IRVING, Texas - With a polished swing and poise beyond his 22 years, Sean O’Hair wound up atop the leaderboard Saturday an the Byron Nelson Championship, a position he always imagined he would be in.
The road there was what makes this so improbable.
He turned pro a year before he finished high school, guided by a domineering father who once made him run a mile for every bogey on his card and had him sign a contract giving the father 10 per cent of all future earnings. While kids his age were in college, O’Hair found failure at every turn, almost to the point he quit the game.
But after a 67 in breezy conditions, the PGA Tour rookie is one round away from a stunning recovery.
“Real good kid, real down to earth,” said British Open champion Todd Hamilton, who was one shot behind. “I know he’s got kind of an odd story with his father, but you could never tell there’s been any bad blood between the two.
“Obviously, the kid can play golf. There’s no doubt about that.”
O’Hair is not interested in rehashing his long, troubled path that led him to cut ties with his father two years ago. All that matters is a chance to show he can beat the best.
“I think eventually I was going to be in this position,” said O’Hair, who has a 12-under-par, 198 total. “This early?
“I don’t think so. So it’s nice to be in this situation, especially this event.”
Ian Leggatt of Cambridge, Ont., shot a 68 to leave him in a group tied for 43rd.
The Byron Nelson Championship was all about the Big Five until Tiger Woods missed the cut for the first time in 142 tournaments, and Retief Goosen made an early exit.
But a weekend without Woods suddenly is not lacking for a compelling storyline.
O’Hair was one of the best juniors in the United States and his father demanded nothing else. Marc O’Hair was interviewed three years for 60 Minutes II, a segment on the impact Woods’ success was having on young golfers.
He noted that he sold his shutter business in Phoenix and moved the family to Florida, investing about $2 million US on his son with hopes he would be a star.
“I was in business 20-plus years and I know how to make a profit,” O’Hair said. “You’ve got the same old thing - it’s material, labor and overhead.
“He’s pretty good labour.”
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.
“Hopefully, that changes one day,” he said.
Meanwhile, he has 18 holes left of hard work for his first PGA Tour victory.
Hamilton, who has had only one top 10 since his British Open victory over Ernie Els, shot a 65 despite missing two birdies putts inside six 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-par, 200 total with Doug Barron (65) and Ted Purdy (68).
