Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.It wasn't supposed to be Sean O'Hair's week. This was about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, jumping up the leaderboard on Thursday and sticking there until the last putt dropped. This was supposed to be Augusta continued. This wasn't supposed to be the week for a 26-year-old to finally cash in after five top-10 finishes in 2009.
The thing is, O'Hair's talent knows no bounds, and the guy that once had to run miles for each bogey he made is quietly becoming the best young golfer on tour. Sure, he's not flashy like Anthony Kim or as hopeful as Rory McIlroy, but this win was O'Hair's third of his career during a week at Quail Hollow that had one of the toughest non-major fields of the year.
O'Hair didn't just outlast the big two. The long-hitting lefty, Bubba Watson, on the heels of a Friday 65, posted at 10-under, along with Lucas Glover.
At Quail Hollow, the final three holes are the meat of the course, so building up a lead before you hit the Green Mile is imperative. O'Hair's six birdies in the final round were good enough to allow two bogeys to finish and the title.
With one of the sweetest swings in the game, O'Hair looks to finally be coming into form. He is now third on the FedEx Cup standings and hit the ball far enough to be a factor at Bethpage Black next month. Also, he now has the confidence of winning a big time event with big time players, something that wasn't there after his first two victories.
We've been waiting for a young gun to break through and start claiming the big events. Maybe O'Hair is that guy.
Tiger's Travails -- I'm one of the biggest advocates for lowering the expectations of Tiger, but I think it is clear now that his game is not where it was in 2008. This is the second tournament in a row that Woods could have grabbed with his mits, but an inability to get his ball in play and on the greens did him in (It also didn't help him that no putts would drop).
I've heard people mention the difference in his swing this year, or maybe it is still just rust from the layoff, but Woods cannot be the favorite at the U.S. Open. Back when Tiger was really playing well, he'd miss his drives right if anywhere. It was a self-made defense mechanism to avoid the snap hook. Now, Tiger is missing his tee shots both ways and it is making it difficult for even Tiger to set up realistic birdie chances. At the U.S. Open, when the rough will be thick and the course long, Tiger will have to find the fairway.
Right now, that doesn't seem realistic.
Daly's Back -- With all the sporting events this weekend, it was probably easy to miss what was going on at the Open de Espana. If you didn't catch the results, you didn't see what John Daly did.
A skinnier Daly made the cut around rounds of 70-72 and after a third round 74, Daly closed with a final round 69 to jump twenty spots to finish t-31. Sure, it wasn't the best he could have played, but it's a start, and that is what you need when you have as many demons as Daly does.
Hopefully he can continue the good play and get back on the PGA Tour soon enough.
