i believe it is kind of a twisted story, but the father i feel had some part of making him succeed to where he is today
from yahoo
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>O'Hair poised to end long, difficult journey</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
May 14, 2005
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - May 14, 7:11 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Sean O'Hair is not interested in rehashing his long, troubled road to becoming a 22-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour. All that matters now is finishing it with a victory in the Byron Nelson Championship.
Prompted to turn pro at age 17 by a father who saw him merely as a commodity, O'Hair showed poise beyond his years Saturday with a 3-under 67 while playing in the final group to take a one-shot lead over British Open champion Todd Hamilton.
``Being in that situation for the first time, I'm pretty happy with the way I handled myself,'' said O'Hair, who made only one bogey and finished at 12-under 198.
A weekend without Tiger Woods, who missed the cut for the first time in 142 events, suddenly is not lacking for a compelling storyline.
O'Hair was one of the best juniors in the country, driven my a father who made him run a mile for every bogey, told him to turn pro a year before he finished high school and had him sign a contract giving the father 10 percent of all future earnings. After failing against competition over his head, O'Hair cut ties to his father and hasn't spoken to him in almost two years.
He made it to the big leagues five months ago at Q-school. Now, O'Hair is only 18 holes away from where he had hoped to be all along.
``I think eventually I was going to be in this situation. This early? I don't think so,'' he said.
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</NOSCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But there is plenty of work left.
Hamilton, who has had only onetop 10 since his British Open victory over Ernie Els, shot a 65 despite missing two birdies putts inside 6 feet on the final four holes. Scott Verplank nearly holed out from the fairway on the 18th hole and finished with three straight birdies for a 65, putting him at 10-under 200 with Doug Barron (65) and Ted Purdy (68).
The Big Five was down to threeafter Woods and Retief Goosen missed the cut.
Vijay Singh, who likely will return to No. 1 in the world, avoided a bogey-bogey finish with an 8-footer on the 18th for a 69 that left him at 6-under 204. Els failed to maintain his strong start, wound up with a 69 and was at 205 along with Phil Mickelson, who birdied two of his last three holes for a 70.
O'Hair had trouble keeping food down Saturday morning and felt lightheaded early in the round, pouring cool water on the back of his head and drinking water on just about ever hole.
His only mistake came on the par-5 seventh, when his chip from just right of the green sailed well past the hole, and he missed an 8-foot par putt. But with no one making a move, O'Hair decided it might as well be him.
He holed an 18-footer from just off the green for birdie at No. 11, then made a 15-foot birdie putt on the next hole to reach 11 under par and regain the lead from Hamilton.
O'Hair also escaped potential trouble on the 14th. His tee shot sailed left toward a pond, bounded through the trees and came within two paces of going into the water. He hit his approach into the gallery above the green, then chipped some 15 feet by the hole. But he saved his par and kept rolling.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Hamilton took a peculiar route to his strong start, playing down the eighth fairway on the par-5 seventh hole to make the 527-yard hole a little shorter.
But it led to his third straight round in the 60s, which surprised Hamilton.
``Hopefully, I can continue it one more day,'' he said.
Hamilton and O'Hair have little in common -- one was a PGA Tour rookie last year at 38 after toiling for a dozen years in Asia, the other a 22-year-old rookie who toiled under a goal-oriented father.
In a ``60 Minutes II'' segment three years ago on Woods' affect on young golfers, Marc O'Hair said of his son, ``I was in business 20-plus years and I know how to make a profit. You've got the same old thing -- it's material, labor and overhead. He's pretty good labor.''
O'Hair has not discussed his relationship this week, only saying that he has been nearly two years since he has spoken to his father. He talks to his mother about twice a week, but has a strong support group -- his wife of two years just delivered their first child, and his father-in-law is his caddie.
Hamilton knows the story and played a nine holes of a practice round with O'Hair this week.
``You could never tell there was any bad blood between the two,'' Hamilton said.
Indeed, O'Hair has boyish looks and a warm smile. He is polite and well-mannered, looking people in the eye as he speaks to them and rarely showing even a hint of anger or frustration. And make no mistake -- he can play. <SMALL>Divots</SMALL>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
from yahoo
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>O'Hair poised to end long, difficult journey</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
May 14, 2005
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - May 14, 7:11 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Sean O'Hair is not interested in rehashing his long, troubled road to becoming a 22-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour. All that matters now is finishing it with a victory in the Byron Nelson Championship.
Prompted to turn pro at age 17 by a father who saw him merely as a commodity, O'Hair showed poise beyond his years Saturday with a 3-under 67 while playing in the final group to take a one-shot lead over British Open champion Todd Hamilton.
``Being in that situation for the first time, I'm pretty happy with the way I handled myself,'' said O'Hair, who made only one bogey and finished at 12-under 198.
A weekend without Tiger Woods, who missed the cut for the first time in 142 events, suddenly is not lacking for a compelling storyline.
O'Hair was one of the best juniors in the country, driven my a father who made him run a mile for every bogey, told him to turn pro a year before he finished high school and had him sign a contract giving the father 10 percent of all future earnings. After failing against competition over his head, O'Hair cut ties to his father and hasn't spoken to him in almost two years.
He made it to the big leagues five months ago at Q-school. Now, O'Hair is only 18 holes away from where he had hoped to be all along.
``I think eventually I was going to be in this situation. This early? I don't think so,'' he said.
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Hamilton, who has had only onetop 10 since his British Open victory over Ernie Els, shot a 65 despite missing two birdies putts inside 6 feet on the final four holes. Scott Verplank nearly holed out from the fairway on the 18th hole and finished with three straight birdies for a 65, putting him at 10-under 200 with Doug Barron (65) and Ted Purdy (68).
The Big Five was down to threeafter Woods and Retief Goosen missed the cut.
Vijay Singh, who likely will return to No. 1 in the world, avoided a bogey-bogey finish with an 8-footer on the 18th for a 69 that left him at 6-under 204. Els failed to maintain his strong start, wound up with a 69 and was at 205 along with Phil Mickelson, who birdied two of his last three holes for a 70.
O'Hair had trouble keeping food down Saturday morning and felt lightheaded early in the round, pouring cool water on the back of his head and drinking water on just about ever hole.
His only mistake came on the par-5 seventh, when his chip from just right of the green sailed well past the hole, and he missed an 8-foot par putt. But with no one making a move, O'Hair decided it might as well be him.
He holed an 18-footer from just off the green for birdie at No. 11, then made a 15-foot birdie putt on the next hole to reach 11 under par and regain the lead from Hamilton.
O'Hair also escaped potential trouble on the 14th. His tee shot sailed left toward a pond, bounded through the trees and came within two paces of going into the water. He hit his approach into the gallery above the green, then chipped some 15 feet by the hole. But he saved his par and kept rolling.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Hamilton took a peculiar route to his strong start, playing down the eighth fairway on the par-5 seventh hole to make the 527-yard hole a little shorter.
But it led to his third straight round in the 60s, which surprised Hamilton.
``Hopefully, I can continue it one more day,'' he said.
Hamilton and O'Hair have little in common -- one was a PGA Tour rookie last year at 38 after toiling for a dozen years in Asia, the other a 22-year-old rookie who toiled under a goal-oriented father.
In a ``60 Minutes II'' segment three years ago on Woods' affect on young golfers, Marc O'Hair said of his son, ``I was in business 20-plus years and I know how to make a profit. You've got the same old thing -- it's material, labor and overhead. He's pretty good labor.''
O'Hair has not discussed his relationship this week, only saying that he has been nearly two years since he has spoken to his father. He talks to his mother about twice a week, but has a strong support group -- his wife of two years just delivered their first child, and his father-in-law is his caddie.
Hamilton knows the story and played a nine holes of a practice round with O'Hair this week.
``You could never tell there was any bad blood between the two,'' Hamilton said.
Indeed, O'Hair has boyish looks and a warm smile. He is polite and well-mannered, looking people in the eye as he speaks to them and rarely showing even a hint of anger or frustration. And make no mistake -- he can play. <SMALL>Divots</SMALL>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
