Sean O'Hair took advantage of a stunning collapse by Stewart Cink to win the PODS Championship, closing with a 2-under 69 to energize his young career and earn a trip to the Masters on Sunday.
O'Hair hadn't won since his rookie season in 2005 and felt as if he had been going nowhere over the last couple of seasons. But he turned it around on the back nine of Innisbrook with a 30-foot birdie and two par putts that were equally important, building such a margin that he could afford bogey on the last hole for a two-shot victory.
It was his first victory since the 2005 John Deere Classic, which got him into the British Open. This victory sends him to Augusta National next month, and he will move into the top 40 in the world to qualify for the World Golf Championship at Doral in two weeks.
PHOTO: AP
"This is not going to hurt my confidence," O'Hair said. "I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."
Cink suffered a loss perhaps even more devastating than the Accenture Match Play Championship final blowout against Tiger Woods. Cink had a four-shot lead after two holes on Sunday, still had control on the back nine, then dropped four shots in a four-hole stretch along the back nine of the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.
"I'm a little shell-shocked and a little bit angry," Cink said. "I'm extremely frustrated after this. What happened to me -- what I allowed to happen to me -- is going to make me a better player in the future. But I've got some soul-searching to do."
Cink lost the outright lead when his tee shot rolled up against a tree on the par-5 14th, leading to bogey.
"I didn't feel like I made any real mistakes," Cink said. "When I saw my ball up against the tree on 14, I was starting to wonder if this wasn't my day. I was a little bit shocked. But I put myself in that position."
He made a 50-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that allowed him to join a six-way tie for second.
John Senden closed with a 67 and was a runner-up for the second straight year, both times finishing about an hour before the leaders. He tied for second with Cink, Ryuji Imada (68), George McNeill (69), Troy Matteson (69) and Billy Mayfair (72).
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