Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee are two of Australian golf’s brightest young talents; Geoff Ogilvy wants to help them to become winners.

Still young in their professional careers – Lee only made the move from the amateur ranks in January – both Herbert and Lee have played well above their weight in the past two editions of the ISPS HANDA Super 6 Perth tournament.

When the 2019 event tees off on Thursday morning at Lake Karrinyup Country Club the pair will be among the top-10 tournament favourites with bookmakers but Ogilvy knows it takes more to transfer talent into professional wins.

A winner of eight US PGA TOUR events including the 2006 US Open, Ogilvy relocated with his family back to Melbourne in January and hopes that he and other experienced Aussies can help the next generation realise their potential.

“One of the things I would love to do when I’m at home is just play golf with all these guys,” said Ogilvy, back at Lake Karrinyup for the first time since the 2014 Perth International.

“Just practise with these guys, play with an ulterior motive that it will help me to get better too.

“If they can learn anything from me either just by watching or any advice they ask or anything like that, that would be great.

“I don’t feel like we owe it but it’s a nice thing if each generation can kind of keep helping the generation to follow.

“We’ve got so many successful golfers out of the last 20 or 30 or 40 years. There’s a lot of experience and wealth of knowledge there that might never have been found in the past.

“And not just me, it’s all the guys. The Marcus Frasers, the Peter O’Malleys and the Mike Claytons, a whole bunch.

“None of us know everything, but we all know a little bit. Collectively, that knowledge would be a real bonus for these kids.

“It would be a step forward, an advantage. Just being around guys who have done it I think helps.

“When I got to play with experienced guys when I was young, whether they tell you anything or not, you learn just by being around them and watching them, how they go about things.

“It would be great to see the Aussie pros who have had success come back and just be a part of the whole thing.

“No one has to take a very active role, just be a part of it when these kids call.

“They understand the golf swing and the technique up and down, but we know how to apply that to winning tournaments. There’s a gap there, for sure.

“I think it could be really, really beneficial.”

Admitting that he is unlikely to ever return to a full playing schedule as he pursues other interests, does school drop-offs and watches his beloved St Kilda AFL team, Ogilvy is unsure to what extent he will play tournament golf in 2019.

He will play the New Zealand Open in two weeks’ time and indicated that he will play the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA TOUR in April but will be primarily focused on quality golf over quantity.

“I’ve never been more motivated to be a good golfer, but I’ve never been less motivated to run around with a suitcase and go to strange places and leave the family,” said Ogilvy, who will play alongside Japan’s Yuta Ikeda and South Australian Wade Ormsby in the opening round on Thursday.

“I would think 10, 12, 15 (tournaments) a year would be a pretty reasonable guess on what’s going on; where they are, I’m not sure.

“Whether I move more in the architecture direction and just play part-time golf or I just kind of need a year off and get back into full-time golf, I’m not really sure yet.

“I just want to do the school run, the footy coaching, all that sort of stuff. Go and see the Saints play a little bit, be Australian for a while and play golf selectively and work on the game.

“As it stands right now, I would be surprised if I was a full-time guy again, but you never know.”

A partner with the Ogilvy Clayton Cocking Mead golf course design company that has overseen extensive changes at Lake Karrinyup, playing more often on Australia’s best courses is another positive in Ogilvy’s return home.

“It’s just an immaculately-conditioned better version of what we’ve always known at Karrinyup. I think it’s great,” he said.

“There are some quite dramatic shots because you’re coming downhill to some of these greens and it’s quite a spectacular place, too, in spots. You run out of praise, it’s just a great place to play golf.

“I definitely got a bit jaded with the US Tour. The PGA TOUR is an incredible tour, it’s unbelievable, but it just didn’t inspire me anymore. I wasn’t getting excited to see these golf courses.

“Every now and then you get some really amazing ones on that tour, but generally the setups I didn’t really enjoy.

“An added bonus to being here is being able to come and play more tournaments on courses that I enjoy and this is one of the examples.”

The two most successful golfers to come out of Korea – KJ Choi and YE Yang – have confirmed they will both play in the 100^th New Zealand Open Championship in Queenstown from 28 February to 3 March.

KJ Choi is one of the top 25 players on the PGA TOUR’s all-time money-list with earnings of over NZ$50 million in prize-money. The hugely popular Korean has 20 professional victories worldwide to his credit, winning eight times on the PGA TOUR and taking the trophy at the 2011 PLAYERS’ Championship.

YE Yang is the first Asian-born player to win a Major, with his famous victory over Tiger Woods in the 2009 US PGA Championship among his 12 career wins. The 47-year-old proved he is far from a spent force in the game with an outstanding 2018 season on the Japan Golf Tour, including victory at The Crowns among seven top-13 finishes that saw him 12^th overall on the Order of Merit.

The pair has a shared history in golf in New Zealand, both coming here as young professionals to learn the game before embarking on their illustrious careers. Yang returned to compete in the New Zealand Open in 2017 and Choi last year, with both players excited to return to the country and to have the opportunity to play with sponsors in Queenstown.

“I very much enjoyed playing in Queenstown last year but because I now know more about the courses I wanted to return and be even more competitive this time,” says Choi who missed the cut by just one shot last year.

Yang finished T39th at the New Zealand Open last year, which was a springboard for his exceptional season in Japan.

“New Zealand was important for me when I was starting in golf. I spent almost four years here playing and practicing in Auckland, Christchurch and Taupo especially,” says Yang.

“Last year gave me the chance to return and play in Queenstown which is beautiful, so I was keen to return again and I would like to play well especially in the 100^th New Zealand Open – it would be a special honour.”

The addition of YE Yang to the field now means that the 100^th New Zealand Open will boast three former Major winners, with Yang lining up alongside former US Open Champions Michael Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy.

Tournament Director Michael Glading commented: “It is a thrill to know that two legends of the game have enjoyed their previous visits here so much that they are both keen to return. Not only that, both are extremely competitive – Korean golf goes from strength to strength and both KJ and YE remain at the forefront of that.”

Geoff Ogilvy, former US Open champion and winner of three World Golf Championships, has confirmed he will compete in the 100^th New Zealand Open in Queenstown next month.

Once ranked as high as number three in the world, the 41-year-old Australian will compete in the New Zealand Open for just the second time. The opportunity to play at The Hills and Millbrook Resorts from 28 February to 3 March comes off the back of Ogilvy’s decision to relocate his family back to Melbourne after two decades based in the USA.

“The New Zealand Open is seen by golfers internationally as a fantastic tournament. They say Queenstown is the prettiest place in the world – I’ve never been there so I can’t wait. Professional golf can put you in a box and when you play in the US it’s just easier to stay there. It hasn’t really been possible to compete in the New Zealand Open – but it is now and I couldn’t be more excited,” says Ogilvy.

Ogilvy has won 12 times as a professional including eight occasions on the PGA Tour, culminating in his victory at the US Open in 2006. He was 4^th in the 2011 Masters, 5^th in the British Open in 2005 and 6^th in the PGA Championships twice. Overall, he spent two and a half years in the top-10 world rankings.

“We are delighted to attract someone of Geoff’s calibre to this event,” says Tournament Director Michael Glading.

“For two decades he has been one of Australia’s most successful players in Europe and on the PGA Tour. We are confident he will enjoy the experiences on and off the golf course in Queenstown. Geoff is a student of the game and I know he is mindful of the great players from his homeland who have left such an indelible mark on the New Zealand Open Championship in the past,” he says.

Ogilvy is quick to say, however, that he is not just coming to make up the numbers.

“The older you get, the more things like National Opens take pride of place on your resume. Tournaments like the New Zealand Open stand the test of time.”

With its long history, the New Zealand Open is rightly proud of its reputation for attracting elite, international golf professionals such as Ogilvy to compete in this world-class tournament.

“I knew Peter Thomson very well – a real legend who has won this tournament many times. I’ve also had the privilege to play a lot over the years with New Zealanders like Cambo and Phil Tataurangi,” he says.

Ogilvy competed at the 1999 New Zealand Open at Formosa but it is not how he wants to be remembered: “The wind blew 100 miles an hour, it was my last tournament after nine in a row and it was one tournament too far. I didn’t make the cut – so let’s call this my first time properly at a New Zealand Open,” he jokes.

While he is looking forward to the Open, he is unsure how much golf he will play in 2019 as his next few years will be dedicated more to his three children.

“I am done playing 26 to 30 tournaments a year at least for the next few years. If I play well, then absolutely I will likely play a bit more but if I don’t, then I’ll focus more on my golf architecture business and my media work. It is an exciting period but I will always be a professional golfer. I am always going to play a few tournaments every year,” he says.

For now, his sights are set firmly on the 100^th New Zealand Open next month: “To win would be amazingly special. I’m definitely coming to try and make that happen.”

Ogilvy will compete for the 2019 New Zealand Open Title and $1.3 million prize pool in a field of 152 players. Simultaneously, a pairing of one professional and one amateur will play a best-ball format for the New Zealand Pro-Am Championship, making it a unique event within the Asia-Pacific region. The event is co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour and in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

There’s not much Geoff Ogilvy hasn’t done in golf.

But he’s about to chase a missing piece of his stellar career puzzle, confirming today that he’ll play in the ISPS HANDA Vic Open.

Ogilvy, although a stalwart of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia through the years, has been unable to play his home state Open since 1998 because of commitments in the United States.

He was leading amateur in each of the three times he played the Open – in 1995, ’97 and ’98 – and was runner-up overall to Stephen Leaney at Victoria Golf Club in 1997.

Having moved home this summer, the 2006 US Open champion cannot wait to tee it up at Thirteenth Beach Golf Links from 7-10 February.

The former world No.3, a three-time WGC winner including two World Match Play crowns, will be the first men’s major champion to have played the event since Ian Baker-Finch in 1997.

“I’ve been really excited to watch the development of the Vic Open from afar for the past few years and I’m really excited that I get to play it again after all these years,” he said.

“With the men’s and women’s events held concurrently, it’s great to have the European and LPGA Tours aboard – it really shows how far the event has come and it’s great to see an Australian tournament have such focus for its innovation.”

Golf Australia operations general manager Simon Brookhouse said Ogilvy, who has already committed as Ernie Els’ vice-captain for the International team at this year’s Presidents Cup, would be a huge drawcard on the Bellarine Peninsula.

“We’ve all admired Geoff’s brilliant career, but for many it will be the first chance to see him live,” Brookhouse said.

“It’s testament to the tournament that he still harbours that desire to add to what is an amazing resume.”

Ogilvy, 41, has won eight times on the US PGA Tour, most recently in 2014, but has decided to come back to Melbourne to live with his young family.

“Geoff is a legend of Australian golf. We don’t have dozens of major champions, so to have one hopefully contending at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open is absolutely fantastic for the tournament and its fans,” Brookhouse said.

“It’s a great opportunity for all Australians to celebrate his enormous career up close and personal at Thirteenth Beach.”

The ISPS HANDA Vic Open is a unique concurrent men’s and women’s professional tournament.

It is jointly sanctioned by the ALPG, LPGA, PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour and features equal prizemoney for men and women.

Entry is free to all Victorian golf club members, but other tickets are on sale through oTix and remain some of the best value in elite sport at $10 per day, $30 for a season pass.

Children under 18 and those with a Seniors Card are free. See vicopengolf.com/ticketing for details.

The ISPS HANDA Vic Open is proudly supported by the Victorian Government.

Major champion Geoff Ogilvy will make his first playing appearance on the Gold Coast as he tees it up in the Australian PGA Championship for the first time since 2012.

Geoff Ogilvy is a welcome addition to the field which will compete at RACV Royal Pines Resort from 29 November – 2 December.

Ogilvy joins Marc Leishman, Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston and defending champion Cameron Smith at the tournament which is fast becoming renowned equally for the festive atmosphere outside of the ropes as well as the on course action.

“It has been a while since I have competed in the Australian PGA Championship, I won the title in 2008 and I would love to be reacquainted with the Joe Kirkwood Cup,” said Ogilvy.

“I believe it is important for Australian golf to create top quality tournaments; that is where success for Australian golf lies.

“I have heard the PGA has been doing some interesting things at the Australian PGA Championship including the Greg Norman Medal, Kid’s Day, the Million Dollar Hole and then this year the Beach Club. I felt like it was time I experienced it for myself.”

A fan favourite, whose golf knowledge is much admired all over the world, the PGA is delighted to host Geoff Ogilvy at its flagship tournament.

“The Australian PGA Championship is the PGA professional’s flagship event; it’s a celebration of golf where we recognise the outstanding achievements of all the hardworking individuals who make our game great,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“Given the special place the tournament holds in Australian golf, we always aim to have our leading players teeing it up. Geoff Ogilvy is certainly much admired for both his skill and golf knowledge, having a player of his standing tee it up at the Australian PGA Championship adds some real gravitas to the field.”

The Queensland Government, via Tourism and Events Queensland, is proud to support the Australian PGA Championship which features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar. Your perfect next event is in Queensland where live events combine with the most incredible destinations, and life is beautiful one day, perfect the next.

Tickets to see Geoff Ogilvy, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston play in the Australian PGA Championship from 29 November to 2 December at RACV Royal Pines Resort are now on sale at Ticketmaster.

General admission to the Australian PGA Championship is $25* when purchased at the gate or via Ticketmaster with children, 16 and under, granted free admission when attending with a paying adult.

If a marquee is more your style, a number of different corporate hospitality options are also available, please visit pgachampionship.com.au.

Geoff Ogilvy is always a favourite in the media centre with lots of interesting views and opinions in world golf…