There are two PGA Tours right now, one for Tiger Woods and the other for everybody else. On the Tiger Tour winning is the only thing that matters, and history provides the only competition. On the other Tour the goals are more modest, and players measure success incrementally, whether it's in the agate of the Ryder Cup points list or something more intangible, such as gaining valuable experience or battle-testing a rebuilt swing. Last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is destined to be remembered for Woods's theatrics in prevailing, but on the margins plenty of other players scored small victories of their own, and these personal triumphs may eventually help bridge the two Tours.
No one had a better view of Woods's pyrotechnics than Sean O'Hair, his playing partner in Sunday's final group. O'Hair had been 10 shots off the lead after two rounds but roared into contention with a third-round 63, continuing a torrid streak that began a week earlier when he earned the second victory of his promising career. That came thanks to a nearly flawless final round at the PODS Championship, during which he blew away the likes of Ryuji Imada, Troy Matteson and John Senden, among others.
Playing with Woods on Sunday at the House that Arnie Built had an entirely different feel — O'Hair described the atmosphere as "a mini-major." At the start of the round, the 25-year-old O'Hair says, "I was a little nervous, a little unfamiliar with the surroundings." It showed as he made shaky bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd holes. But instead of falling apart completely, O'Hair regrouped and then rallied, birdieing the 11th, 12th and 15th to surge back into contention. He didn't convert some good birdie chances on the closing holes and ultimately tied for third, but O'Hair's composure and his fight didn't go unnoticed.
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger monitored the telecast from his home in Bradenton, Fla. Reached by phone, Zinger was asked if hanging tough alongside Woods might be worth bonus points when, later this year, he makes his four captain's selections. "Absolutely that's the kind of thing I can't get out of my mind," said the captain. "That's the stuff I don't want to forget. There will be a lot of numbers to look at, but it's those performances that tell you so much."
The strong finish at Bay Hill moved O'Hair from 12th to ninth on the U.S. points list. Fellow twentysomething Hunter Mahan, who tied for sixth at Bay Hill, jumped from 16th to 13th. "I played well enough to win," Mahan said. "I simply couldn't get a few putts to fall. But piling up Ryder Cup points is definitely consolation. That's my goal for the year." The same could be said for Nick Watney and Bubba Watson, both of whom were protagonists at Bay Hill.
"There's a new wave of young talent on Tour," says Azinger. "What's exciting is that right now they're talking about the Ryder Cup and thinking about it, and they're still playing well. They're taking on the challenge."
Of course, long before the Cup there is another, more immediate engagement, and it's easy to imagine all these fearless young ball bashers in the mix at the Masters. "It's going to be awesome," says O'Hair, whose power game off the tee is complemented by an imaginative short game. "I can't wait to get there."
Augusta was on everyone's mind last week because, with the Players Championship having been moved to May, Bay Hill is now the key measuring stick on the Florida swing. (This week's World Golf Championship —CA Championship has a strong but limited field — only 77 players — and the Blue Monster at Doral is not considered to be as challenging as Bay Hill.)
