Player blog: Sean O'Hair

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Editor's note: Sean O'Hair is one of the PGA TOUR's rising young stars. He burst onto the scene in 2005, winning the John Deere Classic as a rookie, and he's been a solid performer ever since. O'Hair is going to be writing a blog regularly for PGATOUR.com this year, and this is his first installment.

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- It's been an interesting year so far. I think I'm still trying to get my bearings a little bit. I haven't really done anything too special, but I'm headed in the right direction. I played OK for three days in Phoenix and then pretty much ruined the tournament with my last nine holes when I was like 4 or 5 over par. Overall, though, I kind of like the way I'm playing. I'm making cuts and playing halfway decent. Most importantly, I'm getting a sense of what I need to be working on. It's far from where I want to be, though -- or where I feel sure I can get to as the year goes on.

Sean O'Hair says there's a lot he'd like to improve on. (Condon/PGA TOUR)

My putting is actually much better this year than in years past, so that's a positive. My ball-striking is not that great, though. I am struggling a little bit in that category. I'm not hitting enough fairways and because of that I'm not hitting enough greens. I think if that gets a little bit better, though, I'll start playing more the way I want to be playing. I know it will come.

I'm here at Riviera this week for the Northern Trust Open. The last two days, though, I was doing commercial shoots for TaylorMade and adidas. So that was pretty interesting. One thing for certain, though, I am far from being a TV star. I am terrible with that stuff. I don't mind the action part of it, swinging the club and all that, but when you have to talk in front of the camera, I'm lost. It's like tongue-twisting. I can't talk. It feels awkward doing that stuff, but I think the more you do it, the easier it gets. I think it's the role playing that's difficult for me -- the fact that you're acting, and I'm not used to that. That's not what I do. I play golf. And sometimes when you see people on TV, you make fun of them. So the thought that someone might be doing that with me makes me nervous. I don't know when the commercial will start airing, probably the middle of the year, but it will be cool to see. They make you look so good. You feel like a complete jerk after you get done doing it, but they make you look like a natural. It should be a good commercial. TaylorMade is pretty serious with their stuff. They're all about performance. And from the sound of it, from what they're planning on doing with this commercial, it's going to be pretty cool.

My family probably would have gotten a kick out of seeing me make that commercial. They are not here this week, though. I miss them. They actually haven't been out much this year -- just to the Buick Invitational and FBR Open -- because it's hard with the long distances. I think once we get to Florida, it will be better. They'll be able to be with me more. The last trip where I was gone for a month and I wasn't around them for a couple of weeks was really tough -- especially with your kids being as young as mine. You miss something new every day. My daughter just started swim lessons. And my son, we just had a birthday party for him this past week. I missed his birthday in January, but I'm actually going to be home for my daughter's next week, so that is good. I call them all the time. My daughter is at the age now where she can talk on the phone a little. My son, he's just a year old, but he recognizes my voice, and you'll hear him screaming out there. It's pretty funny.

I like Riviera, and I'm looking forward to playing here this week. The greens are very tricky. They're very bumpy, and there's a lot of different pulls. You've got to be patient on the greens. This is a ball-striker's golf course, and I like to think of myself as a good ball-striker. Visually, it really sets up your shots for you. There are a lot of doglegs left and to the right, and it kind of sets you up for a fade or a draw. The course just does it for you. So I think it's a nice course for me. I like it. Hopefully, I'll play well this week.

It's definitely a work in progress but I know I am headed in the right direction.