Sean O'Hair contemplates home advantage

Sean O'Hair says there's nothing to do but enjoy himself this week playing a rare home game on the PGA Tour at the Aronimink Golf Club. But he does wonder about one thing.

"I guess I'm the only guy [competing] from around here," the West Chester resident said, "so it's going to be interesting to see if I get a different size crowd than I normally do, because I usually get just a couple of people."

O'Hair's gallery at the AT&T National at Aronimink, where the player holds membership, will be full of friends and family members. He knows his buddies will have some fun with him "no matter if I win or miss the cut."

That's fine with him. In fact, he said he doesn't feel he's under any pressure this week, and that's good for him because "I play my best when I'm relaxed and having a good time.

"I feel comfortable," he said. "I don't feel nervous at all about it. I'm just going to have a good time with it, to be honest with you. I'm going to enjoy it. It's not going to be like, 'Oh my God, I've got to perform.' And I think some guys feel that way.

"I'm going to embrace the fact that this has never happened before for me and it's going to be really, really cool."

It would be cool for the home folks to see O'Hair pick up his fourth career victory in Newtown Square. He is thought by many to have the tools to eventually be a frequent winner on tour and challenge in the majors. He has a terrific game from tee to green. His putting can be an issue at times - he is 130th in putting average entering this week - but he continues to work at it.

O'Hair, who turns 28 on July 11, admits that he will achieve the next step when he can improve the mental side of his game, "making the bad days not so bad and the good days maybe just a little bit better.

"When you get things going," he said, "it's making a five-foot putt that you might miss. On bad days, it's staying away from three-putts. When you're missing shots, miss them in the proper spots.

"I think that is why you see guys like Tiger [Woods] and Phil [Mickelson] contend on a regular basis because they just don't play stupid golf. They play very smart golf. It's not always good golf but they play smart golf."

O'Hair is healthy again after playing more than five months of 2009 with an injury to his left forearm that was diagnosed in December as a stress fracture. Despite the constant pain that made him limit his practice time, he still posted a career-high nine top-10 finishes, won more than $4.31 million - a career best - and earned a place on the U.S. Presidents Cup team.

O'Hair said the forearm still hurt as he began the 2010 season in Hawaii, but he finished tied for fourth at the SBS Championship, still his best performance of the year to date. In three of his last four tournaments, he has finished tied for 12th place, including the U.S. Open.

"The Open was an enjoyable week for me," he said. "I feel good about my game. This is my time of year that I start playing well and I'm starting to get that back."

O'Hair has competed at Aronimink before. As a 15-year-old, he reached the semifinals of the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur, where he lost in the semifinals to Trevor Immelman, now one of his fellow Tour competitors.

"I couldn't hit it out of my shadow," he said. "It rained a lot that week and my short game saved me. I was getting up and down from a trash can. But it was enjoyable, my first big event as a kid."

O'Hair also belongs to Concord Country Club in Concordville, and considers that his home course because he joined there first. He said he loves Aronimink for its practice facilities but has not played the course very much because he'd rather take a cart during a casual round, and Aronimink requires walking.

"I don't think I have a huge advantage," he said. "I know the course a little bit as far as the layout. I know what clubs I'm going to hit off the tees. But as far as greens, which is what that course is all about, I don't know the greens like the back of my hand or anything like that."

But he did give some of his colleagues a scouting report on Aronimink, which is hosting the event this year and next while Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., is being renovated in time for the 2011 U.S. Open.

"This is Northeast golf, old-school Donald Ross," he said, referring to the course's legendary designer. "That takes it to a whole another level. So this is a major championship golf course that we're going to be able to play. Hopefully, it goes over well and is a success."

So for O'Hair, the week means no pressure but a lot of enjoyment. He'll be sleeping in his own bed. He's hosting a cookout Tuesday for officials and employees of one of his sponsors, Taylor Made. His only worry will be making sure he can get enough tickets for everyone he knows to watch the tournament.

And what if he gets to the weekend in contention?

"It would be awesome. Absolutely," he said.