Geoff Ogilvy wins SBS Championship

Geoff Ogilvy won the season opening event on the PGA Tour for the second consecutive year. The Australian took the SBS Championship by a single shot from South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini.

Geoff Ogilvy

Geoff Ogilvy won the season opening event on the PGA Tour for the second consecutive year. The Australian took the SBS Championship by a single shot from South Africa's Rory Sabbatini.

Ogilvy's closing 67 was his eighth straight round in the 60s at the Plantation Course at Kapalua and it was good enough to see him come out on top. He joined Stuart Appleby as the only repeat winners of this event since it moved to Kapalua in 1999.

Round of the day was by Rory Sabbatini. The South African fired a superb 10-under-par 63 to post the clubhouse target, taking the lead on 21-under-par. Ogilvy was not fazed, however, as he birdied the short par-4 14th then took over at the head of the leadeboard at 22-under-par with a birdie at the par-5 15th. He then parred his way in to secure the winner's cheque for $1.12 million and move back into the World's top-10.

It was Ogilvy's first title since he took the WGC-Accenture Match Play last February and he now aims to keep this form going through the season. His next start will be in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in two weeks time.

2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover held the lead coming into the final round but he fell away badly with a 76 to end the week in 14th spot.

Scotland's Martin Laird continued to impress, finishing the week in a tie for fourth with Sean O'Hair. Laird has climbed to 84th on the Official World Golf Ranking.

SBS Championship Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii Jan 7-10, purse $5,600,000, par 73

1    Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)    69    66    68    67    270    $1,120,000 2    Rory Sabbatini (RSA)    70    68    70    63    271    $645,000 3    Matt Kuchar (USA)    67    68    71    67    273    $426,000 T4    Martin Laird (Sco)    67    68    69    70    274    $300,000 T4    Sean O'Hair (USA)    68    67    71    68    274    $300,000 T6    Kenny Perry (USA)    70    67    70    68    275    $208,334 T6    Retief Goosen (RSA)    70    69    67    69    275    $208,334 T6    Ryan Moore (USA)    69    68    68    70    275    $208,334 9    Stewart Cink (USA)    68    69    69    70    276    $185,000 T10    Angel Cabrera (Arg)    68    68    70    71    277    $160,000 T10    Paul Casey (Eng)        70    69    69    69    277    $160,000 T10    Pat Perez (USA)        71    70    67    69    277    $160,000 T10    Steve Stricker (USA)    73    70    68    66    277    $160,000

Note: Player scores in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?