LEMONT, Ill. – Trying to figure out which players can qualify for the final few spots on the International team for the Presidents Cup is as dizzying as trying to figure out the Official World Golf Ranking.
Makes sense, really, since the former is solely dependent on the latter.
The most precipitous story is that of Geoff Ogilvy. Currently in the 10th position as last man who would automatically qualify for Greg Norman’s roster, he needs to finish around 25th or better at the BMW Championship in order to hold his place. If not, he would actually get passed by Louis Oosthuizen, who isn’t competing this week.
With the biennial competition taking place on his home course, Ogilvy desperately wants to be on the team.
“I grew up about 400 or 500 yards from Royal Melbourne,” he said earlier this week. “So Royal Melbourne is pretty special just because of that, my history there. And the fact that it’s the Presidents Cup in Australia, yeah, it’s definitely not one that I would like to miss. It would be a pretty amazing week. I’ll probably be around there regardless -- whether or not I was in the tournament I’d be there anyway. I’ve got a house that actually backs onto the golf course at Royal Melbourne now, so I would like to play, yeah.”
Ogilvy isn’t the only one trying to figure out the permutations.
John Senden, who is currently 23rd on the points list, has been climbing the leaderboard at Cog Hill. He needs a victory to assure his place on the team, though a second-place finish may be enough, as well.
Meanwhile, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley likely need results of fifth and sixth place, respectively, to earn a spot, though those remain dependent on how other players fare, as well.
