Ogilvy excited by new opportunities

by Tony Webeck, PGA of Australia

European Tour member. Course architect. Tournament promoter. Maybe even a movement to the other side of the microphone.

Geoff Ogilvy makes his return to the Australian PGA Championship for the first time in six years at RACV Royal Pines Resort from Thursday, but it is the life away from the golf course that now occupies much of the 41-year-old's thinking.

After having lived abroad for 20 years, the Ogilvy family returns from the American PGA tour and moves back to Melbourne, where the next phase of his career awaits.

Ogilvy is a highly respected voice in the world wave and is already involved in designing jobs at the OCCM Golf team and would like to explore other possibilities that may result from a less hectic schedule.

Although he has not played a round of golf with a scorecard in his back pocket for five months, Ogilvy knows that a strong week at Royal Pines will open the door to a semi-regular return to the European Tour in 2019, but is especially excited about what even more in store.

"I have the feeling that the world of golf is my oyster," said Ogilvy, Australian PGA Champion of 2008.

"I actually wanted that second half of the golflife career to be established in Australia because I lived in the US for a long time and I'm ready to come home.

"We'll be back in January and from Australia to the next … hopefully forever maybe and bounce around the world a little bit more Play some more interesting places and still play a little bit in America, but maybe you step in the architecture side of things, maybe one day you ask a few questions in the media or something like that. "

Unable to play the Australian Open two weeks ago because of a promise to bring his three children to Disneyland, Ogilvy has strong views on the future planning of professional tournaments in Australia.

Having started his professional career in 1999 with two years full-time on the European Tour, Ogilvy would like to see an even greater alignment between Europe and the Australasian Tour.

The Australian PGA Championship is one of the three coordinated European Tour events in Australia and Ogilvy believes that a shift in dates could revitalize the tournament wave in Australia.

"I always enjoy tournaments in January and February," Ogilvy explained.

"I think we should use Australian Open tennis, since half of the sports world comes down to see it anyway.

"They all watch Melbourne, we have better weather, for that part of the country, possibly on that side of the summer.

"That co-sanction for European Tour is huge for Australians, it's really big, especially for the young boys.

"It's really important and it's definitely the best carrot we have to get guys into the middle of it, I come or not, well it's Europe, so I better go, it's an important thing, I think, for us. "

While Marc Leishman argued for the yellow theme of Thursday in honor of the memory of Jarrod Lyle to become an annual feature of the Aussie wave calendar, Ogilvy revealed that he and Robert Allenby have the potential of a new tournament all the way in Lyle & # 39 ; s honor in Melbourne explored.

"I think it would be very appropriate that there might be room for a new tournament in Australia," Ogilvy said.

"The Masters are ready, there can be room, it is clear that a lot of things have to be arranged, but in theory it seems like a cool idea to hold a Jarrod Lyle tournament, whether it's a big tournament or a small tournament, but honors Jarrod every year.

"It's a non-profit tournament that gives money for what the Lyle family wants, probably Challenge, I would expect, and I think you can create a feeling that can get a lot of enthusiasm behind the tournament and many players who come playing because everyone liked Jarrod.

"It would be good, because he was a great golfer from Melbourne, and it would raise money for Challenge, of course there are around a million different boxes that you have to tick to make it work, but Robert and I immediately loved it. the idea.

"Conceptually it's a cool idea – it would be amazing if we could make a legacy tournament for Jarrod, which would do a lot of good, and it would actually help the alternative motive, so you might get a great tournament in Melbourne again.

"We talked about the idea and we both thought it was great."