Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy’s has extended a dramatic late season comeback to soar in the US PGA Tour’s playoffs.
Ten days ago, Ogilvy thought his season was over and flew home to Arizona after missing the cut in the opening playoff event, the Barclays Championship.
But the 2006 US Open champion scraped into the Deutsche Bank Championship in 100th and last spot and he capitalised on that good fortune with a brilliant finish to tie for second place on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
Ogilvy’s flawless six-under-par 65 closing round at TPC Boston left him just two shots behind American winner Chris Kirk (66).
Melburnian Ogilvy threatened to win for the second time in four weeks, sharing the lead as he walked down the 17th hole. But he closed with two pars, while Kirk made a couple of bombs to secure victory.
The result has rocketed Ogilvy from 100th to 24th in the FedEx Cup standings, ensuring him a spot in this week’s 70-man field for the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills.
It also has him well placed to make the 30-man field for the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta where the $US10 million ($A10.82 million) bonus is up for grabs from the season’s points winner.
“Everything is a bonus,” said Ogilvy.
“I mean this time last week I was going home or I was home. I was content with that.”
It’s a major turnaround for Ogilvy who was enduring a miserable season before he won the Barracuda Championship in Nevada four weeks ago to edge into the playoffs.
No Australian has ever won the FedEx Cup but there are a cluster in the running this year including Jason Day (ranked seventh), Adam Scott (16th), John Senden (19th) and Ogilvy.
Senden closed with a 66 to finish tied fifth in the Deutsche Bank Championship, while Day (71) was tied seventh and Scott tied 13th after a closing 67.
Stuart Appleby (26), Steven Bowditch (45), Marc Leishman (47) and Matt Jones (67) also qualified for Colorado this week
Bowditch bagged two eagles in a front-nine 29 in a final-round 65.
Kirk moved into top spot in the playoff standings when he fired a bogey-free closing-round 66 to win the championship from Ogilvy, Billy Horschel (69) and Russell Henley (70), who tied for second.
