Feature
by Brady Bingham
Brady Bingham is the sports editor of the Ogden Standard Examiner

Fall - November - 05
Clay Dawg
Clay Ogden Named UGA Player of the Year

It’s not exactly a rags-to-riches story for the Clay Dawg. As an amateur golfer, West Point’s Clay Ogden didn’t pocket a million-dollar check for winning the United States Amateur Public Links golf tournament in mid-July.

In fact, after making and changing several flights and extending housing arrangements just to play in the prestigious national event at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio, Ogden – and his family – guess they’re financially in the hole to the amount of about $2,800.

But like the credit card commercials advertise: the memories were “Priceless.”

The 20-year-old Ogden, a former 5-A all-state golfer out of Davis High School and a current member of the BYU golf team, instantly went from everyday range rat to celebrity stud with his performance at the Pub Links, which earned him an invitation to play in the 2006 Masters at Augusta National.

After he defeated phenom Michelle Wie in the quarterfinals, it took The Associated Press only about 10 minutes to find Ogden’s cell phone number.

He appeared live on the radio with Jim Rome and Trey Wingo (on ESPN’s Dan Patrick Show). His video highlights aired on ESPN SportsCenter and he was interviewed several times by The Golf Channel, who had fun with Ogden’s longtime nickname “Clay Dawg.”
(The moniker appears on his license plate.)

“The Clay Dawg is our top dawg, about to be a big dawg,” The Golf Channel reported.

He’s also become a fan favorite in Utah, both Wesley Ruff with KTVX, and Rod Zundel with KSL, had Ogden on their Sunday night sports shows. “It’s been unbelievable, nothing I expected,” Ogden said shortly after winning the Public Links. “It’s a lot different than what I’m used to. It kind of shocked me, actually.

“I’ve emptied my (cell phone) message box about seven times. I’ve probably received about 500 calls,” Ogden said of his new-found popularity. “But it’s all been fun.

“I have a lot of respect now for what Tiger (Woods) and Michelle (Wie) go through,” Ogden said, referring to the number of people that suddenly wanted to speak with him, offer congratulations and request some time. “I don’t expect this will last that long (for me). These guys go through this everyday.”

Ogden also reflected on what a big leap of success his golf game made by winning the tournament and beating a player of Wie’s caliber.

Although a scholarship player on the BYU team, where he recently began his junior season, Ogden rarely traveled with, and never scored points for, the Cougars during the 2004-05 season.

He won four local amateur tournaments this summer and lost in the quarterfinals of the Utah State Amateur on July 9 at Wolf Creek Resort. Later in the season, Ogden led the first three rounds of the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur Championship — played Aug. 2-5 at Bandon Dunes Resort in Bandon, Oregon — before fading in the wind on the final three holes to finish third.

“I’ve never played that well under such blown up circumstances,” he said, specifically of his performance at the Public Links.

He still gets goose bumps on his arms talking about beating Wie and later Martin Ureta in the championship match. “I played as solid, as perfect, golf as I have ever played.”

After changing reservations several times, Ogden left Utah on a late flight the same day of his quarterfinal loss at the Utah State Am. He made it just in time to play one practice round at the Public Links before playing the first of two qualifying rounds.

Ogden narrowly earned a spot into match play by surviving a 10-for-7 playoff and taking the No. 63 seed (of 64 players) into match play. But from then on, his game began to click.

He defeated the No. 2 seed, Rodney Hamblin Jr., 1-up, in the first round. Then followed with victories over Derrick Whiting in 19 holes and Andrew Black, 3 and 2, to set up a “chance-of-a-lifetime” match against Wie.

“It’s hard to explain, but I was never nervous during that match,” Ogden admitted. “I was more focused than I have ever been on a golf course.

“(Against Wie) I hit my first tee shot and just bombed it out there,” he added. “I remember I (jokingly) told one of the USGA officials, ‘Maybe that drive will get in her head a little?’“

Ogden finished that hole with a birdie to go 1-up, then followed with another birdie at No. 2, after Wie poorly played a lengthy birdie putt of her own.

“She had about a 30-footer that she hit about 15 feet past the hole. For a player of that ability to hit it that far by, something got to her,” Ogden said.

Ogden quickly garnered a 4-up lead through five holes and cruised to a dominating 5 and 4 victory.

“I just had that tunnel vision. I never had a bad swing thought cross my mind,” he said. “It was almost perfect.”

After their round, Wie’s caddie, the longtime bag-toter for LPGA Tour star Juli Inkster, congratulated Ogden by saying, “You’ve got a great game. You have a bright future.”

Ogden joined George Von Elm (1926 U.S. Amateur), D. Scott Hailes (1995 U.S. Junior) and Annie Thurman-Young (2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links) as one of only four Utahns to ever win a USGA event. Sue Nyhus finished second in the 1999 Women’s Public Links.

By winning the Public Links, Ogden earned a spot in the next two U.S. Amateur championships and a three-year exemption from local qualifying for the U.S. Open. He also will play in the 2006 Masters Golf tournament, because (since 1989) the winner of the Public Links Championship has been invited to play in the event at Augusta National.

Ogden and his family have been busy figuring out the travel expenses to make it to Augusta, Ga., in April.

As an amateur, and a collegiate player, Ogden can’t accept offers to fly him to various cities and tournaments. Nor can he accept any sponsorship money. He, and his family, must foot the bill to travel to all upcoming events.

A family of moderate income, his father, and caddie, Bruce, works for the Davis County School District as an electrician. His mother, Susan, managed the flower shop at Harmons grocery store in Roy for more than 15 years before being laid off a few years ago. She now works as a receptionist at Prime Systems in Kaysville.

Ogden said his grandparents, Stan and Carol Adams, helped with expenses and took him to various national junior events over the past six years. He also thanked courses such as Glen Eagle and Davis Park for allowing him to practice and play almost every day.

“I really am so lucky,” Ogden said, understanding how much the support means to his success. “Family vacations were always to my golf tournaments. They (my family) have sacrificed so much so I can get to these tournaments.

“I was really kind of nervous (about all the expenses) at this tournament (the Public Links). I didn’t want to not do well,” Ogden said. “I told my parents, ‘My golf tournament is not worth $2,000.’ “

But the Ogden family wouldn’t come close to calling the expenses a hardship.

“Hey,” his dad joked, “you got a trip to Augusta out of it.”

That and priceless memories to last a lifetime.