AKRON, Ohio -- Not long ago, when he was one of the best junior players in the country, Sean O'Hair used to have his nickname stitched onto his golf bag.
"The Cruiser," it said, a tag he picked up because he has always been a gangly kid who took long, loping strides that seemingly covered an acre in every step.
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| O'Hair refuses to blame his recent lackluster play on his car accident. (Getty Images) |
On a golf course carved by a former tire magnate, Firestone Country Club, O'Hair spent part of his day telling a story about when his rubber very much left the road, a detour that cost him a berth in a major championship.
The week before the U.S. Open in June, O'Hair took delivery on a shiny new Shelby Mustang, the type of slick ride that's not for the meek of heart, novice drivers or those with thin wallets. The 2008 model has a list price between $40,000 and $80,000. Certain high-end models generate 540 horsepower, have six-speed manual transmissions and ought to come with a HANS device and Bell racing helmet.
A golf cart, it ain't.
All of which O'Hair learned exactly three days after taking possession of the street-legal rod. While heading to a 7 a.m. workout session, O'Hair hopped into the tricked-up ride and spoke briefly with a neighbor as he tooled down his cul De sac in West Chester, Penn., where he lives with his wife and two young kids.
The road was wet and 200 yards after he turned a corner, he lost control of the car and it smashed head-on into a wooden power pole. The airbag deployed, neighbors came running and O'Hair crawled out of the car, shaken and apparently unhurt. The pole was a pile of toothpicks.
"It just jumped right out in front of me," he cracked.
Being a newbie with a manual transmission, he had failed to take his foot off the gas as he shifted from first to second gear and spun the rear wheels as the gearbox reengaged, the car sliding off the road and into the pole. O'Hair estimated he was moving around 35 mph at the time -- and considering the car was still in first gear, that tells you all you need to know about the carbureted, caffeinated monster that storied racing guru Carroll Shelby created.
After he shot a 3-under 67 at Firestone, the affable O'Hair finally came clean and admitted that while he has two clutch PGA Tour wins with his sticks at age 26, a clutch and stick of this type are another matter altogether.
"The story is, I had just learned how to drive a stick," he said, laughing. "That's the truth."
Before the wreck, O'Hair had been in the middle of a lengthy flat spell after a scorching March, which included a victory at the PODS Championship in Tampa and a tie for third a week later at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Now he was leaving skid marks elsewhere, too.
