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Not content with a five-stroke lead, Geoff Ogilvy strode intently to the practice range after seizing command of the Australian Open at The Lakes on Saturday.
An intense competitor, Ogilvy was aggravated at finishing his third round with a bogey after pushing a five-iron right of the 18th green and didn’t want to go to bed stewing before returning on Sunday hoping to get his name on the Stonehaven Cup for the first time.
“I would not normally rush to the range. I wanted to get it out of my head straight away,” Ogilvy said.
“Even if you shot 59 and you bogeyed the last you wouldn’t be happy.
“I just wanted to hit a few similar-type shots on the range and get it out of the system.”
In truth, Ogilvy needn’t fret.
After opening with rounds of 68-65, he fired a third-round five-under-par 67 to move to 16-under for the championship to be well clear of his nearest challenger – Sydney-raised, US-based Matt Jones.
Greg Chalmers (66) and Alistair Presnell (67) are seemingly his only other threats, both some seven shots off the pace at 10-under.
John Senden (70) and first-round leader Matthew Griffin (72) are next best at nine-under.
Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open winner and two-times world matchplay champion, is in sizzling form, his bogey finish ending a hot streak of 40 holes without a scorecard blemish.
He started the day with a one-stroke lead over Jones but finished miles in front after picking up three birdies on the outward nine and another three coming home.
“All in all, I walked off feeling I putted really well and made the most of the day,” Ogilvy said.
“I’m obviously in a decent position after three rounds so if I do it again tomorrow, I should be right at the end hopefully.
“But golf’s a funny game and if we wake up and it’s (raining) … we’ve been blessed so far. I mean, I haven’t hit a shot in the rain, which is incredible.
“Every night I look at the forecast and think we mightn’t even play and then every day turns out perfect.”
With golfing greats Jack Nicklaus (1964) and Greg Norman (1980) and fellow major winner Steve Elkington (1992) the only other players to have won the Australian Open at The Lakes, Ogilvy said it would be “pretty abnormal” not to think about following in their footsteps.
“But it’s between rounds of golf tournaments that’s hard. Once you’re playing, you just get on with it,” he said.
“I’m sure I’ll sleep okay tonight.”
Jones, still seeking his maiden tour victory despite quietly making a respectable living on the lucrative US PGA circuit, endured a frustrating afternoon on the greens.
Playing alongside Ogilvy, Jones had countless opportunities to make up ground on the runaway leader, only to repeatedly shave the cup.
He mixed four birdies with three bogeys yet was still only one behind after six holes before Ogilvy shot away.
Chalmers surged into contention with a six-under 66, including a spectacular run of five successive birdies from the 10th to the 14th holes.
Part-timer Norman returned a decent two-under 70 but, at three-under overall, is no hope of snaring a sixth Open title, while defending champion Adam Scott is also out of contention after carding a one-over 73.