BARE MY SOUL:

GEOFF OGILVY

What has been your closest brush with death?

Landing in Madeira was always hair-raising. Getting close to the ground then having the pilot decide landing wasn’t such a good idea is not something I will forget in a hurry. Especially when he announces that, if he gets it wrong, we will career off the end of the runway and into the ocean.

What is your earliest memory?

Sitting on my swing at the back of my house, closing my eyes and seeing the sun through my eyelids. I must have been about three because it was in Adelaide where I was born. We moved to Melbourne not long after that.

What is your most annoying habit?

Huh. I really don’t know. None of them annoy me. But I’m sure I have lots.

What scares you the most?

I don’t think I get scared that much. I’m not bad with snakes or spiders. Or aeroplanes. I should be scared of something shouldn’t I? Water up the right side of the 18th maybe.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

You should have got my wife to do this for me. Geoffrey Rush (laughs). Who looks like me? Joaquin Phoenix.

If you could travel in time, would you go backwards or forwards?

Backwards. That interests me. I’d love to play St. Andrews with Young Tom.

Did you have a nickname at school?

Never, which is weird for an Australian.

Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?

No. I’ve come close. But never.

What superpower would you like to have?

Flying would be pretty good. Like Superman.

What’s the worst thing about being a tour pro?

Travelling. But that is also the best thing. Then it becomes the worst thing. Not being at home is tough, especially when the kids come along.

What was your first car?

A blue Holden Commodore, a four-door sedan. I paid $8,000 for it when I was 18. It had over 100,000 km on it. I sold it after four years when I left for the European Tour.

Are you environmentally conscious?

In conversation I am. I recycle pretty diligently. But my rhetoric is a lot more powerful than my actions.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Lots. But none of them make me feel guilty. I love ice cream. I’ve been on Haagen-Dazs ‘rum raisin’ recently. It’s grown-up ice cream. I need something in my ice cream. It can’t be smooth.

How do you work off those calories?

I don’t. I just wake up in the morning and wonder why I did it. Actually, my exercise varies. I’m in a bit of a lull at the moment. But I have times when I do a lot. My go-to exercise is always running. I was a pretty good 800m and 1,500m runner as a kid and got to the national finals at under-14 level. I was decent but not a world-beater. Now, when I’m doing it a lot, I get quite addicted. But when I fall off the exercise wagon I do so pretty hard.

I SHOULD BE SCARED OF SOMETHING SHOULDN’T I? WATER UP THE RIGHT OF THE 18TH!

What was your favourite thing about living in America?

The practice balls on the range are outrageously good.

What would you be if you weren’t a golfer?

I’d be a club pro or a course architect. My education is golf. I’d have been quite happy in a club job as long as I got to play a bit. But my dream job would be some kind of musician. I love music, mostly classic rock from the ‘60s and ‘70s, like Led Zeppelin and the Stones.