Showing plenty of Hart in the face of adversity

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Dudley Hart had a successful return to the TOUR in 2008 after taking much of last season off because his wife had a non-malignant tumor.

What will you remember about the '08 season? That was the simple question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and freelance contributors, who responded with a series of short essays that we will post during November (click here for the archive link).

For a professional athlete, pressure comes in all forms. Dudley Hart now understands.

The sobering call came in May of 2007, at the Wachovia Championship. Suzanne Hart, Dudley's wife, had a non-malignant tumor the size of a softball on her lung and would need surgery to remove it.

"It was a scary time and we didn't know how bad it would be", Hart recalls. "The furthest thing from your mind is golf."

Golf would wait, as long as necessary. Hart shut down his season and returned to Buffalo to care for his wife and their 5-year-old triplets while Suzanne had two thirds of her lung removed and remained hospitalized for a month.

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Then came a series of positive signs. Suzanne's surgery, though perilous, was successful. Her recovery improved and her health strengthened. Then the PGA TOUR did the right thing; granting Hart a medical extension for family crisis. He would have 15 tournaments in 2009 to make $485,931, certainly no gimme.

Again, there was pressure. Or was it just an unlikely opportunity presenting itself? It was simply a matter of perspective.

"Sometimes you have to have something as drastic as what happened to us and my wife to kind of open your eyes to what's really important," Hart recently said. "Not making golf so important, as crazy as that sounds, gives you a better chance to play well."

Here's where the story comes full circle. Hart's game flourishes. His demeanor, once defined by a perpetually simmering temper, becomes one of relief, even joy. Unburdened by all of the game's pressures, real and perceived, he earns his $485K and then some by the end of March. An inspired run through the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup culminates at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, punctuating the finest season of his 18-year career. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming in January.

I'm sure Dudley Hart had different plans for his 2008 season, but fate intervened. Reflectively, he somehow feels fortunate that it did. The unforgettable performance Hart delivered will be a tough act for him to follow in 2009.

"I mean, you just have so much to work on," he said. "There's so many different things that you can get better at, that the challenge never ends."

Was he talking about his game? I suppose it's a matter of perspective.

John Swantek, PGA TOUR Productions Fantasy Insider, is already feeling the pressure of the 2009 fantasy golf season.