Sean O’Hair wins Quail Hollow Championship

Sean O’Hair has won the Quail Hollow Championship by one shot from Lucas Glover and Bubba Watson with Tiger Woods a further stroke back. O’Hair was the only player in the last nine groups to break 70 on the final day.

Sean O'Hair

Sean O’Hair has won the Quail Hollow Championship by one shot from Lucas Glover and Bubba Watson with Tiger Woods a further stroke back. O’Hair was the only player in the last nine groups to break 70 on the final day.

O’Hair made six birdies in his fourth round 69 and that was good enough to land his third PGA Tour title. He is the only American player currently in his 20’s with three PGA Tour victories to his name. The win also vaulted him to third in the FedEx Cup standings.

“It makes the hard work worth it, and it's just really nice to enjoy it.” O’Hair said.

Crucial birdies at the 15th and 16th holes gave O’Hair a cushion and he could afford to bogey Quail Hollow’s difficult two finishing holes and still secure the win.

Five weeks ago, O’Hair blew a five-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational to lose to Tiger Woods. This time, Tiger was lurking but the World Number 1 couldn’t find the spark necessary to push on and claim victory. It looked as though he might when he drove the green on the par-4 14th but, when he three putted from 25 feet then failed to make birdie at the par-5 15th, his chance had passed.

“I had my opportunity there at 14. I made a mistake there,” Woods said. “I knew the green was baked out. It was downwind, and I didn't heed my own warning, and ended up putting too hard.”

Bubba Watson also missed his chance. He led for most of the final round but missed two key putts – one from six feet on the 15th then another from five feet on the 16th.

Zach Johnson who led coming into the final round made a triple bogey at the par-3 second hole and limped home with a closing 76.

England's Ian Poulter finished in a tie for fifth.

 

Quail Hollow Championship Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina Apr 30 – May 3, purse $6,500,000, par 72

1    Sean O’Hair (USA)    69    72    67    69    277    $1,170,000 T2    Lucas Glover (USA)    68    71    68    71    278    $572,000 T2    Bubba Watson (USA)    71    65    72    70    278    $572,000 4    Tiger Woods (USA)    65    72    70    72    279    $312,000    T5    Jonathan Byrd (USA)    72    72    70    66    280    $212,875 T5    Jason Dufner (USA)    67    71    71    71    280    $212,875 T5    Phil Mickelson (USA)    67    71    75    67    280    $212,875 T5    Tim Petrovic (USA)    71    70    71    68    280    $212,875 T5    Ian Poulter (Eng)        71    70    70    69    280    $212,875 T5    Ted Purdy (USA)        70    69    72    69    280    $212,875

Note: Players in bold signifies Titleist ball usage only

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?