As a local lad, Geoff Ogilvy has played at the Victoria Golf Club more than any other course. He's played there more than every one of the competitors this week. He will be hoping his local knowledge - and the fact that he will be sleeping in his own bed - will give him an edge for the Australian Masters, which begins on Thursday.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Ogilvy was, predictably, asked almost immediately about his stoush with Robert Allenby that followed the Presidents Cup.

Ogilvy had been unimpressed by Allenby's public criticism of his teammates' performances in the Cup, and the pair had gotten into a heated argument in a restaurant after the final round of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum.

Ogilvy, equally predictably, proclaimed the incident to be overblown and denied that the pair had fallen out. He stressed that his problem was not with Allenby himself, just the comments he had made.

He revealed he had not spoken to Allenby since the bust-up, even though the fellow Victorian had left a message on his phone later on that Sunday night.

"He left a message on my phone when it was off and he wants to bury the hatchet, if you like," Ogilvy said. ''I never had an issue with Robert, I just had an issue with what he said to the press. I mentioned that to him (at Coolum), we had a discussion about it, and that was it really.

"It's a pretty good week the Presidents Cup, and anyone who has been in a team, you get very defensive of your team and when someone says something like that it is really disappointing.

"He's pretty happy to get on with it. He's still my mate. I've known him a long time."

Ogilvy said they would both be "professional" should they play together at this week's event. "I think we'd work it out pretty quick," he said. "It might be fun I think."

On the upcoming Masters at his home track, Ogilvy expected the course to play well, particularly in light of the pleasant weather forecast for the tournament. He said the greens would be fast, but was quick to assure that there would be no repeat of the controversy that once plagued the course. In 2002, the course's greens had been so absurdly fast that the first round was abandoned before noon and the Australian Open ended up being contested over 54 holes.

While Ogilvy's intimate knowledge of the course could give him an edge over the field, he seemed intent on playing things simple - chasing consistent play over the course of the tournament. He said it was the only way to defeat current world No.1 Luke Donald.

Donald has had a remarkable year, with such consistent success that he became the first player in history to top both the US and European money lists. Ogilvy highlighted Donald's ability to produce remarkable results when the pressure was on as his best attribute.

Indeed, Donald has a good record when important milestones are on the line. He became world No.1 in May by winning a playoff hole to win the BWM PGA Championship. Then in October, he famously birdied six consecutive holes on the back nine to steal victory at the Disney Classic in Florida, cementing his place on top of the US money list in the process.

Ogilvy himself would love to string a season like Donald's together, but first will have to get his body right. Following this tournament, Ogilvy will take an extended five-week break, after which he should be over the shoulder and finger injuries which have dogged him in recent months.

He said despite the rigours of a long season, most golfers are usually itching to get back on the course even after a fortnight off it. One suspects Ogilvy will be rearing to go when he returns.

More immediately, though, he's "in the mood to win" at Victoria. The desire to score a win at on home turf will spur him to challenge the best in the business. A win before his extended layoff might make the break from competition a bit more bearable.