Even without a win, Rollins has made huge strides in '09

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After an off-year in 2008, John Rollins is back in the top 10 in the FedExCup standings.

John Rollins was feeling some déjà vu.

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One shot behind Y.E. Yang after a final-hole birdie, Rollins watched behind the 18th green as Yang badly pulled a wedge approach, leaving him with a difficult, downhill two-putt from 50 feet to preserve a one-shot lead.

Rollins had just seen playing partner Brett Quigley three-putt from basically the same position. Plus, Rollins knows about last-minute gifts -- his first PGA TOUR win came at the 2002 Bell Canadian Open, when he got into a playoff only after Neal Lancaster double-bogeyed the final hole.

Not that Rollins was quietly muttering "Noonan" under his breath.

"I never root against anyone," Rollins said, "But I was rooting for myself."

The rooting became a moot point when Yang lagged his long putt to within a foot. As tournament officials pressed forward to the green to get a closer look at who would become the second South Korean to win on the PGA TOUR, Rollins abruptly turned and headed for the exit.

"I knew it was over," Rollins said. "I told my caddie, 'Good week, and we'll move on to next week.'"

Yes, The Honda Classic at PGA National had been a good week for Rollins, and not just because the runner-up finish got him into this week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Miami's Doral Resort & Spa as a last-minute addition after he moved into the top 10 in FedExCup points (he's eighth).

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Rollins lost over 20 pounds after his disappointing season in 2008.

You see, there are "good" second-place finishes, and there are second-place finishes. Rollins has experienced both in the last month.

At the Buick Invitational, Rollins appeared poised for his third career PGA TOUR victory when he had a three-shot lead on the back nine at Torrey Pines after he eagled the 13th hole. But Rollins finished with two bogeys and three pars, allowing Nick Watney to overcome a three-shot deficit with a pair of closing birdies.

That was not a good second-place finish.

But Sunday's at The Honda Classic was more encouraging. Rollins was four shots back as he was about to make the turn, and still faced a three-shot deficit with six holes to play. But he kept the pressure on with a final-round 67 that made things interesting until Yang's long two-putt par preserved his victory.

Rollins' steady finish mirrored his performance for the week: He was the only player in the field to shoot all found rounds in the 60s on a difficult Champions course.

"I'm very happy with my game and very proud of myself the way that I played all week, and the way that I was just able to stay in the present and not let the course beat me up too bad," Rollins said. "I had no complaints. I did all I could do on championship Sunday, came up one short but gave myself a chance."

Now Rollins, 33, moves on to play in a World Golf Championships event for just the eighth time. But it's his third consecutive start at Doral, where he finished 28th in 2007 and 20th last year. Rollins' roll, in other words, may not be over.

The two second-place finishes this year have improved Rollins' Official World Golf Ranking to 78th -- a spot ahead of Watney, incidentally -- and Rollins isn't ready to exhale. He's also moved from 38th to 14th in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings. He could move into the top 10 by finishing among the top three at Doral.

"I really want to make Freddy's team," Rollins said, referring to U.S. Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples. "That's become a big goal of mine this year."

Rollins has overhauled his game, body and personal life in the last few years. He lost weight; got re-married (wife Heather and he have a precocious 15-month-old daughter named Georgia Faith, who showed at the Honda she's not camera shy); and moved from his hometown of Richmond to a suburb outside of Dallas.

Even as a teenager, Rollins had a connection to the PGA TOUR: He went to the same high school as the Wadkins brothers. Rollins has a ways to go to match Lanny Wadkins' Hall of Fame-worthy career, but the two seconds in the last month -- giving him seven runner-ups in his career -- shows his game is moving in the proper direction.

"All we're trying to do out here is give ourselves chances to win," Rollins said. "You do that enough times, you're going to start winning more often."

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