ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, site of the upcoming PLAYERS Championship, tends to radiate equally stiff resistance to the aspirations of those who seek validation, redemption or a simple reprieve. But if the proud girl has a soft spot at all, she just might reveal it to Greg Owen.

Never has a defending champion won THE PLAYERS Championship. Only once has a first-timer captured the title -- Craig Perks in 2002. If the golf gods have a notion to sprinkle magic dust this week in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., their target should be the downtrodden but immensely gracious Owen.

The second-year PGA TOUR member from Nottingham, England, posted his career-best finish Sunday at the Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard, closing with a 3-under-par 69 to end up second, one stroke behind winner Rod Pampling. He earned $594,000 and locked up his TOUR card for ’07 before Easter.

Those would be the headlines. The fine print reads like a car crash sounds -- sickening.

Standing on the tee at the par-3 17th hole, Owen was cruising along at 6-under par for the day, and he led Pampling by a stroke after beginning the final round four behind the determined Aussie. Though Owen missed the green just short, Pampling’s approach sailed long and eventually he bogeyed. After a stellar chip to three feet, Owen had destiny on his putter. Make the putt and he is up two with one to go.

But he missed the putt. Then, without lining up the 2-foot comeback try, he inexplicably missed again, the ball circumnavigating the cup and sitting defiantly on the lip. Double bogey. The two men were tied.

Owen was tied up in knots.

“I hit a great (tee) shot,” Owen, 34, a three-time winner abroad, said. “I hit it right on line, just needed another inch and it’s next to the hole … little breaks. And you can accept missing the first putt, but to just throw a shot like that after the hard work you’ve done all week is just stupid. I played really well until 17. I don’t know, just a lack of concentration.”

Even Pampling was in shock. “You never want to see anyone do that,” he said.

Pampling would make a routine par at the 18th. Owen, after hitting his second shot on the difficult par-4 home hole into the back left bunker, splashed out to 13 feet. His par putt to tie was in … until the last few inches, and then it, too, hit the lip and spun out.

“I can’t believe that missed,” he said. “It’s one of those things where it just kicks you in the teeth. It’s one of those things where you say, well, it wasn’t meant to be.”

After firing a third-round 67 that put him in the third of the hunt Saturday, Owen, who has a home in nearby Windermere, said, “the golfing gods will tell me if it's my time to win.”

The message was delivered harshly. Now Owen has to regroup quickly, with the wounds still fresh, and he’ll have to pull himself and his wounded psyche together at one of the most prestigious events of the year and on one of the most challenging shot-making layouts. Asked how he would rebound, Owen, who finished fourth last year at the Shell Houston Open after a similar error on a short putt in the final round, was blunt.

“I don’t know. I’ll find out tonight, but it’s not going to be easy,” he said. “You know, you don’t get many chances to win on the PGA TOUR, and on a great golf course like this (Bay Hill). I had it in my pocket. It was there and I threw it away. So we’ll find out. Play again next week and see what happens there.

“I certainly think I will learn from this,” he added. “I hope I can learn from this.”

As he left the media center, Owen had his 3-year-old daughter, Lauren, draped over his back. He tossed her over his shoulders as if she was as light as a feather.

It’s too bad that golf lets doubt weigh so much more heavily on those who most need a break.