The 19^th Hole

February 26, 2007

That Was a Treat

Henrik Stenson.  Geoff Ogilvy.  Those two men, both seeded third in their respective brackets, comprised the finale of the Accenture Match Play Championship.  When I found out that these two men would battle it out for the title, I was ecstatic. 

Stenson was coming off a huge win at Dubai and has never been ranked higher in the world.  He came into this week ranked 8^th.  Ogilvy, the defending champion, was riding an eleven match winning streak in this particular event.  Only one man had ever repeated as champion of this event.  I’ll let you guess who it is.  Both men had been playing tremendous and timely golf to get to the final.  Their combined highlight reels for the week would be a perfect tutorial of how one achieves excellence in match play – clutch putting, aggressive shotmaking, and absurd recovery skills.

With how well the two men had played just to come this far, I was kind of afraid that the closing match could either be a match play clinic or a tired catastrophe.  Fortunately, Stenson-Ogilvy turned out to be the former.  In what was arguably the best match of the week, all things considered, the final was a tremendous display of all that is bright about the future of golf.

The match never was anything but close.  Neither golfer ever carried an advantage of better than two holes.  It was appropriate that the match ended in a 2 and 1 score.  For the match to have gotten out of hand would have done a disservice to the caliber of match that these men played.

The two competitors traded shot for shot – both good and bad.  In the morning round of the 36 hole match, no hole was halved until the eighth in pars.  Part of the way through the afternoon round, both golfers were very apparently tired and the quality of play suffered compared to the feverish pace of the morning 18.  Even still, Ogilvy and Stenson traded mediocre shots with one another to make for rousing match play.  Recovery shots – including two splendid chips on the 32^nd hole – were brilliantly played and executed to maintain the drama.

It was not until the 30^th hole that Stenson acquired the lead for good with a birdie on the par 4.  He got to dormie on the 34^th hole, again by a birdie.  It was that kind of solid play that made this match as rousing as it could be.  Of the 35 holes played, only five were lost by either player with a score worse than par.  The match was won and lost with birdies and eagles.  Not only was the match inherently interesting because of its tight nature, but the players involved were playing tremendous golf.

It was evident from the very beginning that these two men were playing inspired golf.  The title meant something to them and it showed in their shotmaking and sportsmanship.  Stenson has been motivated by the desire to come to the United States and win on the PGA Tour.  Ogilvy was out to extend a remarkable match play streak and seeking to prove that his major win at Winged Foot was certainly not a fluke.  Both are young international players motivated to show the world that it is their time to shine and be among the global players that are stemming the tide of American dominance in the sport.

It all combined to make a fantastic match in an ironic backdrop.  Two youthful international players were vying for a World Golf Championship event on American soil.  With all of the talk of the United States hosting all three World Golf Championship events this year, it seems only appropriate that the finale of the tournament was a match of foreign-born players making a statement about the direction of the game. 

The future of the sport is not just in the United States – or so it appears right now.  The future was right in front of us on Sunday in a rousing match.  The youth (in relative terms) of the game was served well in this championship.  For as much gloom and doom as there is about the state of the PGA Tour and American golf, there is a reason for hope about the state of the game.  On Sunday, Henrik Stenson and Geoff Ogilvy proved that the game is in good hands – even if it is in hands we may not expect.

Ryan Ballengee is host of The 19th Hole Golf Show, found at The Golf Newsnet.com.  Having graduated from the University of Maryland in 2004 and 2006, Ballengee brings the perspective of the younger golf fan to the microphone and his columns.  Over the nearly five years he has been broadcasting and writing, Ballengee has developed a reputation for a unique interviewing style that asks both the difficult and fun questions. You can also get The 19th Hole on the go through podcasting by clicking here The Golf Newsnet Contact Ryan via e-mail at the19thholeshow@hotmail.com.