The pressure is off. In so many ways.
That's what Greg Norman said at, oh, dark-30 Colorado time Monday morning when he was relaxing at his ranch.
One big positive move over the weekend is what he called it.
One giant leap might be a more fitting term.
Yes, he was talking about Geoff Ogilvy. The man with a tremendous game -- when it's not being tied into knots by stitches in his hand, shoulder injuries, stomach bugs or the simple pressures of wanting to play in his own backyard -- the one Down Under, that is -- at the Presidents Cup. The man whose third place finish at the BMW Championship -- and 45-point leap into this week's The TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola field -- allowed everyone on the International side to breath a deep sigh of relief.
Norman just didn't want to have to spend a captain's pick on him. Now, he doesn't.
When Ogilvy was pressing to make the team, Norman picked up the phone and reminded him "If there is any one person who knows Royal Melbourne better than you, it's me. I need you on this team. Just go out there and just play and don't even worry about the team. Just focus on your performance on the golf course."
So, can we now add psychologist/brain coach to the long list of Norman's Shark Enterprises ventures?
Norman wanted Ogilvy on the team badly -- for both his current form and that knowledge at Royal Melbourne, which is, in so many ways, Australia's Augusta National. Ogilvy has a house 400 yards from that driving range and he has the same kind of feel for that course that Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have for Augusta.
He knows, like Norman, that this golf course is designed to be played backwards. See the pin position and work each hole chess-match backwards. He knows, too, there are a lot of sucker pins. And if you get on the wrong side of the hole?
"A six-foot downhiller is a hundred times harder than a 30-foot straight up the hill,'' Norman said, "But, you've got to know that."
Ogilvy does. So do Jason Day and Adam Scott, who has turned into a vocal leader and a second set of eyes for Norman.
And one more thing. About the drainage there. They know, we don't. And they plan to keep it that way.
"I think that's a crucial part. Not going to go into anymore details on that because I'm sure (U.S. captain) Fred Couples will read this,'' Norman said. "The drainage of the greens is very, very important, and that affects the way the ball rolls, as well."
Hmm. Norman's good at keeping secrets and playing things oh-so-close-to-the-vest. So when talk turns to those last two picks, you're not entirely sure where he'll go.
In 2009, he reached out and took Scott, who wasn't playing that well, in part to help him turn things around. And he did.
This time around who will he choose? Now that Ogilvy is safe and sound, Norman could reach out for Vijay Singh, the veteran from Fiji whose back is finally healthy. Or he could add a pair of Aussies -- think that local knowledge -- in Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley.
But . . .
"I'm picking the player, I'm not picking the flag,'' Norman said."The performance is what it's all about, and like I said, how they have been the last 90 days or 100 days is important to me."
His current team -- an extremely balanced one, he said -- includes the three Aussies, veterans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els, Masters champ Charl Schwartzel and four strong Asian players in K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang, Kyung-tae Kim and Ryo Ishikawa.
Louis Oosthuizen, who hasn't played well, is the next in the points line, followed by Allenby, Baddeley and Singh -- in order. John Senden is a way-outside shot who would need to win at East Lake to seriously join the conversation. Camilo Villegas and Richard Green seem simply too far down the list.
Norman said the conversation is open, but chances are he'll skip Oosthuizen and choose from the next three.
Singh has never missed a Presidents Cup and was part of that International team that blew away the U.S. 20 ½-11 ½ back in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. Singh had back-to-back top four finishes at the Wyndham Championship and The Barclays, but not much since. If he does take him, it will be for experience and his 16-15-1 all-time record.
Allenby has played on five International teams but, while his 8-13-3 record isn't dazzling, he's "a Royal Melbourne lover,'' Norman said. "He plays that golf course extremely well because of the way the golf course plays."
And Baddeley? His results have been up and down, but a closing 67 at the BMW Championship can't hurt. Neither will his putting. "His ball flight is very, very suited to that golf course,'' Norman said."And he putts well. And Royal Melbourne, the greens are going to be extremely fast, I know that. So putting well from inside six feet is huge.''
Like Ogilvy, Badds has been pressing, so maybe all he needs is a call. "Sometimes when you want it, you've got to be careful how you get it,'' Norman said."Sometimes that's putting a little less strain on yourself that allows you to build up the ladder a little bit instead of trying to put pressure on yourself and staying on one rung and maybe even drop back a little bit.''
But don't think that means he's out. Norman knows he's a great player and ball-striker."And,'' Norman said, "I like his style. I like the way he is. I like the way he is in the locker room."
Allenby would seem to be lock. And Badds? He needs a good, solid week at East Lake. He doesn't have to win. Just remain consistent. Singh has to be better. Much better.
We don't pretend to be in Norman's head, but it would make perfect sense -- all things considered -- to pick by flag. Scott's already worked up a few pairings in his head that he plans to share with Norman. Norman and vice-captains Tim Clark and Frank Nobilo are sure to be talking pairings too. Take Badds and Allenby and almost half the team are local favorites.
Before Norman said goodbye, he did talk around that flag thing.
"Obviously if you focus on the flag behind the player's name, obviously you need to have crowd favorites and people who can pull the crowd in and get the crowd going for you,'' he said."We would like to have that, because we really did not have that at San Francisco (in 2009) and there's no question the players like to play in front of a very friendly, cheerful, pulling crowd."
Three Aussies will make a difference, five could be worth a few bonus points. And a whole mess of putts.
What will Norman do? It just might depend on Singh. Or Baddeley. Or both. Or neither.
All we know is Ogilvy's in, the pressure's off and, reading between the lines, going for the flag -- ok, course knowledge -- just might be the safest bet.
That's what Greg Norman said at, oh, dark-30 Colorado time Monday morning when he was relaxing at his ranch.
One big positive move over the weekend is what he called it.
One giant leap might be a more fitting term.
Yes, he was talking about Geoff Ogilvy. The man with a tremendous game -- when it's not being tied into knots by stitches in his hand, shoulder injuries, stomach bugs or the simple pressures of wanting to play in his own backyard -- the one Down Under, that is -- at the Presidents Cup. The man whose third place finish at the BMW Championship -- and 45-point leap into this week's The TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola field -- allowed everyone on the International side to breath a deep sigh of relief.
Norman just didn't want to have to spend a captain's pick on him. Now, he doesn't.
When Ogilvy was pressing to make the team, Norman picked up the phone and reminded him "If there is any one person who knows Royal Melbourne better than you, it's me. I need you on this team. Just go out there and just play and don't even worry about the team. Just focus on your performance on the golf course."
So, can we now add psychologist/brain coach to the long list of Norman's Shark Enterprises ventures?
Norman wanted Ogilvy on the team badly -- for both his current form and that knowledge at Royal Melbourne, which is, in so many ways, Australia's Augusta National. Ogilvy has a house 400 yards from that driving range and he has the same kind of feel for that course that Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have for Augusta.
He knows, like Norman, that this golf course is designed to be played backwards. See the pin position and work each hole chess-match backwards. He knows, too, there are a lot of sucker pins. And if you get on the wrong side of the hole?
"A six-foot downhiller is a hundred times harder than a 30-foot straight up the hill,'' Norman said, "But, you've got to know that."
Ogilvy does. So do Jason Day and Adam Scott, who has turned into a vocal leader and a second set of eyes for Norman.
And one more thing. About the drainage there. They know, we don't. And they plan to keep it that way.
"I think that's a crucial part. Not going to go into anymore details on that because I'm sure (U.S. captain) Fred Couples will read this,'' Norman said. "The drainage of the greens is very, very important, and that affects the way the ball rolls, as well."
Hmm. Norman's good at keeping secrets and playing things oh-so-close-to-the-vest. So when talk turns to those last two picks, you're not entirely sure where he'll go.
In 2009, he reached out and took Scott, who wasn't playing that well, in part to help him turn things around. And he did.
This time around who will he choose? Now that Ogilvy is safe and sound, Norman could reach out for Vijay Singh, the veteran from Fiji whose back is finally healthy. Or he could add a pair of Aussies -- think that local knowledge -- in Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley.
But . . .
"I'm picking the player, I'm not picking the flag,'' Norman said."The performance is what it's all about, and like I said, how they have been the last 90 days or 100 days is important to me."
His current team -- an extremely balanced one, he said -- includes the three Aussies, veterans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els, Masters champ Charl Schwartzel and four strong Asian players in K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang, Kyung-tae Kim and Ryo Ishikawa.
Louis Oosthuizen, who hasn't played well, is the next in the points line, followed by Allenby, Baddeley and Singh -- in order. John Senden is a way-outside shot who would need to win at East Lake to seriously join the conversation. Camilo Villegas and Richard Green seem simply too far down the list.
Norman said the conversation is open, but chances are he'll skip Oosthuizen and choose from the next three.
Singh has never missed a Presidents Cup and was part of that International team that blew away the U.S. 20 ½-11 ½ back in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. Singh had back-to-back top four finishes at the Wyndham Championship and The Barclays, but not much since. If he does take him, it will be for experience and his 16-15-1 all-time record.
Allenby has played on five International teams but, while his 8-13-3 record isn't dazzling, he's "a Royal Melbourne lover,'' Norman said. "He plays that golf course extremely well because of the way the golf course plays."
And Baddeley? His results have been up and down, but a closing 67 at the BMW Championship can't hurt. Neither will his putting. "His ball flight is very, very suited to that golf course,'' Norman said."And he putts well. And Royal Melbourne, the greens are going to be extremely fast, I know that. So putting well from inside six feet is huge.''
Like Ogilvy, Badds has been pressing, so maybe all he needs is a call. "Sometimes when you want it, you've got to be careful how you get it,'' Norman said."Sometimes that's putting a little less strain on yourself that allows you to build up the ladder a little bit instead of trying to put pressure on yourself and staying on one rung and maybe even drop back a little bit.''
But don't think that means he's out. Norman knows he's a great player and ball-striker."And,'' Norman said, "I like his style. I like the way he is. I like the way he is in the locker room."
Allenby would seem to be lock. And Badds? He needs a good, solid week at East Lake. He doesn't have to win. Just remain consistent. Singh has to be better. Much better.
We don't pretend to be in Norman's head, but it would make perfect sense -- all things considered -- to pick by flag. Scott's already worked up a few pairings in his head that he plans to share with Norman. Norman and vice-captains Tim Clark and Frank Nobilo are sure to be talking pairings too. Take Badds and Allenby and almost half the team are local favorites.
Before Norman said goodbye, he did talk around that flag thing.
"Obviously if you focus on the flag behind the player's name, obviously you need to have crowd favorites and people who can pull the crowd in and get the crowd going for you,'' he said."We would like to have that, because we really did not have that at San Francisco (in 2009) and there's no question the players like to play in front of a very friendly, cheerful, pulling crowd."
Three Aussies will make a difference, five could be worth a few bonus points. And a whole mess of putts.
What will Norman do? It just might depend on Singh. Or Baddeley. Or both. Or neither.
All we know is Ogilvy's in, the pressure's off and, reading between the lines, going for the flag -- ok, course knowledge -- just might be the safest bet.
