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"He was special" - Aussie veteran Geoff Ogilvy on what it was like to go up against prime Tiger Woods

In a recent interview, Aussie veteran Geoff Ogilvy shed some light on what it was like to compete against the prime Tiger Woods.

Ogilvy has had a remarkable career as a professional golfer, but his career collided with the phenomenon of Woods, who dominated professional golf like no other.

Ogilvy was recently a guest on Golf.com's Subpar podcast, where he was asked about his feelings about facing Woods in his prime.

"He was special," said Ogilvy. "I mean we were basically the same age, he was 18 months older I think. And we were kids in Australia and when he played LA in 1991, he was 15 or 16 he got an invite. And the announcers were talking about this kid's going to be great and isn't it great. And I'm like he can't be that good, he can't be as good as me or a couple of my other friend."

The eight-time PGA Tour winner said that he first saw Woods play at the Western Amateur in the mid-90s.

"We're all bouncing 3-woods like bouncing drivers into the trees at the end of the range, he was flying 3-woods up the top of these trees. So he was hitting at 30 yards past us and I'd never seen anything like it and he didn't win I think Kowall beat him that week in the match play," he continued.
"But I'm just like this guy's a whole another level. And the next year I saw him play at the British Open, Stevie Allen, he qualified and I didn't qualify but I got his family ticket. So I was sort of walking around had good access at let them 96 and watch Target 65 or 66 in the third round. I'm like yeah this kid's different. He was different," Ogilvy added.

Has Geoff Ogilvy won a Major?

Geoff Ogilvy has won eight times on the PGA Tour and has claimed one Major. His only Major championship title came at the 2006 US Open after beating Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, and Colin Montgomerie by one stroke.

His first win on the PGA Tour came at the 2005 Chrysler Classic in Tucson, after beating Mark Calcavecchia and Kevin Na in a playoff. The Barracuda Championship in 2014 was his last win on the Tour.

Here are all the professional wins of Geoff Ogilvy:

PGA Tour

  • 2005: Chrysler Classic of Tucson
  • 2006: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, U.S. Open
  • 2008: WGC-CA Championship
  • 2009: Mercedes-Benz Championship, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2)
  • 2010: SBS Championship (2)
  • 2014: Barracuda Championship

DP World Tour:

  • 2008: Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship
  • 2010: Australian Open
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