Ogilvy's Post Round 2 Comments

From ASAP:

Q. How was the course playing today compared to yesterday?

GEOFF OGILVY: To be fair, I think at first the first few holes were probably easier than they were yesterday afternoon, then it progressively got harder. Every green you got on was a little browner than the one before and a bit faster and glassier and it starts bouncing. By the end of the day there were some pretty big bounces on the greens. I'm glad I'm finished. This afternoon it's going to be pretty hard work for them.

And...

Q. You have a pretty good record in majors. Any part of the learning process or something that you're taking out there?

GEOFF OGILVY: I mean, a 20 something last year at Pinehurst, I was like, I could probably do all right. Before that I didn't think I could do any good in a U.S. Open because I don't drive it very straight. I would have said it's the least likely of the four for me to do well in.

After last year, I thought, you know, there must be something in there that allows me to get there in a U.S. Open. Then I played great at St. Andrews, great at Baltusrol, and Baltusrol was similar to a U.S. Open setup. I think I get in a better frame of mind in majors than I maybe get in regular tournaments.

This is fun...

Q. Would you go through your birdies and bogeys starting with 11.

Finish why you do well in the majors.

Oops, someone didn't like that attempt at a rally kill!

GEOFF OGILVY: Because you have to be. You have to finish well, otherwise you're going home early, and you only gets four chances a year at it maybe. For some reason, I seem to handle adversity better in a major. I seem to have been, anyway. If I'm 2 over after 5 in a regular Tour event, I'm probably not the most cheerful guy in the world, but I was quite fine today. I was not stressing at all because that's kind of what you do.

I don't know, I think four times a year you've got to have your best you've got to bring your brain and your patience, and if you don't, you're not going to do any good. You've got a choice, and I'm trying to have a better one.

And...

Q. Are you surprised that the defending champ, looks like he's out of the tournament?

GEOFF OGILVY: No, you can play well here and get a few bad breaks and shoot 80 before you know it. I played with David Howell and Bo Van Pelt and did nothing wrong, and a couple holes in a row, they hit a couple bad shots and they're done for. It's pretty brutal out there. You've got to try and avoid the train wrecks. If you hit a bad shot, try and get a bogey and get away. You're only one bad swing away from a big number out there.

Q. Is it a different player who excels in a tournament where par is a real good score as opposed to 7 under?

GEOFF OGILVY: I don't know, it's hard to say. It's a different mindset you've got to set yourself. If you get yourself in the right mindset, anyone can do it out here when it's tough. You've just got to adjust where your brain is. Normally if you're going over par on the courses that we play regularly, you're really not going very well. But you can be 4 over through nine holes here and not be in bad shape. You've just got to tell yourself, you've really got to be able to read what is a good score and not a good score.

At a regular Tour event it's hard to read what a good score is. Sometimes you shoot 4 over and there's eight guys that shot 8 under.

That's why I think it helps to watch the leaderboard, because you have two or three bogeys, and you're like, everyone else is doing this, so it's got to be pretty hard out here.

No questions about the setup for the one player who has shown and ability to offer articulate thoughts on the subject??