Aussie Ogilvy learns how to fit in -- watch football

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Geoff Ogilvy is a fan of the American version but will always have a place in his heart for Aussie Rules football.

Geoff Ogilvy didn't need long to figure out what the deal was.

"When I first got over here (to the United States I realized) if I wanted to have conversation with a man between August and February, then you pretty much have to be able to talk football," the Aussie said simply.

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Not to mention, his wife, Juli, grew up in the Lone Star State -- where "it's basically oil and football," Ogilvy said -- and she went to college at powerful Texas Tech. Her brother-in-law coaches a high school team in west Texas, too.

"It's like 'Friday Night Lights,'" Ogilvy said. "The high school quarterback is king there."

So the man who was raised on Australian Rules Football figured if you can't fight 'em, join 'em, and he became a convert. Ogilvy, who lives in Scottsdale, will have more than a passing interest in the Super Bowl on Sunday, too, as the Arizona Cardinals take of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Again it comes from going to Starbucks, and hearing people talking -- did you see what happened in the game yesterday, what was all that about?" Ogilvy said. "I wouldn't say I'm a massive fan. But if you asked me (who I'm rooting for), it would be the Cardinals.

"Everyone is excited and pinching themselves, like, can you believe it? Such a depressing history; this franchise. Even last year, there was that big famous meltdown against the Bears on Friday night. Everything seems to go wrong. Every playoff game we expected the real Cardinals to show up. But they kept winning.

"Hopefully, this gets more of Phoenix and Arizona behind them."

Ogilvy, who opened the 2009 season with a win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, competed in several sports when he was younger. He played cricket in the summer, as well as golf, and his cross country training made him a natural at the wing in Aussie rules.

"Australian Rules Football is completely different," Ogilvy said. "It's more like soccer in that it's a continuous. You can pick the ball up and run with it. It's played on a massive big oval field -- an enormous kind of oval.

"You can kick goals, try to score between the posts, so in that way it's similar to American football. We use an oval-shaped ball, too."

Ogilvy, who now stands 6-foot-2, said he was a "late grower." When he was 12 or 13 years old, he was a Tadd-Fujikawa-sized 4-11 and weighed just 100 pounds.

"I was playing against kids 6-foot and shaving," Ogilvy said. "I am sure it's the same for kids over here. Kids grow early and dominate the sport."

Unlike NFL football, where players are suited up in protective pads and helmets, Aussie Rules players wear shorts and jerseys. Bumps and bruises were the norm, so it wasn't long before Ogilvy began to concentrate more on golf.

"In the good old days it was pretty tough sport," Ogilvy acknowledged. "It's kind of like hockey in that respect. Fighting was party of game, particularly early on -- not fighting exactly, but the physical intimidation and aggression part of it."

Ogilvy had watched NFL games while growing up in Australia so the "other" football wasn't a completely foreign pursuit. He got his feet wet by watching Big 12 games with his wife, then added the Pac-10 to his list of must-see TV.

"It took a while, but I got the basic flow of the game worked out pretty quick," Ogilvy said. "There are lots of rules -- it's like golf in that respect. So many things call for a new ruling but the basic rules and situations I understand."

The NFL was an acquired taste, though. Ogilvy attended some games when the team played at Sun Devils Stadium in Tempe, but there wasn't that much of a buzz. That is, until the Cardinals started playing in the University of Phoenix Stadium.

"I would've been there every time if we'd been here (instead of Australia during the offseason," Ogilvy said. "It's a really exciting place to go. The roof amplifies the noise and really creates an atmosphere."

Should Ogilvy find himself in one of the final groups on Sunday, he may have to cut the interviews short to get back home in time for the kickoff at 6:28 p.m. ET. He lives next door to Phil Mickelson's caddy, Jim (Bones) Mackay, and the street is sure to be festive.

"We'll probably have quite a few players hanging around," Ogilvy said.

That said, the Super Bowl is no Grand Final, held annually on the first Saturday of September in Ogilvy's native Melbourne to determine the premiership champs of the Australian Football League.

"I am learning to love American football and it will grow," Ogilvy said. "But it's like a Canadian with hockey. I will always love Australian Rules Football the most."