and Sunday you couldn’t talk to him.
“He just wouldn’t look anyone in the eye. He was almost meditating, walking slow and measured. He just somehow knew how to get to the end in front of everyone else.
“He was just better at it than everyone else.”
Ogilvy, who is 18 months younger than Woods, first encountered the American when they were teenagers.
“Commentators were saying ‘this kid (Tiger) is going to be great’ and we’re saying he can’t be that great or as good as us (me or my friends),” Ogilvy laughed.
“But the first time I saw him play for real was at the Western Amateur at Point O’ Woods GCC in the mid-1990s. We are all bouncing drivers into the trees at the end of the range and he was flying three-woods over the top of the trees.
“He was hitting it 30 yards past us. I’d never seen anything like it and thought this guy is another level.
“The next year I saw him play at the British Open at Royal Lytham and watched him shoot 65 or 66 in the third round and thought ‘this kid is different’.”
Tiger Woods went on to win 15 majors – five Masters, four US PGA titles, three US Open titles and three Open Championships. His last major win was at the 2008 US Open.
Another player who enjoyed duelling with Tiger was Ernie Els.
In fact, when Tiger was still an amateur in 1996, he sought the Big Easy’s advice.
“Tiger and I go back a long way and I played a lot of golf with him in 1994-95 when he was an amateur. He was winning the US Amateur so he would be invited to the majors.
“I was having a beer in the locker room (at the 1996 Open Championship) and he asked me what I thought about his game and if I thought he was ready to turn pro.
“I said absolutely. I joke that I regret saying that but he wouldn’t have listened to me if I’d said he wasn’t ready. When I look back now, I should have told him he wasn’t good enough and should wait another five years,” laughed Ernie.
For the record, Tiger took Ernie’s advice and turned pro six weeks later.
“I did have some good battles with him, and I did beat him here and there, but he was the best closer of a tournament I have seen in my life.
“Tiger’s always been a good friend and one of the greatest competitors ever.”
Chief writer David Newbery has been living, breathing and writing and editing golf for more than 30 years. His extensive knowledge of the game comes from covering golf around the world. Hired by Inside Golf in 2009, David previously worked as the editor of The Golfer for 25 years and before that worked for numerous daily newspapers in Australia and overseas. The Brisbane-based journalist describes his golf game as “a work in progress”, but has had the privilege of playing golf with some of the game’s best players including nine-time major winner Gary Player. David enjoys travelling, reading, music, photography and spending time with family and friends – on and off the golf course. 
