Joe Ogilvie had every reason to celebrate.
After 229 unsuccessful attempts to get into the winner's circle at a PGA Tour event, the 33-year-old Texan finally broke through. He won the 40th U.S. Bank Championship on Sunday afternoon at Brown Deer Park, shooting a final-round 67 to finish at 14-under 266 for the tournament.
In recognition of his effort, Ogilvie, a close friend of Brewers TV announcer Brian Anderson, earned a $720,000 paycheck, a two-year exemption on Tour and a lovely Waterford crystal trophy.
It was the trophy that intrigued us.
How does a touring player like Ogilvie, who scrambles from tournament to tournament throughout the summer, find room in his luggage for a giant trophy? How does he avoid having it broken in the overhead bin? Do confident players carry an empty suitcase on the road "just in case?"
We asked U.S. Bank Championship Dan Croak for details.
"I hand the trophy to the winner every year, and then, as soon as the ceremony is over, he hands it back," Croak said. (The winner is then sent a trophy with his name engraved on it.)
When Ogilvie kissed the crystal trophy, it got us thinking about famous trophies in sports. Here is our list. Feel free to use the Talkback feature to add yours:
1. The Stanley Cup - It has history. It has tradition. It has hundreds of infamous names on it. It has two guys with white gloves who carry it onto the ice and hand it to sweaty, unshaven hockey players who treat it like a garbage can for most of the summer. We saw the New York Rangers win the Cup in 1994 and it was unforgettable, particularly when Mark Messier brought the trophy to a post-game party at his Manhattan bar.
2. The Lombardi Trophy - The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in America. For all the excess surrounding the event, the trophy itself is a classic. Clean lines. Shiny silver. Who can forget Reggie White running around the Superdome while holding it aloft?
3. The Green Jacket -- Outside of Augusta National, only grandpa and weird Uncle Hubert would dare to wear a green sport coat. But, it's always chilling when a defending champion helps put one over the shoulders of a first-time winner.
4. The Heisman Trophy - Presented annually by the Downtown Athletic Club to the best player in college football, this classic bronze statue has picked up another meaning over the years. When a member of the opposite sex refuses your advances, she is said to be "giving you the Heisman."
5. Olympic Gold Medal -- It's the measure of athletic excellence. The ones from the Winter Games in Turin looked weird because of the hole in the center, but they are still cool as all get out.
6. The Larry O'Brien Trophy -- Basketball's answer to the Lombardi trophy. The ball and goal are classic gold.
7. Paul Bunyan's Axe -- The winner of the Wisconsin-Minnesota football game gets to run around the field swinging the axe and pretending to chop down the goal post. It doesn't get much better than that.
8. The Rawlings Gold Glove -- Given to the best fielder at each position, even if they use Wilson, Nike or Mizuno gloves.
9. The 1982 American League Championship Trophy. Rumor has it that they found this under a stack of newspapers when they were cleaning out Bud Selig's office at County Stadium.
10. The World Cup. This could be ranked higher, but not until the US wins one.
Honorable mention: The Hobey Baker Trophy, the Claret Jug, the Norris Trophy, the Pud Galvin cup (for the media vs. Brewers front office softball game) and, of course, Trophy wives (Victoria Beckham, Eva Longoria, etc.).
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
