Ogilvy stuns Love III

ByReuters

Published 26/02/2006 at 23:08 GMT

Australia's Geoff Ogilvy pulled off a surprise victory at the WGC Match Play Championship, beating American Davis Love III 3&2 in Sunday's 36-hole final. Ogilvy, who qualified by winning the Tucson Classic 12 months ago, clinched the title when both p

2006 WGC Match Play Ogilvy

Image credit: Reuters

The Australian, world-ranked 53rd, led Love one up after the morning round and stretched his advantage to three with his sixth birdie of the day at the 22nd hole.

Although former major champion Love trimmed the deficit to one midway through the afternoon round, Ogilvy tightened his grip by winning the 29th, 30th and 32nd holes.

Love holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-four 33rd to keep his fading hopes alive before Ogilvy wrapped up the second PGA Tour victory of his career at the next.

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The 28-year-old from Adelaide became the second Australian to claim an individual World Golf Championships (WGC) title, after 2002 NEC-Invitational winner Craig Parry.

Ogilvy, who ousted U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman 4&3 in Saturday's semi-final, trailed Love by a hole after both players bogeyed the par-four 14th in the morning.

Love, beaten 3&2 by Tiger Woods in the 2004 final, wasted a chance to go two ahead there when he lipped out from three feet.

The American then surrendered his lead when he double-bogeyed 15 after taking two shots to escape one of three bunkers at the back of the green.

BAD SPOT

"I had a terrible lie, the ball was right up against the slope," said the 41-year-old Love. "But the whole thing was my tee shot where I put myself in a bad spot."

Ogilvy went ahead for the first time with a birdie at the par-three 16th, where he struck a superb tee shot to within seven feet of the pin, and retained that one-hole cushion going into the afternoon round.

The Australian doubled his lead at the par-five 21st, getting up and down for birdie from the right greenside bunker. Love, who found sand to the left of the green with his second shot, missed his birdie attempt from 16 feet.

Ogilvy also won the following hole, sinking a nine-foot birdie putt to forge three ahead.

Love clawed one back when he almost drove the green at the par-four 24th, chipping up to five feet to secure a birdie-three.

Ogilvy's lead was then trimmed to a hole when the Australian bogeyed the par-four 25th after ending up in the front right bunker with his approach.

He got back to two up, though, after striking a superb second shot to six feet at the par-five 29th.

Love ended up behind the green in two and had to take an awkward stance in a bunker with his ball perched on the lip above him. He overran his third shot 40 feet past the pin and conceded the hole after failing to make the return putt.

Ogilvy then rolled in a nine-footer for birdie at the par-three 30th to restore his three-hole cushion and went four up after sinking a 29-footer for a regulation par-four at the 32nd where Love failed to reach the green in two.

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