The Daily Wrap-up, Rd. 4: Mercedes-Benz Champ.
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) -- Paradise is no place to panic, although Geoff Ogilvy had reason Sunday at Kapalua.
Playing some of the best golf of his career, he took a six-shot lead into the final round of the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. After eight holes, his lead was down to one over a hard-charging Anthony Kim.
"It's an uncomfortable feeling to know you're six shots out in front and you're almost back to tied," Ogilvy said after his wire-to-wire victory.
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FOR OGILVY, TIMELY EAGLE PROVIDES EMOTIONAL RESCUE
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
KAPALUA, Hawaii -- He was frustrated, not angry.
Geoff Ogilvy was quick to make the distinction Sunday as he reflected on his win the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
The bearded Aussie needed that lesson in semantics after making bogey on the eighth hole at the Plantation Course Sunday. It was his fourth in eight holes, and suddenly, what had been a six-stroke lead at the start of the day had dwindled to one.
"Is there a difference between frustrated and angry?" Ogilvy wondered aloud even as he fielded questions with a purple and white lei wrapped around his neck.
No matter. Those emotions were short-lived as Ogilvy reached the par-5 ninth with a 3-iron and rolled in a 21-footer for eagle that gave him a three-shot edge over Anthony Kim. Birdies on five of his next six holes followed and Ogilvy's fifth win was reality.
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Anthony Kim nearly made a double-eagle on the 663-yard, par-5 18th when his approach shot from 273 yards out rolled to within 7 inches of the hole. He tapped in for eagle and a round of 67. 
Geoff Ogilvy saw his lead shrink to just one before running off an eagle and birdies on five of his next six holes en route to a 5-under 68 and a six-stroke win. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | |
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Sunday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.com.
Geoff Ogilvy used the same 009 Scotty Cameron putter he used while winning the 2006 U.S. Open, however he can't be certain it's the "exact" same putter. After winning the National Championship, he had the putter refinished and ordered a copy as a back up. When the two putters arrived he could not tell which was the new one and which was the refinished one. Ogilvy believes he used the same putter to win the 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship as he did winning the 2006 U.S. Open ...but he isn't 100 percent sure.
Love has apparently bloomed in Hawaii. Adam Scott has been seen in the company of actress Kate Hudson. The two had been exchanging e-mails for some time and decided to rendezvous in Maui.
Anthony Kim called it the 8th best shot of his career. His second shot into the Kodak Challenge par 5 18th home came 7 inches away from going in for a double eagle. Kim has fired 7 holes in one during his career so the "albatross" would have gone to first on his list if the ball had tumbled into the cup.
Geoff Ogilvy sported a scruffy beard for the Mercedes Benz Championship and may continue the growth next week for the Sony Open. He shaves with an electric razor but left one at his Australian home and another at his Phoenix residence. Ogilvy admits he could have purchased a new razor in Maui but after playing well during the open round he did not want to disrupt any "karma" that was working in his favor, so the growth will continue.
| What the top finishers said... | ||||||||||||||||
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| Read full interview transcripts | ||||
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MERCEDES-BENZ CHAMPIONSHIP NOTEBOOK: FOURTH ROUND
By John Bush, PGA TOUR Staff
KAPALUA, Hawaii -- Despite bogeys on his first two holes, Geoff Ogilvy steadied the ship Sunday to record a 5-under 68 and a six-stroke victory over Anthony Kim and Davis Love III at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship. The victory is the fifth of Ogilvy's career on the PGA TOUR, and comes just over a month since he won the Australian PGA Championship. The win is the first in wire-to-wire fashion since the Mercedes-Benz Championship moved to Kapalua in 1999.
• The victory for Ogilvy is worth 500 points and moves him into the early lead in the season-long race for the FedExCup. 2008 FedExCup champion Vijay Singh wrapped up his 13th appearance at the Mercedes-Benz Championship with a tie for 27th -- his second finish in a row outside of the top 10 after six consecutive top-5 finishes (2001, 2003-07).
• Ogilvy is the eighth consecutive foreign-born winner of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, joining Daniel Chopra (2008), Singh (2007), Stuart Appleby (2004-06), Ernie Els (2003) and Sergio Garcia (2002).
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| Live Essentials | ||||
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KODAK CHALLENGE: A first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players will officially crank up at the Plantation course.
The Kodak Challenge celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. The Kodak Challenge offers $1 million to the winner There will be one designated Kodak Challenge Hole at 24 different PGA TOUR tournaments in 2008, with this week's featured hole the 663-yard 18th hole.
Players, who must play at least 18 of the holes during the season to be eligible, will count their lowest score relative to par on the Kodak Challenge Hole made during an official competition round. The player, with the lowest cumulative score in relation to par at the end of the challenge, wins.
For more on the Kodak Challenge, click here.
| This week's Kodak Challenge hole | |||
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