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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

When it's your time, it's your time.

Tom Scherrer fired a 63 in Round 2 at Springfield to take the lead for good in the Price Cutter Charity Championship. (WireImage)

So goes the golf adage about winning. But for the love of Jack Nicklaus, how does a player who hasn't visited the winner's circle in seven long, frustrating years scratch that itch?

That's what Tom Scherrer was beginning to wonder as he slogged through another Nationwide Tour season without getting a sniff of golf's true spoils, a championship trophy and a first-place check. But a funny thing happened to Scherrer less than a month ago. He visited noted short game teacher James Sieckmann who magically picked the lock of the throne room.

See one club, and one club only, had held back Scherrer, 37, throughout the last 84 months. The offending club was the putter which, when misbehaving, can drive a solid ball striker like Scherrer to distraction.

Sieckmann gave Scherrer a few tips.

And lo and behold, Scherrer appears on the verge of turning his career around. At least that's the overpowering statement Scherrer has made the last two weeks when balls have been rolling into the hole.

It started in Columbus, Ohio, where Scherrer played steadily and gathered momentum with a final-round 67, finishing in a tie for fifth in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Classic, his best since a tie for third in Cleveland in August of 2005.

Then he scratched that victory itch convincingly with a four-shot victory over Franklin Langham at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. All Scherrer did was wear out the field by stringing together rounds of 66-63-66-67 for a 72-hole total of 26-under-par 262, the lowest aggregate of the '07 Nationwide Tour season.

"It's rewarding to get my complete game going,'' Scherrer said.

No kidding.

The victory was worth $100,080, allowing Scherrer to advance 42 places on the all-important money list, where he sits inside "The 25'' at No. 14 this week. That's how you spell relief.

"I've been playing so well tee to green for a long time now, but I just haven't been able to get my putter going," Scherrer said. "The last two weeks, I have finally started rolling some putts."

Actually, Scherrer did a little more than roll balls into the hole. He also slam-dunked an 8-iron from 162 yards for a hole-in-one during his second-round 63. Maybe that's when you start getting the sneaking suspicion this might be your week. Oh, by the way, the ace came on his 37th birthday. Now happy days are here again.

"It's great to be back and it's very gratifying,'' Scherrer said.

There were times when Scherrer questioned whether he'd make it. After all, his last victory came where he's trying to go -- the PGA TOUR. That was at the Kemper Open in 2000, where, ironically, he also played with Langham in the final round.

"We both played well and kept each other at ease,'' Scherrer was of the comfortable pairing with Langham, another veteran who is among the nicest and friendliest players on the Nationwide Tour.

Ease aside, an overload of self-doubt creeps into a golfer's psyche when he's striping the ball, but isn't making a darned thing outside of five feet. And that painted the most accurate picture of Scherrer for too long.

"I wasn't sure if I would make it back,'' Scherrer said of the winner's circle. "It's been a long time and it feels good."

Sure a hole-in-one helps that tingling sensation, but looking back, the session with Sieckmann was Scherrer's real birthday present. Just don't ask him what that putting secret is. The media at the Price Cutter attempted to pry it out of him, putting the query just about every which way it could. But he steadfastly refused to divulge it on the way to the title. And he was no less cooperative when reached late Sunday evening by telephone.

"I think I'll keep that to myself,'' Scherrer said. Surely he was smiling when he said it.

Talk to Scherrer about his dark ages and one word keeps popping up in the conversation. That word is "struggle.'' Scherrer would have an occasional good week with the putter, but they were few and far between for a guy who felt he was good enough from tee to green to "play with anybody.''

Enter Charlie Wi. He suggested Scherrer seek the help of Sieckmann, who Wi also has worked with for quite some time.

Sieckmann made the right suggestion, but Scherrer said it did not click with him until the week of Columbus. Then it was goodbye struggles and hello salvation.

"My tendency always has been to push or cut my putts,'' Scherrer said. "But all of a sudden the putts started hugging the ground. Knock on wood. I haven't pushed or cut a putt in two weeks.''

And Scherrer isn't the greedy sort who wants to make them all.

"I don't need to be the best putter,'' Scherrer said. "I just need to putt decently, make my fair share and I'll be O.K.''

The last two events bear witness to that.