The Live Report, Rd. 4: Mercedes-Benz Champ.

text size

Badz/PGA TOUR

Geoff Ogilvy had to endure a lengthy rain delay and a sluggish start before cruising to a six-shot win.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship is the first event of the 2009 PGA TOUR season. PGATOUR.COM is on the scene at Kapalua. We'll provide updates all day long, so check back often. (All timestamps listed for Eastern Time.)

STYLE AND SUBSTANCE (10:14 p.m.): Anthony Kim, who tied for second with Davis Love III at 18 under, is as stylish with his golf clubs as he is with his "AK" belt buckle.

Witness that 3-wood he launched at the 18th hole on Sunday. The ball traveled 278 yards down the big, sloping fairway like it had radar, then stopped 7 inches from what would have been Kim's third double eagle.

"We were thinking about hitting 2-iron out there to the right and trying to sling something in there, but that wasn't going to get to the hole," Kim said. "So my caddy and I decided we were going to fire at the flag.

"It looked like the hole was on an island, really. It looked like there was hazard, and then the green. But I hit a great shot and it worked out perfectly and almost went in."

Kim admitted that he had come to the 18th a little hot under the collar after three-putting the 17th hole for bogey. How odd, then, that he would need just three strokes to finish the entire next hole -- a 663-yard par 5.

"That's typical," Kim said, smiling. "That's golf." -- Helen Ross

MARGIN OF VICTORY (9:15 p.m.): Now that Geoff Ogilvy has won the Mercedes-Benz Championship -- foreign-born players have now captured the last eight Mercedes' -- you might be wondering where his six-shot victory stacks up against last year's largest margins of victory on the PGA TOUR. Here it is. -- Brian Wacker

MAJOR LEADERBOARD (8:30 p.m.): Of the seven major winners in the field, five are currently in the top 10. The only ones missing? Last year's Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who's tied for 21st, and Vijay Singh, who's tied for 28th. -- Lauren Deason

O

A bogey at the eighth hole that allowed Anthony Kim to pull within a shot was followed by a 21-footer for eagle that gave Ogilvy some breathing room. The Aussie then proceeded to drain birdie putts during the back-nine stretch from 21, 5, 10 and 4 feet.

Meanwhile, Sean O'Hair has moved up into a tie for second. O'Hair has the day's best round going at 8-under through 16 holes today. The winner of the PODS Championship last year, O'Hair has six birdies and an eagle, which came at the 305-yard, par-4 14th when he drove the green then sank a 12-foot putt. -- Brian Wacker and Helen Ross

UPDATE (6:45 p.m.): Geoff Ogilvy just birdied the par-5 ninth to increase his lead back to three strokes, but Anthony Kim, Kenny Perry, Davis Love III and Justin Leonard are all close enough to make a move should Ogilvy falter. -- Brian Wacker

KIM CLOSING IN (6:25 p.m.): Things are getting awfully interesting with Anthony Kim just one shot back of leader Geoff Ogilvy, who has four bogeys through eight holes today after making all of just one bogey in the previous three rounds.

There's still a lot of golf to play with most of the back nine to come, but here's a quick look at biggest final-round comebacks in TOUR history. -- Brian Wacker

OGILVY HANGING IN ATOP LEADERBOARD (5:55 p.m.): Geoff Ogilvy looked like he was going to make things interesting today. Then for the fourth day in a row he birdied the par-5 fifth to get back to 1 over on the day and three shots clear of Davis Love III. Starting the day with a six-shot lead Geoff had to be wondering what was going on after he bogeyed the first two holes on Sunday.

However, Ogilvy fans need not worry with three par-5s remaining. He has birdied No. 9 every day as well and has birdied the par-5 15th two of the three days. By the time he gets to the finishing hole it probably won't matter that he hasn't made a birdie there all week. Of course, he would like to at least not make bogey there so he doesn't fall too far behind in the Kodak Challenge. -- John Maginnes

MID-ROUND LOVE (5:52 p.m.): Davis Love III began the final round seven shots back of leader Geoff Ogilvy, but as he plays the seventh he's just four back after birdieing the second and chipping in for eagle on the par-4 sixth.

Meanwhile, Anthony Kim just rolled in a birdie on No. 8 -- his third birdie of the day -- to join Love in a tie for second. -- Brian Wacker

OHAIR'S BIRDIE BARRAGE (5:35 p.m.): Sean O'Hair has moved up the leaderboard with four straight birdies on Nos. 3-6.

O'Hair

How did he do it? By hitting his approach shots close. O'Hair didn't need to make a putt outside of 8 feet during that stretch.

Currently, O'Hair is in a tie for third. If he can stay there it would be his best finish since a T3 at last year's RBC Canadian Open. (You can follow him shot-by-shot by clicking here.)-- Brian Wacker

PETTERSSON PICKING UP PACE ON BACK NINE (5:05 p.m.): Carl Pettersson, who earned his way to Kapalua with a victory at the Wyndham Championship, is exacting his revenge on the back nine at Kapalua's Plantation Course.

Pettersson played the segment in 2-over 39 on Saturday, but started on the back in the final round and has birdied five of his first six holes. He got things rolling with a 10-footer for birdie on the 10th, then added a 12-footer at No. 12 and a 4-footer at the 13th.

At No. 14, a 305-yard par 4, Petterson hit his drive just short of the greenside bunker, about 51 feet from the pin. He chipped to 18 inches and tapped in for the fourth birdie. The newly-svelte Swede, who lost 20 pounds during the offseason, got to double-digits at 10 under when he rolled in a 5-footer for birdie on the par-5 15th hole. -- Helen Ross

OGILVY GIVES TWO BACK (4:45 p.m.): Geoff Ogilvy uncharacteristically gave two shots back to the field with a bogey on the first two holes, his first of the week. Previously, he'd birdied each hole once this week.

Ogilvy's tee shot on No. 1 found the right rough, forcing him to lay up. He pitched on, then two-putted for bogey. That's twice as many bogeys as he's had all week with just one on No. 17 yesterday.

At the moment he still has plenty of cushion, however, with a four-stroke lead. -- Brian Wacker

CINKING FEELING (4:00 p.m.): A second-round 67 that included a pair of eagles is fast becoming a distant memory for Stewart Cink. After a third-round 71 yesterday, Cink is struggling today with a double bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the par-3 second.

As a result, Cink has fallen down the leaderboard into a tie for 23rd. -- Brian Wacker

AND THEY'RE OFF (3:24 p.m.): Brian Gay just hit the opening tee shot of the final round. What had been a stiff wind an hour ago is now almost still and the temperature has risen several degrees.

In the distance, the view of Molokai is the most vivid of the week with the craggy landscape outlined against an increasingly blue sky. -- Helen Ross

STAT COMAPARISON (3:05 p.m.): The last time Geoff Ogilvy led wire-to-wire was at last year's WGC-CA Championship at Doral.

Here's a comparison of that tournament to this week's Mercedes-Benz Championship. -- Brian Wacker

PLAYERS GET READY TO TEE OFF (2:40 p.m.): As players start to head to the practice range and putting green, blue skies can be seen in the distance behind the island of Molokai.

The rain hasn't completely stopped, but it's very close. Trade winds have returned, too, and the flags atop the grandstands at the first and 18th holes are stretched taut in the wind. It could be an interesting day. -- Helen Ross

GOOD TO BE A GATOR (2:30 p.m.): It looks like University of Florida alum Camilo Villegas, currently tied for fourth and seven strokes back, will have plenty more to crow about, especially to former Oklahoma standout Anthony Kim (who is also 12-under for the week). That's because UF quarterback Tim Tebow just announced that he'll return for his senior year.

"By the way, let's do it again ... I'm coming back," Tebow announced to Florida fans during the team's national championship celebration Sunday afternoon in Gainesville, Fla. Apparently Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin is reportedly leaning toward returning as well.

Villegas' Gators beat Kim's Sooners 24-14 Thursday night in the BCS National Championship game in Miami, a result Kim was clearly not happy about as he left the course that night. -- Brian Wacker

KEY STATS (2:20 p.m.): Leader Geoff Ogilvy has barely missed a green in regulation -- not exactly a tough task given the size of the greens at Kapula -- and going into the final round ranks second in the field at 91 percent. When he has missed, however, he's also done a terrific job in scrambling, especially from 100 yards and in. Take a look below. -- Brian Wacker

WAITING OUT THE RAIN (2:00 p.m.): A light rain is still falling at Kapalua, although the front that ushered in some strong storms overnight has moved offshore. The drizzle is supposed to stay around for another hour or so, but then the weather will start to clear.

A handful of players waited out the delay in the locker room, eating breakfast, reading the local newspapers and watching the NFL playoff game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. With the time difference between here and the east coast, that game began at 8 a.m. Hawaii time. -- Helen Ross

WHEN OGILVY IS IN THE LEAD (1:40 p.m.): This is the fourth time in Geoff Ogilvy's PGA TOUR career that he's had or shared the lead through 54 holes. Two of his four wins have come when in that position. His six-stroke lead is also one stroke off the largest 54-hole lead at the event since 1999, when David Duval lead by seven strokes.

Here's a closer look at Ogilvy's career when leading after 54 holes. -- Brian Wacker

OGILVY GOING LOW, LETTING IT GROW (1:20 p.m.): What started as stubble on Geoff Ogilvy's face is fast morphing into a full-grown beard.

The Aussie says it's been "coming and going" for about three months now. But after he opened with a 67 Ogilvy decided the beard would stick around for a while.

"If you have a good first round, you're not going to shave," he explained with a smile, and the way he's playing -- Ogilvy leads by six strokes -- don't expect it to disappear any time soon.

Actually, there's another reason, too. Ogilvy has two electric shavers -- one that plugs into an Australian outlet and another that uses a U.S. plug. Both are back home in Scottsdale, though.

"To be brutally honest, it's a poor excuse," Ogilvy said. "I could go out and buy a razor, but I figured I would grow a beard for a couple weeks." -- Helen Ross

RAIN DELAY (1:00 p.m.): The start of the final round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship is being delayed by heavy rain and as a result tee times have been pushed back. -- Brian Wacker

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   3:36 p.m. ET (10:36 a.m. in Hawaii) Anthony Kim, K.J. Choi, Boo Weekley All three players have easily broken par in every round, but Kim's staggering 18 birdies this week stand out.   3:48 p.m. ET (10:48 a.m. in Hawaii) Camilo Villegas, Davis Love III, Kenny Perry Villegas would be on Geoff Ogilvy's heels without his first-round 74. Perry and Love III are both seven back.  4 p.m. ET (11 a.m. in Hawaii) D.J. Trahan, Justin Leonard, Geoff Ogilvy Like Villegas, Leonard shot 74 on Thursday only to go low in the second and third round.

Live Essentials

Follow every shot with our newest application The only place on the Internet for real-time live scoring Listen to expert commentary on the PGA TOUR Network News, notes, stats and analysis during each round