Top Charlotte finishers take momentum into PLAYERS
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When Sean O'Hair got to the Quail Hollow Club last Monday and saw what used to be lush and lengthy rough topped off at 2 inches, he was very pleased.
"It was just a sigh of relief because this place always plays like a major, and you just don't want that kind of stress before THE PLAYERS," he said.
At the same time, the course played firm and fast -- just like the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass will next week during the PGA TOUR's signature event. So O'Hair's win Sunday at the Quail Hollow Championship had to be even more of a confidence builder.
The victory was the third of O'Hair's career and made the talented 26-year-old the only American who hasn't hit the big 3-0 to have a trio of PGA TOUR wins. He's moved to third in the FedExCup race, as well as a career-high 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
So O'Hair will go to this week's PLAYERS among the favorites with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who rank 1-2 in the world. Woods finished fourth on Sunday at Quail Hollow while Mickelson rode a closing 67 into a tie for fifth.
O'Hair would like nothing better than to rewrite history at the Stadium Course, too. He held the 54-hole lead in 2007, when Mickelson won, only to see his hopes evaporate when he rinsed two balls at the treacherous island 17th on Sunday.
One of O'Hair's biggest challenges next week won't come on the golf course, though. He'll need to figure out a way to budget his time wisely as the most recent champion's perspective is sure to be in demand.
"I have been playing great, and it's obviously awesome to win," O'Hair said. "But the thing is, with winning comes distractions. There are always extra media requests the next week and other things to do. So I need to be extra cautious where I spend my time.
"But as far as my game is concerned, it feels very good, and I'm definitely looking forward to the week."
O'Hair's sixth top 10 of the season came in just his second start after he squandered a five-shot lead and finished as the runner-up to Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. He tied for 10th at the Masters in between.
"He's got all the talent," Woods said. "We know that. We've seen how well he's played. It's just he's been through a lot off the golf course, and it's just a matter of time before all that settles in.
"He's got a great family, and you can see now he's starting to gain confidence with what he's working on."
As expected, Woods' named loomed large on the leaderboard all week. The 2007 champion was tied for second, two behind Zach Johnson, entering the final round but never really mounted one of his patented charges from the penultimate group.
"I didn't hit the ball well at all today," Woods said. "With this wind you have to. You have to flush it to keep it going through that wind, and I wasn't doing a very good job of that today. A couple upshoots today, I wasn't able to keep the ball flat and penetrating through the wind. The wind had a little bit more effect on my ball than it should have."
Woods hasn't finished higher than 11th at THE PLAYERS since his 2001 victory. As he returns to the Stadium Course, he admits his short game is ahead of his long game after last year's eight-month layoff when the ACL in his left knee was reconstructed.
"Well, that's all I did for months is chip and putt," said Woods, who only hit 25 of 56 fairways and 46 of 72 greens last week. "So yeah, my short game is better than it has been in a while. just need to get a little bit more crisp with my driving and my long irons and get that dialed in.
"My short irons are actually pretty good, it's just the longer stuff is not where I want it at all."
Mickelson's closing 67 went a long way toward sending him to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where the TPC Sawgrass is located, in a positive frame of mind. His 75 on Saturday appeared to take the left-hander out of the tournament, but he came out and applied pressure early in the final round as the leaders began to struggle.
"It's good momentum to go into next week," Mickelson said. "I knew I was playing well. Yesterday's round was disappointing. I wish I was out there playing in some of the latter groups with a chance to win. But I enjoyed playing today with Jeff Maggert. I enjoyed getting a good round and hitting some good shots, making some key putts, feeling the pressure.
"You know, the last hole I had a four footer, and I had pressure on that. That's cool. I haven't been in a tournament the last couple weeks, and it was fun to feel that."
Lucas Glover, who bogeyed the 18th hole Sunday and tied for second with Bubba Watson, was most encouraged by the way he putted in Charlotte. He tied for first in putts per round and ranked 14th in putts per greens in regulation.
The confidence boost is important given his track record at the Stadium Course.
"I have a lot of trouble putting the greens at Sawgrass," Glover explained. "I'm getting my ball started where I want on the greens, so I'm excited to get down there. I'm going to go down there Tuesday night and treat it a little different this time."
In years past, Glover would have headed straight from Charlotte to Ponte Vedra on Sunday night. The extra time hasn't exactly helped -- the Clemson grad has missed the cut each of the three times he's played.
"I practice all day Monday, all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday, then I go out and play bad," Glover said with a wry smile. "So now I'm going to go in Tuesday, play fast Wednesday, go back (to the hotel), put my feet up and see what happens."
Johnson, who saw his hopes for a second victory of the season derailed by a triple bogey at the second and bogey at the third, said he suffered from a "massive" headache and vision problems Sunday.
"Honestly I think what it is is at my age now I'm starting to develop allergies," Johnson said. "It's behind my eyes, that sort of thing. I don't know what or why. I'm not saying that's the sole purpose behind everything. I think I got a little impact early and rushed it a little bit.
"But all in all, I mean, it's disappointing."
Johnson, who lives about 90 minutes away from Ponte Vedra in Sea Island, Ga., is looking forward to THE PLAYERS.
"I love that golf course," he said. "I think it's a great test."
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