The Daily Wrap-up, Rd. 4: Quail Hollow Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Standing on the 18th tee, Sean O'Hair asked his caddie where he stood in the Quail Hollow Championship and got word that he had a one-shot lead.
"Over who?" O'Hair replied.
It wasn't Tiger Woods. It might not have mattered.
Five weeks after blowing a five-shot lead at Bay Hill against the world's No. 1 player, O'Hair was determined to keep putting himself in contention until he figured out how to win down the stretch.
That time came Sunday against one of the strongest fields of the year, with Woods in his rearview mirror.
O'Hair, 26, closed with a 3-under 69 -- the only player from the last nine groups to break 70 -- and made enough key birdies that finishing with consecutive bogeys on the two toughest holes at Quail Hollow didn't cost him.
He wound up with a one-shot victory over Lucas Glover and Bubba Watson to become the only current American player in his 20s with three PGA TOUR victories. International players Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are the only others in the under-30 set to achieve that feat. The win vaulted him to third in the FedExCup standings, behind only Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson, who each have two wins this season.
"Losing (stunk) at Bay Hill," O'Hair said. "Even though it's tough to lose like that, to lose a five-shot lead against Tiger, you still learn from it. I talked to my coach. I talked to my caddie, Paul (Tesori). And we just all said all I have to do is keep putting myself in those situations, and at some point I'm going to learn how to win. It's just nice to win as quickly as I did after Bay Hill."
O'Hair took the outright lead with a two-putt birdie from 70 feet on the 15th, then seized control with an 8-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the 16th hole, allowing him some room for error on the frightening finishing holes.
"I just hit it as hard as I could and tried to flight it," O'Hair said, "and hit really a perfect golf shot."
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
TOP CHARLOTTE FINISHERS TAKE MOMENTUM INTO PLAYERS
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
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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."
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
| Top 5 notables at Quail Hollow Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sunday's Best |
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The 566-yard par-5 15th hole was easiest with a Sunday scoring average of 4.622.
The 217-yard par-3 17th hole was toughest with a Sunday scoring average of 3.351.
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For the second day in a row, Ian Poulter earns top-shot honors for his play at the 18th. He sunk a 37-foot putt for birdie and a final-round 69. 
Both Jonathan Byrd and Shaun Micheel carded 6-under 66s, but Byrd got through the tough course with just one bogey and finished tied for fifth. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||||||||||
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent John Maginnes offers these observations from Sunday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
Someone different led after each round of the Quail Hollow Championship. Tiger Woods claimed the 18-hole lead but never really got it going after that. Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen were the midway leaders, but their bids to hoist the trophy came up short. Zach Johnson looked solid with a two-shot lead through 54 holes but tripped out of the gate on Sunday. He made a triple bogey at the second and was never a factor after that.
Zach's misstep opened the door for a lot of players. Bubba was back in the mix on the back nine. So was Tiger. A three-putt par at the par-4 14th left Tiger scratching his head. He would fall two shots short in his bid to become the tournament's first repeat champion.
The final three holes took their toll on all the players vying for the title. Bubba Watson bogeyed No. 16 on the way home. Lucas Glover bogeyed the 17th to finish one back. Even Sean O'Hair stumbled home. Even though he bogeyed No.s 17 and 18, Sean took the trophy in what seemed like poetic justice. After watching Tiger Woods birdie the final hole to edge him out at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, O'Hair finally pushed his way back into the winners' circle.
FINAL-ROUND NOTEBOOK: QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP
By John Bush, PGA TOUR Staff
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Making his 122nd career PGA TOUR start, Sean O'Hair posted a 3-under 69 on Sunday to finish the Quail Hollow Championship at 11-under 277, one stroke ahead of Bubba Watson (70) and Lucas Glover (71). It is the third victory of O'Hair's career (2005 John Deere Classic, 2008 PODS Championship).
• With the victory, O'Hair collects 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 3 in the standings, with 1,336 points. Geoff Ogilvy (1,387) maintains the top spot for the 10th consecutive week, followed closely by Phil Mickelson (1,363 points).
• O'Hair's victory comes in his fourth start at the Quail Hollow Championship, with two made cuts (tied for 64th in 2005, won in 2009). In 2009, he has posted nine made cuts in 10 starts, with six top-10 finishes (win at Quail Hollow Championship, second at Arnold Palmer Invitational, fourth at Mercedes-Benz Championship, tied for fifth at World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, tied for 10th at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Masters).
• O'Hair is one of seven United States natives under the age of 30 with multiple PGA TOUR victories, and is now the first with three wins. The others with two wins are J.B. Holmes, D.J. Trahan, Anthony Kim, Nick Watney, Charles Howell III and Dustin Johnson. Sergio Garcia of Spain and Adam Scott of Australia are also in the under-30 club of players with three or more PGA TOUR wins.
• Prior to Zach Johnson failing to convert the 54-hole lead on Sunday, the last event with a come-from-behind winner was the Arnold Palmer Invitational, when O'Hair succumbed to a Tiger Woods comeback.
• With this victory, O'Hair earned a two-year exemption that will take him through the 2011 season and exemptions into several events including the 2009 PGA Championship, 2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and 2010 Mercedes-Benz Championship. He was already exempt for 2010 Masters Tournament with top-10 finish in 2009.
• To read more notes from the final round, click here.
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