Australia’s US PGA Tour golfers have performed below expectations this year but a salvage mission is high on the agenda in Boston this weekend.
Australians have won at least two US PGA titles in 22 of the last 24 years but with just Marc Leishman’s come-from-behind upset win in Connecticut earlier this year, the country is on track to match the lean years of 1996 and 2002.
Seven Australians remain in the second of four playoff events for the tour’s FedEx Cup at TPC Boston starting on Friday, although none of them are currently in the top 30, the mark to make it to the finale, the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
John Senden (32), Adam Scott (34), Leishman (36), Greg Chalmers (38) and Geoff Ogilvy (49) are currently inside the top 70 mark, relatively comfortable inside the magic number to advance to Indianapolis next week, but with work to do to get to Atlanta.
Aaron Baddeley (85) and Jason Day (88) are in the sudden-death zone, knowing roughly a top 20 or better is needed just to survive one more week.
The good news is all seven have reasons to be confident they can make a move, with plenty of strong past results in Boston to draw on.
“Hopefully this is our week,” Ogilvy said.
“It is hard to see us matching getting five guys in Atlanta (like last year) with none in at the moment but you never know.
“Sendo is playing well enough to threaten any week, Greg played great last week, Adam and Jason are capable of anything, Leish has won this year and Badds and I could do it.”
Ogilvy has precedent to back up his confidence having birdied the last hole last year to progress before finishing third the following week to make the Tour Championship.
“My finish here last year showed you can start outside the top 70 and make it to Atlanta,” he said.
“You can do it from any position if you’re good enough.”
Apart from his clutch finish last year, Ogilvy has four other top 10s to draw from at the Boston event, including a tie for second in 2010.
Scott won this event by four strokes in 2003, his first victory in the US.
He also has three other top 10s including runner-up in 2004 and a tie for fifth and eighth over the last two seasons.
“There are plenty of good feelings here,” Scott said.
“I like this golf course, I like the way it plays and I feel like I’ve got a good handle on it so it’s an important week for me to have a good one and move myself up in the standings.”
Day might be up against it but he tied second and third in Boston the last two years.
“I think when my back is against the wall, I feel like I play the best,” Day said.
“Knowing that I had the opportunity to win this tournament twice over the last two years is obviously big, and hopefully I can get it done this year.”
Senden has made nine from nine cuts in the past and carded an albatross in Boston in 2009.
Chalmers, fresh off his first top 10 of the season recorded a hole-in-one on the 16th last year.
Leishman shares the back nine scoring record at the course and the lowest second round in tournament history and Baddeley has two previous top 10s giving each player positives to draw from.