Was Masters a sign of resurrection for Hamilton?

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Todd Hamilton's tie for15th at the Masters assured him a spot in next year's field.

Todd Hamilton seemed to come out of nowhere in 2004 when he won the British Open in a playoff over Ernie Els, as well as The Honda Classic, for his lone two victories on the PGA TOUR. That earned Hamilton Rookie of the Year honors at the advanced age of 38 after playing in Japan for about 10 years.

The problem is, since that magical season, Hamilton had disappeared again. At least from the leaderboards.

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After posting three top 10s and eight top 25s during his memorable 2004 season, when he ranked 11th on the TOUR's money list with more than $3 million in earnings, Hamilton has compiled just one top 10 and 10 top 25s in the last four-plus years.

Luckily for Hamilton, he had the five-year exemption for winning the British Open; otherwise, he would be making an annual visit to q-school. Or finding another line of work.

"I've had a really odd career," Hamilton said. "When I play well, I do so for a stretch, but sometimes it looks like I don't even belong out here."

Hamilton finally showed a glimpse of his former game last week at the Masters when he shot a 4-under 68 in the first round to move into contention. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but not long after he shot the nice score, he was asked by Masters officials to take a drug test.

Hamilton eventually passed the playability test, as he remained on the leaderboard for most of the week with rounds of 72, 72 and 73. He didn't challenge on the weekend, but his tie for 15th assured him at least one more trip to Augusta National (players who finished among the top 16 earned spots in next year's major).

Now comes the more difficult part: Can Hamilton, now 43, resurrect his game so he'll return to the PGA TOUR as a fully-exempt member in 2010? We'll find out more at this week's Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where his performance chart mirrors his career: In five starts, he has four missed cuts and a tie for 22nd place.

His paycheck of $131,250 at Augusta National moved him from No. 187 on the money list to No. 134, at least within sniffing distance of the top 125. Could this be one of those times where he plays well for a stretch and continues his climb up the Money List?

Hamilton insists he wasn't distraught about his game entering the Masters. The numbers showed he had made just two cuts in nine tries this year, but Hamilton knows a scorecard can't begin to tell the story.

"I know on paper, my year has not been that great," Hamilton said. "I may have had some 74s and 75s, but a drive 5 yards left here, 5 yards right there ... and those 74s and 75s could have been even pars. It wasn't to the point where I was going to quit playing the game."

But there's a difference between walking away from the game and not having an opportunity to remain fully exempt. In the last four years, he has ranked 134th, 198th, 212th and 150th on the money list.

That's a lot of bad shots he has to get out of his mind, which may explain why he's been "beating his head against the wall" during his struggles this year.

But Hamilton won 14 times during his frequent trips to Japan from 1992-2003, and some of those victories had large gaps in between. Hamilton, in other words, has never been a consistent player in the mold of, say, Jim Furyk.

Sometimes, it can just take one good week or a positive swing thought to turn around a frustrating year. Hamilton feels he has found one of his missing links.

"My driving has been really good for a while, knock-on-wood," Hamilton said. "My putting has not been all that great. My irons haven't been that great. My short game has not been that great. But it seems my driving has stayed quite well, and it seems like each one of those other three components has gotten a little bit better."

After finishing 36th at last year's Masters, Hamilton went on a little run, making 10 of 12 cuts. If he can duplicate that stretch this summer, maybe the former British Open champion won't have to return to q-school for the first time since 2003.

A lot has happened for Hamilton in the last five-and-a-half years -- some incredible success followed by a long stretch of stale play.

Was the Masters an omen of things to come or one last hurrah for one of the most unlikely British Open winners of this generation?

"It's been tough to get a handle on my golf game," he says.

He needs an out-of-the-blue performance to turn his career in the proper direction. Again.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.