Hoylake, England – Having recently trumpeted the addition of Geoff Ogilvy into its field, The International may be forced to do without the 2006 U.S. Open champion.
After the conclusion of the British Open, Ogilvy said he is considering reneging on his commitment to the PGA Tour stop at Castle Pines Golf Club.
“I’m hemming and hawing about The International,” Ogilvy said Sunday. “It’s a long week. It’s a long walk (the week before the PGA Championship) more than anything.
“I really, really enjoy the tournament. I’ve played it every year, (but) it’s a long walk up and down hills and it’s at 6,000 feet. It’s the hilliest course of the year and it’s so hot. It’s a funny format. It may bite the dust this year, unfortunately, but I don’t know.”
The International’s executive director, Larry Thiel, said he would be on the telephone with Ogilvy’s manager, Chubby Chandler, today.
“I don’t know if he’s saying that because he’s really run down right now, or if he’s indeed laying the groundwork for not coming,” Thiel said by phone Sunday. “It would certainly be too bad. He’s been very loyal to us. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”
In his first major after his victory last month at Winged Foot, Ogilvy shot a 6-under-par 282 at Royal Liverpool to finish in a tie for 16th. His apparent waffling came one day after U.S. Open runner-up Phil Mickelson said he was planning to play in The International, which is Aug. 10-13.
Ogilvy, 29, is enjoying a career year, winning the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play in February in addition to the U.S. Open. The Australian finished in a tie for 51st in last year’s International.
Meanwhile, another participant in last year’s International, Sean O’Hair, said Sunday he wouldn’t be coming to Castle Pines next month. Like Ogilvy, O’Hair cited his preferred method of training for the PGA, taking place the following week at Medinah outside Chicago, as his main reason for not attending.
