Ogrin Wants to Put a Tiger in His Tale

FORT WORTH — With all the hoopla over the recent exploits of Tiger Woods, several other intriguing stories have been overshadowed as golf’s 21-year-old prodigy keeps posting low numbers and collecting huge checks across America.

Woods put himself in position to make a run at a third consecutive PGA Tour victory after shooting six-under-par 64 for a total of 14-under 196 Saturday in the Colonial. That left him only a shot off the lead held by David Ogrin, a talkative Texan with a whale of a tale of his own after running off six consecutive birdies, shooting 62 and finishing at 15-under 195, tying the tournament’s 54-hole record.

A week ago, while Woods was winning the Byron Nelson Classic down the road in Irving, Ogrin withdrew after the third round--despite being four under and in position to cash a decent check--because his wife was having a baby back home in San Antonio.

Sharon Ogrin, the mother of David’s four children, was acting as surrogate mother for her sister, Dee Gomez, and her brother-in-law, James. David Ogrin got the call in his hotel room at 3 a.m. last Sunday that Sharon was heading for the delivery room. Ogrin called Sharon’s twin sister Karon, who lives in the Dallas area, picked her up and sped down the interstate to get to the hospital in time for the caesarean section birth of his niece, Jamie Allyn.

“A miracle baby. . . . I was there for all of it,” said Ogrin, who said he had no regrets about leaving town. “This should be plastered up on the wall: If you make the right choices, all the right stuff comes to you. I made the right choice to go home.”

The right stuff happened for Ogrin all over a vulnerable Colonial course Saturday. For the third day in a row, there was none of this event’s typical wind, and a soaking rain late Friday left the greens soft and receptive to shots from fast-running fairways.

After Ogrin made it seven birdies in eight holes with a four-foot putt on the 14th hole, it dawned on him that he needed three birdies in his last four holes to get to 59, the tour record for 18 holes shared by Al Geiberger and Chip Beck. He admitted his nerves took over, though, and he closed with four pars.

“The first and biggest thought I have is that 62 is by far the greatest round I’ve ever shot on a great golf course,” he said. “I know I had a chance to make 59 at Colonial, but 62 at Colonial is just an amazing thought to me. I hope I get used to it. If I you can do it once, you can do it twice.”

Ogrin said he also was looking forward to being paired in the final group today with Woods, who now has 10 consecutive rounds in the 60s after a seven-birdie, one-bogey round. He hit his driver only twice off the tee, both on the par-five holes, and both times he made birdies. He also got a helpful telephone putting lesson Friday night from his father, Earl, who noticed on television that his son’s stance was slightly out of whack.

Ogrin had a seven-shot lead last fall in the Texas Open and held on for his only tour victory, though Woods charged with a final-round 67 to finish two shots behind.

“There’s no question in anyone’s mind that Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world today,” Ogrin said. “You want to play Tiger Woods just like you want to face Michael Jordan or you want to face Greg Maddux. . . . It makes it much more exciting. No knock against anyone else, but who else would you rather beat than Tiger Woods? If you do that, it’s one for the ages.”