Ogilvy argues firm and fast courses would encourage more shotmaking.
Photo: Darren Carroll
"He has the talent and the work ethic to really go after perfection," Ogilvy says. "Tiger is different in that he doesn't just master what he does well, he's made himself the master of everything. Speaking personally, I can't try a lot of things in competition that I'm not doing well. I might go home and think big thoughts about career goals, but when I tee it up on Thursday morning, rightly or wrongly, all I'm thinking about is playing well that day. So some days I can hit every shot, but most days, I'll just hit the shot that is working.
"And I think that's how most players play. Because of equipment, it's probably easier than it used to be to have a one-dimensional game and play well. Like Bruce Lietzke, he just mastered what he did and accepted the limitations. He was sort of a pioneer in that style, which has the drawback of not being well suited for majors. But for as much money as we play for now, you can have an unbelievable career playing like that. It's like mechanical trading on the stock market. They have these computer systems that take all the emotion and intangibles out of the decision, and they buy and sell on your behalf. We are starting to play golf on tour almost like that. It's kind of like the way Dave Pelz coaches pitching -- with set swing lengths for specific distances. It's the exact opposite of Seve, who was all emotion and art."
All that said, Ogilvy believes shotmaking can be revived.
"Before we mess with the rules, I think the challenge is for the tours to set the courses up more like majors," he said. "Firm ground is the motivation for shotmaking, and a lot would be fixed if we stopped watering the greens so much. Right now, guys are using balls that don't spin very much because they go farther, and they can get away with it because the greens are soft. But if you firmed up the greens for the pros, they would start using balls that spin more. They would be sick of the ball rolling over the greens, and they'd use a ball they could move around in the air so they could bring it in from the right direction. It's no accident that Tiger uses a ball that spins more than anyone's. Guys would change their style of play, but they won't until they have to."
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